Raena Shah

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People

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The fashion industry is driven by consumer mentality. A brand must understand what its target customer group wants so it can adapt and improve to remain successful. The People Pillar looks at how consumers affect marketing strategies, brand values, products, and experiences. During customer evaluation, factors such as education, culture, gender, and emotion need to be considered (Franklin, 2023). While the customers are important, the welfare of workers and human rights in the behind-the-scenes of production are equally important.

Generation Z is the leading generation today. Born between 1996 and 2010, Gen Z has been exposed to technology and social media from a young age, thus making them the “digital natives” (Francis & Hoefel, 2018) (McKinsey & Company, 2023). Growing up in an age where global information is available at the click of a button, the Covid-19 pandemic had everyone locked in, an urgent climate change crisis, and increased mental health awareness, the Gen Z bracket is socially and environmentally “woke” (McKinsey & Company, 2019). This makes them vocal, transparent, and extremely online (McKinsey & Company, 2023).

To attract Gen Z customers, a brand must strategically sell its story that has a deep relatable emotional level. They must be authentic, transparent, diverse, engaging, and creative (Forbes Expert Panel, 2022). For example, Wendy’s took on a comical approach on Twitter by responding to customers humorously and roasting their competitors. This entertaining approach captured customers attention and boosted their engagement (Anderson, 2023).

Wendy’s took on a simplistic, yet creative strategy. Dunkin Donuts took on the influencer strategy. They signed with TikTok star Charlie D’Amelio to sell a cold brew called “the Charli.” They used TikTok, a popular social media platform amongst Gen Z, to advertise their new drink. According to Drayton Martin, vice president of brand stewardship at Dunkin’, sales boosted by 20% the day the drink debuted and had a 45% surge the next day (TMZ, 2020). Another influential persona is Khloe Kardashian, who created Good American. Their mission revolves around making women feel included, seen, and heard. With diversity in casting models, the website showcases a wide range of apparel sizes (Forbes Expert Panel, 2022).

There are many elements to success. Collaboration, whether it be multiple brands combining their experience to improve or the use of influencers to reach the target audience. Leadership, teamwork, communication, emotion, and vulnerability are a few other elements (Franklin, 2023).

Bibliography

Anderson, M. (2023). Council post: Connecting with gen Z: Effective strategies for brands. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/05/05/connecting-with-gen-z-effective-strategies-for-brands/

Francis, T. and Hoefel, F. (2018). True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey & Company, 12. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gengeneration-z-and-its-implications-for-companies

Franklin, C. (2023). Intro to…People [PowerPoint slides]. Moodle@UAL https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=1120272

McKinsey & Company. (2023). The A to Z on gen Z https://www.mckinsey.com/featuredinsights/themes/the-a-to-z-on-gen-z

McKinsey & Company. (2019). The influence of ‘woke’ consumers on fashion https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-influence-of-woke-consumers-on-fashion

McKinsey & Company. (2023). What is Gen Z? Www.mckinsey.com. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z

Forbes Expert Panel. (2022). Council post: 11 brands that successfully model diverse and inclusive advertising. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2022/07/15/11-brands-that-successfully-model-diverse-and-inclusive-advertising/

Rahilly, L. (Host). (2020). Meeting Generation Z [Audio podcast]. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/meet-generation-z-shaping-the-future-of-shopping

TMZ. (2020). Tiktok star Charlie D’Amelio was good for Dunkin’ donuts biz. https://www.tmz.com/2020/09/23/charli-damelio-dunkin-donuts-drink-cold-brew-sales-boost/

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Purpose

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Why do we do what we do? What are our intentions? The Purpose Pillar focuses on the vision, mission, and values of a brand. These factors build the foundation that convey the 5 W’s to the customers – why they exist, where they are, where they are going, what their future ambitions are, what is important to them, how they want to operate (Van Volkinburg, 2023). Having a core story links these factors and portrays the aims and goals in a comprehensive way develops an identity for the brand.

