Purpose pillar
‘Purpose’ as a pillar of the fashion industry refers to the goals a brand wants to achieve through their own products or actions. This is often expressed through a brand’s philosophy, which defines what a brand believes and wants to achieve. For example, ASOS claims its values are to be ‘authentic, brave, creative and disciplined’. By expressing this to the public, the actions of the brand to achieve these goals become open to scrutiny, and practices which go against these values will be more heavily criticised. Therefore, through a brand philosophy, brands can better achieve corporate social responsibility, which Londrigan (2018) defined as ‘companies taking responsibility for their impacts on society’. A brand philosophy can be seen in this way as a self- established guideline to maintain a brand’s values. This is at its most effective when consumers care about a brand’s impacts, which is happening increasingly as Gen Z becomes the most powerful consumers. Reportedly, 61% of Gen Z say they are ‘willing to go out of their way to buy products and services from businesses that are sustainable and socially responsible’. This puts increased pressure on brands to communicate to the younger generation that they are truly following their values. Brands may achieve this in many ways, one example of which is the use of diverse models when a brand claims to value inclusivity. Alternatively, brands frequently use social media to highlight their actions and achievements, commonly through Instagram posts like those frequently utilised by Gen- Z focused brands ASOS and Selkie. Brands also display their values through who they collaborate with, such as Vans expressing creativity through a collaboration with the Vincent van Gogh Museum.
ASOS 2023 https://www.asosplc.com/this-is-asos/our-purpose-and-values/ London
Londrigan, M., & Jenkins, J. M. (2018). Fashion supply chain management. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
De Castro, O. (2021). Loved clothes last: How the joy of rewearing and repairing your clothes can be a revolutionary act. Penguin UK.
Vans 2023 https://www.vans.co.uk/vangoghmuseum.html