Beth Eve

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Purpose pillar

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‘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

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Profit Pillar

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Profit may be the most important pillar of the fashion industry- considering that it is one of the biggest industries worldwide at $1.7 trillion in 2021 (McKinsey, 2022). Though the industry saw recent decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery is forecast and many sectors of the industry are already seeing recovery. Luxury brands in particular are seeing significant profits, exemplified by Gucci which reported over $10 billion in revenue in 2022. Despite a global recession on the horizon, the luxury sector is projected to grow 5-10% in 2023. In contrast, the rest of the fashion market is projected to grow slowly at between -2% and 3% as they do not have the protection of wealthy shoppers against inflation (Amed et al, 2022). To remain competitive in the current economic climate, brands are forced to find new strategies as highlighted by Mitterfellner (2019), who outlined ‘Desire, Digitalisation, Diversity and Design’ as four key aspects in Saint Laurent’s rebranding. Digitalisation is a particularly important aspect for brands to currently consider, as people increasingly shop online. Generation Z, in particular, enjoys online shopping, as found by Choudhury (2014): ‘young people have been the majority shoppers online’. Brands must therefore consider the online purchasing experience they provide as well as their physical stores, as a poorly functional website is likely to create customer dissatisfaction and discourage purchasing decisions. However, this emphasis on function and profit raises concerns about the creativity of brands and their creative directors, as expressed by Alber Elbaz, who felt that he had lost feeling and heart when he became a creative director as opposed to a courtier- describing the role as having ‘to create- but mostly direct’ (Dacre, 2015). Mitterfellner (2023) outlined the roles of a creative director as ‘brand ambassador, manager of teams, brand visionary and lead fashion designer’, clearly showing the diminished role of creative design even in a brand’s creative director. This issue may be difficult to bridge, as a brand cannot remain profitable while only creating fashion to be creative. However, creativity and commerce in fashion are not necessarily at odds. Creative directors may not solely exist to create, but they may hold large power and influence over brands. For example, Burberry’s creative director was recently appointed also to the position of CEO, retaining his position as creative director while explicitly holding power over the brand. In this way, Burberry has stated that creativity is a priority of the brand- effectively bridging the gap between creativity and commerce by bringing the two most important roles together. 

References: 

Choudhury, D., & Dey, A. (2014). Online shopping attitude among the youth: A study on university students. International journal of entrepreneurship and development studies, 2(1), 23-32.

Mitterfellner, O. (2023). Luxury Fashion Brand Management: Unifying Fashion with Sustainability. Taylor & Francis.

McKinsey’s ‘State of Fashion 2023’, Imran Amed https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/retail/our%20insights/state%20of%20fashion/2023/the-state-of-fashion-2023-holding-onto-growth-as-global-clouds-gathers-vf.pdf

The Lyst Index Q2 2023 https://www.lyst.com/data/the-lyst-index/q223/

Business of Fashion: Floriane de Saint Pierre on Creative Leadership https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/workplace-talent/floriane-de-saint-pierre-on-creative-leadership-032c/

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People Pillar

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‘People’ forms another key pillar of the fashion industry. This pillar relates to both consumers and producers of fashion, with Gen Z currently forming a key focus group. As consumers, Gen Z have been described as ‘mostly educated about brands and the realities behind them’ (Francis and Hoefel, 2018) and as having ‘intentions to purchase ethically’ (Walters, 2021). Gen Z, generally due to their familiarity with the Internet, have been exposed to the truth behind their clothing’s origins more than any generation before them. An emphasis on ethical consumption now persists in Gen Z, however limitations in access to ethically produced garments and information on how brands’ labour is sourced have made translating care about working conditions into industrial change exceedingly difficult. Gen Z also place large emphasis on diversity in brands’ advertising yet also within brands in aspiration for a more equitable society- ‘If a brand advertises diversity but lacks diversity within its own ranks, that contradiction will be noticed’ (Francis and Hoefel, 2018). To this end, many brands have begun using far more diverse groups of models and body types to advertise their clothing. A key example of this is Selkie, a brand selling primarily dresses which recently displayed an extremely diverse runway, including models with varying body types and skin tones. The positive reception this received from the brand’s primarily Gen Z audience highlights the appreciation Gen Z has for diversity. In this way, brands can appeal to Gen Z by utilising a diverse cast of models to display their collections. Gen Z also have an appreciation for collections and garments from diverse sources, however. While diversity in models and advertising is crucial to a Gen Z audience, ethical production is also very appealing to much of the generation- though a large proportion of brands claiming this are not being truthful. To appeal to this specific group, brands must utilise a diverse group of models and claim to be producing garments ethically. While Gen Z intend to consume ethically, brand deception and price limitations make this typically difficult to fully realise. 