Rare Beauty is a cosmetic company by Selena Gomez that “believes in the power of beauty and self-care.” (Rare Beauty Brands, 2021). It aims to “help people feel good, build confidence, find their community, and simply enjoy a few minutes to themselves.” (Rare Beauty Brands, 2021). Their mission is to promote positivity by focusing on “products that delight, communities that empower, brands that inspire.” (Rare Beauty Brands, 2021). The brand is about appreciating imperfections and uniqueness by being comfortable with yourself instead of using makeup as a mask. The brand website and Instagram page reemphasize their vision mission and values on beauty standards and mental health through their choice of models, names of individual products, and resources to the associated causes.

The purpose of Rare Beauty revolves around various relevant issues like mental health awareness and the importance of authenticity. The founder of the company sets an example of transparency by being open about her personal struggles and has a diverse group of women come and talk about their experiences as well. The company website has helplines, and articles to raise awareness (Castro, 2023). Besides being proactive on the front lines, the brand is open about the ethically sourced materials for their high-quality products and their team members (Rare Beauty Brands, 2023), giving the customers behind-the-scenes information. Being proactive about its purpose and transparent through its sourcing, production, marketing, and products, the brand attracts customers by making them feel informed, involved, represented, and understood.

“The internet and social media have profoundly altered the relationship between creators and consumers.” (Corner, 2014). Selena Gomez, the founder, is the most followed woman on Instagram with 430 million followers (Valby, 2023). Being an influential woman in the music, acting, fashion, and makeup industry, her audience outreach is vast. Her brand uses TikTok and Instagram as their main modes of publicity to Gen Z customers.

Bibliography

Castro, M. (2023). Rare impact. Rare Beauty. https://www.rarebeauty.com/blogs/news/rare-impact

Corner, F. (2014) The Creative Consumer. In Why fashion matters (pp. 60-62). London: Thames & Hudson

Rare Beauty Brands. (2021). Culture – rare beauty brands. Rare Beauty Brands – We’re All Kinds of Beautiful. https://rarebeautybrands.com/culture/#:~:text=Our%20Mission,-To%20Delight%2C&text=We%20believe%20in%20the%20power,a%20few%20minutes%20to%20themselves

Rare Beauty Brands. (2023). People – rare beauty brands. Rare Beauty Brands – We’re All Kinds of Beautiful. https://rarebeautybrands.com/people/

Valby, K. (2023). How Selena Gomez’s Rare beauty became a powerful gen Z brand – fast company. Inside Selena Gomez’s beauty juggernaut: The Rare Beauty founder on makeup, Gen Z, and navigating social media. https://www.fastcompany.com/90951624/selena-gomez-rare-beauty-cosmetics-industry-juggernaut-gen-z

Van Volkinburg N. (2023). Intro to…Purpose [PowerPoint slides]. Moodle@UAL https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=1126878

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Profit

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When we think of profit, we immediately think of numbers. We think of the amount of money earned beyond the cost of production. While the economic increase is crucial for stability, the social and cultural capital is vital for the growth of the business (Bourdieu, 1993). These factors define the Profit Pillar. Cultural capital considers knowledge of culture acquired through our upbringing and exposure to our surroundings. Social capital identifies networks and connections that may prove to be beneficial in the future (Bourdieu, 1993).

Fashion is a competitive field that is changing and growing every day. The global value of the fashion industry is about 3 trillion dollars and it employs 57.8 million people overall (Mair, 2018). To survive in such a fast-paced and cut-throat industry, businesses need to develop a strong identity and story that is reflected in their products. Expressing uniqueness is the key to success for a brand, as it is a quality that is desirable for the audience. For example, Apple is known for its focus on innovation, sleek design, and user experience. These selling factors have attracted a loyal customer base and helped the company differentiate itself from its competitors (Imbimbo, 2009) (Two Teachers, 2023).

To remain profitable, a company must attempt to maintain a loyal customer base and expand its outreach to new customers by adapting to consumer priorities (Amed, 2022). These priorities change based on the developments in our surroundings. For example, an increased awareness of climate change has promoted slow fashion, minimalism, and sustainability in 2023. Covid-19 pushed companies to shift to digital platforms and take on new methods of marketing. For example, TikTok gained popularity for its short-form, influencer-centered videos during the pandemic (Azpeitia, 2021). It became a prime location for brands to collaborate with influencers to reach beyond their target audience (Azpeitia, 2021). It also became a popular place for small companies to promote their brands and grow.

