Emillia Carey

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Profit.

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Without profit, it can be argued that the fashion industry would not dominate the globe as it currently does, as it is often said that money makes the world go round.

In terms of profit, the global fashion industry is said to be valued at $1.7 billion dollars as of 2023, and since 2017 has reported a growth of 5.46%, and was projected a 6.2% by 2020. The global retail sales of apparel and footwear reached a total of $1.9 billion in 2019. Furthermore, the US fashion market is said to grow annually by 1.98% through 2027. (Ariella, 2023)

With these growths, certain sectors of the fashion industry may follow these growth trends, or decrease. The luxury sector is expected to grow between 5 and 10 percent in 2023, with projections of growth in China between 9 and 14%, 5 to 10% in the US and a modest 5 to 8% in Europe. However, McKinsey reports that the fashion industry, excluding the luxury sector will struggle to grow. (McKinsey, 2022a)

Alongside these projections, brands may struggle to remain competitive with the uncertainty of the state of the global economy. Due to consumer shifts, ‘fashion executives should adapt their business models to protect customer loyalty and avoid diluting their brands.’ (McKinsey, 2022b) These adaptions may look like avoiding greenwashing to present valid, meaningful and credible change to a brand’s customers (McKinsey, 2022c) as well as being creative in their marketing, spending their money in a way to craft creative and eye catching digital advertisements to please and attract the customer. (McKinsey, 2022d)

A company’s creativity can create commerce, a brand being creative with their products can be the reason why they generate profit. However, creativity directly endorses the knock off industry, and throwaway culture. No matter how creative a brand will be in their designs, it is almost certain that a ‘dupe’ will end up on SHEIN, or ROMWE with the coming days. ‘Dupes’ diminish creativity for brands, as their designs meant to generate profit for them end up endorsing the fast fashion industry, and these pieces will end up in a landfill, due to throwaway culture. However, the gap between creativity and commerce are reached by grand advertising, and Gen Z’s grasp on social media, with a creative piece becoming a trend overnight with a simple video on TikTok, influences now drive these bridges.

Reference list.

Areilla, S. (2023, June 15). 28 DAZZLING FASHION INDUSTRY STATISTICS [2023]: HOW MUCH IS THE FASHION INDUSTRY WORTH. Zippia. https://www.zippia.com/advice/fashion-industry-statistics/

The state of fashion 2023: Holding onto growth as global clouds gather (2022) McKinsey &
Company.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion

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People.

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People are the true innovators of fashion, the entire backbone of the industry, crafting it from the ground up, into the powerhouse of an industry that is known to this day. With this growth comes the introduction of new generations, and their induction into the world of fashion, which is what can be observed with the second youngest generation, Generation Z.

Generation Z, the world’s ‘first digital natives’ (Moran, 2022a), are the prime consumers of fashion within this modern period. As the prime consumers, they are described to ‘value a sense of community and are likely to respond well to brands and retailers acting as facilitators of this, as well as anything that gives them a sense of control or co-creation’ (Moran, 2022b). Generation Z are a group of diverse people, and ultimately are the most accepting of the ever changing world they live in, and more inclusive of people’s differences, with them promoting these differences with their grand activism.

With their fight for a more inclusive and diverse world, it makes perfect sense that Generation Z drive for brands to mirror this. For Gen Z, ‘sustainability and equality continue to grow in importance’ (Moran, 2022c). Gen Z are a group for convenience, with a reported 63.5% of Generation Z disliking shopping in person as a result of queues. (Moran, 2022d). As a result of their life during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gen Z have grown to favour online shopping, with popular, though non sustainable brands such as SHEIN and ROMWE, but their online shopping is not limited to these brands. Online thrift stores/second hand platforms like Depop and Vinted have also grown in popularity, due to their low price and sustainable business model.

Within this more diverse world, ‘Various brands—such as Patagonia, TOMS, Target, and Nike—are taking a stand on divisive social and/or political issues (Peters & Silverman, 2016 in Ferraro, 2023). As well as this, women have expressed deep dissatisfaction in Victoria Secret and their lack of diversity, and are more favoured to the more body positive Savage X Fenty.

