Purpose
The purpose pillar is important because it focuses on the strategy and core of a business or fashion brand. The purpose, or brand philosophy, is an important part of a business because it’s a key part of why a consumer buys from a specific brand. The brand mission can focus around ideas of climate change, social justice and other world issues that compel consumers to feel comfortable buying from the brand. Having a clear brand mission is key to having a successful fashion brand.
Brand mission is important because consumers like to buy branded products to display that they identify with the brand and the connotations that the brand represents. An example of this is Louis Vuitton, known for being high end. Consumers buy products with its name and label on to symbolise that they relate to the luxury lifestyle and that they experience a luxury lifestyle themselves, which allows them to afford the products. (JamesHillman, 2021). A brand mission allows consumers to identify with the values that the brand stand for. This is important because consumers of today are becoming increasingly interested in what a brand stands for, especially if that relates to issues surrounding climate change and social justice. If a brand does not have a clear mission consumers may feel less inclined to purchase from it as they do not know its values and what they will be showcasing when they wear it. Therefore, brands should focus on clearly communicating their brand mission in order to allow consumers to understand it and feel compelled to buy from the brand.
Brands communicate their purpose through strategic marketing of their items in accord with their ideal brand philosophy and desired market. Different brands will use different types of marketing to display their brand philosophy, for example Mitterfellner ,O (2023) says that ‘luxury brands will differentiate between the end consumers of these products and tailor it carefully and accordingly’ this is to ensure that the consumers understand and are happy with the brands mission, this is so they are more likely to purchase from that brand in the long-term. When considering how brands communicate this purpose with Gen Z social media and other similar marketing tactics are key, due to this being the main content consumption by gen z. According to McKinsey and co (2020) gen Z are adaptive shoppers, they shop over an array of formats including instagram and tiktok. This is supported by the growth world of influencers, so in order for brands to present their mission to gen Z they must consider going through influencers that will share similar values are the generation.
References
Mitterfellner, O. (2023). Luxury fashion brand management : Unifying fashion with sustainability. Taylor & Francis Group. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UAL/detail.action?docID=7260416#
Mckinsey, O.(August 2020). Meet Generation Z: Shaping the future of shopping.https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/meet-generation-z-shaping-the-future-of-shopping#/ . Retrieved 28th October 2023Hillman, J. (February 2021). How to create your fashion brand identity.https://www.jameshillman.co.uk/blog/2021/2/1/how-to-create-your-fashion-brand-identity . Retrieved 28th October 2023.