References:

Francis, T., & Hoefel, F. (2018). True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey & Company, 12, 1-10.

Walters, P. (2021). Are generation Z ethical consumers?. In Generation Z Marketing and Management in Tourism and Hospitality: The Future of the Industry (pp. 303-325). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

McKinsey’s ‘What is Gen Z’ https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z#/

Draper’s ‘Gen Z and Millennials 2022’ report https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022

‘Selkie’ brand story https://selkiecollection.com/pages/about-selkie

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PLANET: How effective is the circular economy model?

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In recent years, awareness of issues in the fashion industry has brought widespread attention to unsustainable practices perpetuating at every level. While there are many, a core area of interest is the fashion industry’s impact on the environment, which has given rise to the ‘Planet’ pillar. This pillar aims to change the effects the fashion industry has left on the environment, primarily through changes to industry practices. An abundantly clear issue in this area is excessive waste of resources. A proposed solution to this is redefining the economy’s goods cycle, from a linear ‘create-use-discard’ pathway to a more circular track. This falls in line with the UN’s SDG of ‘responsible production and consumption’, an established global goal to reduce overconsumption and encourage goods to be sourced renewable and without great environmental cost. As the Ellen MacArthur Foundation states, a circular economy in fashion aims to create goods which are made from safe and renewable resources which can easily be repurposed. In this way, impacts on the environment such as the annual 92 million tonnes of waste produced by the fashion industry can be mitigated, as goods are given new purpose after their first lifespan. This view also allows for natural cycles in the fashion industry to continue- such as typical trend cycles- without the waste that these cycles perpetuate. For example, a resurgence in late 1990’s style low-rise jeans has occurred, leading to mass purchasing of low-rise jeans and discarding of high- waisted jeans. A large amount of denim fabric is therefore wasted which could be repurposed or kept until high- waisted jeans become fashionable again. Circular economy theory provides a clear solution to waste in the fashion industry, however it may overemphasise the role of materials in the fashion industry’s environmental impacts. While usage of more sustainable materials, such as cotton in opposition to synthetic fibres, would certainly ensure a level of lessened environmental harm, it is simplistic to assume this is a complete solution.While cotton is a renewable resource, it still requires vast amounts of water to produce- estimated 2,700 litres per cotton t-shirt. The issue of material sourcing is therefore far more complex than the material used. Brands such as H&M have come to exploit this false solution, with lines of ‘sustainable’ clothing which are presented as an eco-friendly choice while sourcing the majority of their clothing from Southeast Asia, necessitating long-distance shipping and more emissions of greenhouse gases as a result. Therefore, sustainably produced garments can still have severe environmental impacts. Solving the issue of environmental impacts caused by the fashion industry is likely far more complex than any one theory. 

Reference list

Fletcher, K., & Grose, L. (2012). Fashion & sustainability: Design for change. Hachette UK.

Diantari, N. K. Y. (2021). Trend Cycle Analysis on Fast Fashion Products. Journal of Aesthetics, Design, and Art Management, 1(1), 24-33.

Callery, K. M. (2023). THE ACCELERATION OF THE FASHION TREND CYCLE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.

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My Favourite Brand

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My personal favourite brand at the moment is Simone Rocha, an Irish designer fashion brand. I find the brand’s designs are unlike any other and tend to be beautifully detailed with colours and materials not conventionally used- for example, the brand’s iconic pearl clasp handbags. Additionally, the brand’s garments are all unlike any I have been able to find elsewhere- such as their pearl- adorned platform trainers, which utilise the contrasting aesthetics of ballet flats and chunky platform shoes to create a distinctive and recognisable look. These shoes are visible in the selected image, along with the brand’s typical feminine silhouette and use of lace and tulle fabrics. I find the beauty of Rocha’s designs captivating and truly eye- catching. 

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