For their needs for a diverse, inclusive and convenient brand to shop from, Gen Z needs a brand to communicate if they are sustainable, ethical and diverse. Communication is the most important people skill for a brand and the fashion industry as a whole, especially for Gen Z.

Ferraro, C., Hemsley, A., & Sands, S. (2023). Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): Considerations and opportunities for brand managers. Business Horizons, 66(4), 463-479.

Hakeem, F. (2020, December). Examining Body Positivity in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Lingerie Runway Show. In International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings (Vol. 77, No. 1). Iowa State University Digital Press.

Moran, G. (2022) Drapers, Gen Z and Millennials 2022.

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Planet: A critique of the modern fashion industry.

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Whilst there is a ‘greater acceptance within the industry of the need to tackle the impacts of fashion’, (Gwilt, 2020a), the fashion industry holds the title of one of the most environmentally destructive systems, second only to the oil market. With this comes concerning statistics, such as 85% of textiles (21 billion tonnes) being sent to landfills, and within these 120 billion garments produced annually, 68% are created with oil based textiles. These oil based textiles require finite resources for temporary, disposable garments that will most likely end up in a landfill in Ghana, and is highly energy intensive, releasing high CO2 emissions, devasting for the planet.

‘This industry must embrace the circular economy.’ (Moran, 2022); a circular economy is defined as ‘more radical approaches to the design and production process in relation to how garments will be used, maintained, reused and eventually recycled’ (Gwilt, 2020b). In order for the planet to survive the impacts created by the fashion industry, more brands need to adapt to conform to the more sustainable option of the circularly economy, rather than the currently adopted linear economy.

Sustainability, in the fashion industry, is not legislated, and therefore can be defined in any way a brand sees fit, whether this truly be sustainable or not. However, sustainability is more widely defined to contain garments with greater ‘reparability and durability’ (Mitterfellner, 2023) more so than the mass produced textiles and garments presented in fast fashion. Sustainability relies on slow fashion business models, more often found within luxury brands, as ‘sustainable fashion’ is an option for the privileged, the people who can afford to spend a grand amount of money on more ethical garments. Sustainable fashion cannot truly be achieved within a poverty stricken world, meaning the planet must suffer environmental damage that matches the current economic crisis. This crisis gears people toward fast fashion, due to the affordability.

The UN’s ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ aim to create a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for the people and the planet. Their first goal, no poverty, is directly proportional to the impacts of fast fashion and the damage these unethical unsustainable practices cause for the environment. Without poverty, it could be argued that the effects of fast fashion would decrease significantly, and the harsher impacts of the fashion industry would slow to meet the UN’s 2030 goal.

References:

Gwilt, A. (2020). A practical guide to sustainable fashion. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Moran, G. (2022) Drapers, Collaborating for Change: Sustainability Report 2022

Mitterfellner, O. (2023) Luxury Fashion Brand Management and sustainability: Unifying fashion
with sustainability. New York: Routledge

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Favourite fashion brand: Vivienne Westwood

Favourite fashion brand: Vivienne Westwood

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Vivienne Westwood, as a brand, shaped the 1970’s British Punk scene, with direct involvement with ‘The Sex Pistols’. From the beginnings as ‘Let it rock’, a small boutique featuring elements of the Teddy Boy style, influenced by Vivienne’s crafting for Malcolm McLaren, to the collapse of ‘The Sex Pistols’ and the modern powerhouse known as ‘World’s End’, Vivienne Westwood is a staple brand in many alternative communities. In more modern times, Vivienne Westwood is seen in visual media, and manga series, like Ai Yazawa’s: ’Nana’, which features several of real life Vivienne pieces, such as the orb lighter, and can be cited as some inspiration for a modern audiences new found interest in the brand, and the beginnings of their collection. The brand is also named in the TV adaptation, showing direct inspiration. However, across alternative communities, the main factor which drives people towards the brand, is the forwarding of the punk community, and shaping it into the format of which we see modern punks engage in. The plaid skirts, along with the orb imagery encapsulates my interest: an inherently feminine aesthetic, with the powerful messages of the British 1970s punk movement, its a grand juxtaposition which keeps someone like me, an alternative, but still extremely feminine person, completely besotted with the brand.

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