People: A Gen Z Perspective
Human beings inhabit planet Earth since around two million years ago, and its evolution up until today has led to the most recent generation: the Gen Z, who were born between the years of 1996-2012 (Pichler, 2021) and account for almost 2 billion people globally. Gen Z is the largest generation, accounting for 25 percent of the world’s population, and has an outsized impact on culture and economy, has fashion as its favourite entertainment category to spend money on ( Schneider, 2022). Having that in mind, is crucial for the fashion industry to be very aware and study closely this generation which is known for being the first generation to grow up in a technological world, where freedom and justice are all over the place, it is also called the age of realism. In fashion, Gen-Zers are looking for accessible marketing, aspirational items, sustainability, collaboration and individuality (Webb, 2022).
When talking about fashion, there’s a very big focus on the human body, as clothes are made to be worn on it . People are born in different shapes, colours, cultures, sexes and all of that needs to be taken into accountability by the fashion industry throughout the entire manufacturing process of clothes: to the size ranges, colours, shapes, the brand image, prices, its marketing campaigns and more, depending on who they have decided is their target market. It all comes down to the concept of diversity which is about recognizing, respecting and valuing differences based on ethnicity, gender, age, race, religion, disability and sexual orientation (Chubb, 2018). The importance of it is that it includes everyone in the consumer poll, making it possible for a more relatable product and marketing of it.
An example in the fashion industry that has been extremely successful when targeting the Gen Z generation while supporting diversity is SKIMS, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line that has been viral all over the media and a huge sales success. The key to all of this was a combination of innovative styles, accessible pricing, inclusive sizing and diverse shades in its clothing, making it a product that embodies diversity. All styles are available in sizes ranging from XXS to 4X, up to 5X in shapewear and 28 bra cup sizes, which is unheard of in shapewear as many brands only range size XS-XL, as well as by offering a range of nine color options (Robert, 2019) which turns her brand inclusive to all, which is something that human beings crave, human beings want to feel and be seen and when a brand is capable of giving that to its consumers, it succeeds.
References
Pichler, S., Kohli, C. and Granitz, N. (2021). DITTO for Gen Z: A framework for leveraging the uniqueness of the new generation. Business Horizons, [online] Published by Elsevier Inc. Available at: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0007681321000239?token=613A10D68AC611F9EC9643E629942E7603244C8D13EAA3BDFF279F018AF8622252089BAA147856896AC51C48F258D604&originRegion=eu-west-1&originCreation=20221017003336 [Accessed 15 Oct. 2022].
Robert, Y. (n.d.). What Kim Kardashian West Got Right With SKIMS. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/yolarobert1/2019/09/24/what-kim-kardashian-west-got-right-with-skims/?sh=28a6c34a5825 [Accessed 17 Oct. 2022].
Schneider, B. (2022). BoF Insights | Gen-Z and Fashion in the Age of Realism. [online] Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/retail/gen-z-fashion-in-the-age-of-realism-bof-insights-social-media-report/ [Accessed 15 Oct. 2022].
State Government of Victoria (2019). What do we mean by diversity and inclusion? [online] Vic.gov.au. Available at: https://www.vic.gov.au/dpc-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2019-2021/what-do-we-mean-diversity-and-inclusion.
Webb, B. (2022). Gen Z’s ambition? Create a new fashion system. [online] Vogue Business. Available at: https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/gen-zs-ambition-create-a-new-fashion-system-tik-tok-depop-instagram.