For the fashion industry to continue its upward trend and expand, it is critical to optimize new ideas and benefit from creativity. Creative directors shape and establish vision as part of marketing. They are responsible for presenting a story that sticks with viewers and entices them to become consumers. This can be done by relating to the customers so they feel represented and comfortable. For example, Djerf Avenue is a Swedish fashion brand that is founded and managed by women. They have a wide variety of models with hearing impairments, on wheelchairs, of different ages, and races in their fashion shows. Images of models on their website are unedited and natural. According to the New York Times, their revenue in 2021 was $8 million and is expected to reach $22 million by the end of 2023. This reemphasizes how the key to profitable success is uniqueness.

Bibliography

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

Azpeitia, J. (2021). Social media marketing and its effects on TikTok users.

Bourdieu, P. (2018). The forms of capital. In The sociology of economic life (pp. 78-92). Routledge.

Imbimbo, A. (2009). Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple. Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP.

Isaacson, W. (2012). The real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs. Harvard business review, 90(4), 92-102.

Mair, C. (2018). The psychology of fashion. Routledge.

Moritz, M. (2009). Return to the little kingdom: How Apple and Steve Jobs changed the world. Abrams.

Two teachers. (2023, April 28). 3 Ways Apple Built Their Brand. Two Teachers; Two Teachers. https://www.twoteachers.co.uk/post/3-ways-apple-built-their-brand#:~:text=Apple

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Planet

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Everything begins and ends with the Earth. All living organisms depend on the planet for resources and raw materials to exist. Despite this, the human relationship with Earth is a textbook toxic romance. We take and take more than we give. Centuries of this asymmetrical interaction have created an imbalance that negatively impacts our planet. We are now approaching an irreversible point and need to take immediate action!

Holding the title of the 3rd largest polluting industry, fashion has a detrimental effect on soil, water, air, forests, and other organisms. The linear economic model was implemented for a long time, where products were made, used, and disposed. Due to this, the demand for garments increased thus increasing the carbon emissions. The urgency surrounding our climatic conditions requires us to adopt the circular economic model that establishes a closed production system. This regenerative system focuses on eliminating waste and pollution by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling. Garments would be circulated for as long as their maximum value is retained, and then safely returned to the biosphere when they aren’t in use. Circularity in fashion is part of the transition towards a more sustainable future.

Our journey to a sustainable future begins with altering our perception of profit. The Triple Bottom Line theory expands our conventional criteria of profit being a numerical gain to a company’s contribution to the people, planet, and prosperity. The next step is to tackle issues related to the 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals set by the United Nations in 2015 to be complete by 2030. Clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, climate action, life on land, life on water, and responsible consumption and production are goals that support the planet pillar of the Triple Bottom Line theory.   

Carmine is a popular red pigment used in lipsticks and blushes that is made by crushing female cochineal insects and harvesting the dye. Ambergris is a fixative in perfumes that is obtained from the intestines of whales. Leather is a strong flexible material made by preserving animal skin and using strong chemicals to prevent decomposing. For decades the fashion industry has sourced materials from animals unethically. The Sustainable Developmental Goals of life on land and in water help us consider the animals around us and alternative methods to obtain those materials. Many brands are now going vegan and cruelty-free to promote sustainability and ethics. While there are many problems between the fashion industry and the plant, small changes like these are the initial steps towards achieving our sustainability goals.

Bibliography

Alhaddi, H. (2015). Triple bottom line and sustainability: A literature review. Business and Management studies, 1(2), 6-10.

Carlile, C. (2023). Animal products in cosmetics. Retrieved from https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/health-beauty/animal-products-cosmetics

Dissanayake, D. G. K., & Weerasinghe, D. (2021). Towards circular economy in fashion: Review of strategies, barriers and enablers. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 1-21.

Moorhouse, D., & Moorhouse, D. (2017). Sustainable design: circular economy in fashion and textiles. The Design Journal, 20(sup1), S1948-S1959.

Niinimäki, K. (2017). Fashion in a circular economy (pp. 151-169). Springer International Publishing.

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