People

People are the focal point of every organisation, including fashion and textile businesses, as they influence every part of it. People do not only make up for employee structure but also the consumer base, along with the wider society which significantly influences how organisations function. Diversity, inclusion, collaboration, communication and community relations are all fundamentals needed in a successful business, surrounded by a healthy society.

Gen-Z consumers

Gen Z, aged 18-26 (Moran, 2022), are a prominent set of consumers who are changing how fashion is consumed and paving new pathways of activism in society. There are two major patterns in which these consumers operate; the interconnectedness of their lives with technology and their palpable drive to stand up for what matters. Drapers produced their annual consumer research report in 2022 to help the fashion and retail industry to interpret “this difficult-to-define, yet all-important set of consumers.” A survey was completed by 2,000 consumers in which the data was analysed to find consumer patterns. A large sample of 2,000 ensures there is a large level of generalisability of the findings.

Gen-Z – “Digital Natives” (Moran, 2022)

Drapers’ report found that Gen-Z differs substantially from the generations before them as they are the first set of consumers to grow up surrounded by technology and the internet, which not only alters the way they consume products but the way they behave on a day-to-day basis. In particular, trends surrounding online retail and the metaverse were found by Draper’s consumer researchers.

Concerning the metaverse, it was found that Gen-Z are “demonstrably more aware of”(Moran, 2022) and open to this online community and the “new technologies that contribute to it.” Only 39.5% of millennials are familiar with the meta-verse, as opposed to 61.6% of Gen-Z. This level of awareness and open-mindedness is likely to be a result of the vast amount of knowledge and opinions from around the world that Gen-Z can access online.

Secondly, Gen-Z were found to prefer online retail to the in-store shopping experience. This effect was accelerated following Coronavirus and Drapers found that 71% of Gen-Z either shop more than, or at the same level, as they did before the pandemic, online rather than in-store. It was found that this online preference was because 32.7% of Gen-Z find online retail “relaxing”, or 39.5% found it “fun”.

Gen-Z – ‘I’m powered by the fact I have no other choice’, (Carnegie, 2022) a generation of activists

As previously discussed, Gen-Z has grown up surrounded by technology, and therefore the whole world at their fingertips. Born between 1995 and 2010, Gen-Z has lived through boundless challenges, unlike any other generation has. These tests include climate change, Coronavirus, political uproar, and economic distress which resulted in the anger of many Gen-Z concerning the inequalities and injustices of society. This anger, paired with technology, has mobilised Gen-Z to have a “louder voice than ever” (Carnegie, 2022) to advocate for political and social change. Digital spaces allow Gen Zers to establish their “civic identities” (Carnegie, 2022) and make positive changes in a way no other generation has been able to. An example of the positive use of an online platform is the sharing and signing of government petitions concerning the BLM movement following the murder of George Flloyd in 2020.

Consider what a brand should do to attract Gen-Z consumers

With the key values of Gen-Z in mind, a brand needs to have a diverse community of both employees and consumers, as this generation is in the constant battle for social equality. Fashion businesses must represent all ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations and bodies and avoid diversity washing to ensure an ethical business that attracts Gen-Z.

The history of eurocentric marketing

For most of Western history, marketing has been Eurocentric, creating a dominant culture that focuses on the white, European aesthetic. However, supported by the activism of Gen-Z, this needs to change and it is crucial that there is an equal representation of all people in fashion and the arts to ensure that everyone feels welcomed into society and represented in the media in a positive light. The planet is diverse, so it can be heavily criticised that media and marketing are not.

Fenty’s positive response to diversity

One brand that has been changing the nature of marketing, concerning diversity, is Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. Many makeup brands are focused on caucasian, white shades of makeup which is uninclusive and Eurocentric. Fenty changed this with a 40-strong foundation range, that has since expanded to 50. The concept that “if you don’t fit an age-old Eurocentric ideal of beauty, you are not welcome”(Fetto, 2020) – was an elephant of the beauty industry, and Fenty was not only successful in addressing this but opening up thousands of conversations that needed to occur. Fentys’ slogan “Beauty for all” allowed people of all genders, races, and ethnicities to feel beautiful and unapologetically themselves.

What are the key people skills needed for a fashion brand to be successful?

Emotional Intelligence is “recognizing our own feelings and those of others, motivating ourselves, managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.” (Goleman, 1998) It is essential to have high emotional intelligence in fashion business, shown below:

Carnegie, M. (2022). Gen Z: How young people are changing activism. [online] www.bbc.com. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220803-gen-z-how-young-people-are-changing-activism

Fetto, F. (2020). How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Industry . [online] British Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity

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

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). How Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty delivered a wake-up call to the industry. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubHt-vmIqhg&t=3s [Accessed 16 Oct. 2022].

Hootsuite.com. (2022). [online] Available at: https://blog.hootsuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/gen-z-statistics-2.png [Accessed 16 Oct. 2022]