Habiba Mezine

INTRODUCING THE PILLAR.

People are not only the driving force but the backbone of the fashion industry. People inspire, design, and create fashion, yet the reality of this glamorised realm is that fashion is built on the exploitation of workers. The fashion industry, which often symbolizes creativity, self-expression, and escapism has forgotten its workforce and severely mistreats them. The Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh is a reminder of the fashion industry’s exploitative nature; where workers’ safety was sacrificed for profit. This tragedy emphasizes the dire need for change – and a more ethical approach to fashion, recognising that responsibility goes beyond designers; it extends to the entire production chain.

DESCRIBING GEN Z AS CONSUMERS.

Stacey Wood identifies four key trends – innovation, convenience, security, escapism – in Gen Z consumer behaviour. Gen Z, being good with technology, values design, and aesthetics, and prefers online shopping. They seek convenience, trendy, hassle-free clothing, and quick deliveries due to their busy schedules. Economic challenges like the 2020 COVID lockdown made Gen Z cost-conscious and more sustainable. Gen Z also express themselves through their clothing, as a form of escapism (Wood, 2013). Based on a 2022 Report of Gen Z and Millenials, 48.6% of Gen Z prefer online shopping, on the other hand, 41% of Millenials prefer shopping online (Moran, 2022).

CONSIDERING WHAT A BRAND SHOULD DO TO ATTRACT GEN Z.

According to the 2022 report on Gen Z and Millenials, there is a notable difference in what these two generations value when it comes to shopping. Around 40% of Gen Z consumers prioritize “Brand Name” when buying clothes, in contrast to 30% of Millenials. Additionally, Gen Z expressed a strong desire for “Fashion and styling advice” and “Fashion and trend news and content” from fashion brands, aligning with their value of aesthetics and design. The report also showed that Generation Z displays an interest in “What celebrities are wearing,” with around 19.8% expressing this curiosity. These findings shed light on how a brand should attract Gen Z in the fashion market (Moran, 2022).

HOW A FASHION BRAND HAS RESPONDED TO DIVERSITY.

Selkie showcased their Spring 2024 Collection at New York Fashion Week, and “proved fashion really can be inclusive.” Selkie is a slow-fashion brand known for it’s vintage-inspired, girlie-girl silhouettes and colours. The body and skin-tone diversity was one of the best at Fashion Week, and did not feel performative. Kimberely Gordon, the founder and designer of Selkie, had models showcasing the new collection from sizes XXS to 6X, and made sure that the garments were made to fit the models. Selkie is one of the few brands breaking the boundaries of fashion inclusivity (Denton, 2023).

KEY PEOPLE SKILLS NEEDED FOR A SUCCESSFUL FASHION BRAND.

For a brand to be a success in the fashion industry, people skills are crucial. “The Fashion Business: Theory, Practice, Image” explores skills such as effective communication, teamwork, negotiation, leadership, empathy, and cultural sensitivity. Communication is needed to share ideas and directions. Teamwork is important for collaboration. Negotiation skills are essential for deals. Leadership in a brand is needed to guide others. Empathy allows the understanding of customer needs, and cultural sensitivity is required to avoid insensitivity. These interpersonal skills are indispensable to a successful fashion brand (Nicola Joanne White & Griffiths, 2006).

REFERENCE LIST:

Denton, E. (2023, May 15). Selkie’s Latest Show Proved Fashion Really Can Be Inclusive. Retrieved from StyleCaster website: https://stylecaster.com/fashion/fashion-news/1392329/selkie-fashion-show/

Moran, G. (2022). Drapers, Gen Z and Millennials 2022 https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2022

Nicola Joanne White, & Griffiths, I. (2006). The fashion business: theory, practice, image. Oxford ; New York: Berg.

Wood, S. (2013). Generation Z as consumers: trends and innovation. Institute for Emerging Issues: NC State University, 119(9), 7767-7779.

Acknowledging the impact fashion has on the environment, is essential in today’s world to work towards a more sustainable future.
Our Planet, one of the four pillars of sustainability alongside people, purpose and profit, is suffering because of the fashion industry, due to overconsumption, massive CO2 production and pollution.
The production of clothing often relies on fossil fuel usage in factories for energy, releasing CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
In 2013, The IPCC stated in it’s fifth assessment report that human influence is the dominant cause of global temperatures rising since the mid 20th century.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Our existing linear economic system is unsustainable – it produces, uses and dumps material, which is environmentally destructive.
The circular economy is an improved approach to managing products at the end of its life – turning these used materials into resources that can be reused, recycled or repaired. For example, old phones that aren’t in use can be refurbished or repaired, then resold to reduce waste.
However, circular economy cannot contribute to global net sustainability because of economic limitations. Businesses need to change the way they operate – building new infrastructures such as factories, requiring investments that they do not have.

SUSTAINABILITY IN RELATION TO FASHION

Sustainability is shaping the future of the fashion industry – guiding a more responsible approach that helps both the planet and its people.
‘A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion’ by Alison Gwilt provides valuable insights into the world of sustainable fashion, one of which being the consumption of Fashion.
Gwilt stresses the importance of the ‘use phase’ of clothing, as studies show that most environmental impacts start from this stage. The laundering process, where consumers use significant amounts of energy and water, plays a major role.
Gwilt mentions Stella McCartney using environmentally friendly materials and processes.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL

SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, encourages resource efficiency and waste reduction. Social media fuels fashion micro-trends, pressuring the need for constant wardrobe updates. Fast fashion brands capitalise off of this by mass-producing cheap, low-quality, short-timed items that end up in landfills.
The decomposition of textiles such as cotton and wool, releases methane – a greenhouse gas, which pollutes the soil and the air.
WRAP (2017) states around 300,000 tonnes of clothing gets discarded – 20% is sent to a landfill while 80% is incinerated. Our planet’s air, water and soil is slowly becoming toxic.

REFERENCE LIST

Vitousek, P. M. (1994). Beyond Global Warming: Ecology and Global Change. Ecology, 75(7), 1861-1876. https://doi.org/10.2307/1941591

Stahel, W. R. (2016). The circular economy. Nature, 531(7595), 435-438. https://doi.org/10.1038/531435a

Korhonen, J., Honkasalo, A., & Seppälä, J. (2018). Circular Economy: The Concept and its Limitations. Ecological Economics, 143, 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.06.041

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

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. (n.d.). IPCC Fifth Assessment Report. [online] Available at: https://www.c2es.org/content/ipcc-fifth-assessment-report/#:~:text=The atmosphere and ocean have [Accessed 8 Oct. 2023].

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