Sara Al Nour

The purpose of a brand includes both internal and external factors and evolves around wellbeing. Wellbeing according to the American Psychological Association, wellbeing is a state of happiness with low levels of distress (APA, n.d).There are two types of wellbeing: eudaimonic and hedonistic where eudaimonic well being tries to focus on the brands ‘do good’ factor which in turn makes them and their customers feel good about associating with that brand name. For example, tentree aims to plant 10 trees upon any item in their product being purchased making the consumer feel confident having participated in helping the planet. 

Brand philosophy is unique to the brand itself and is what makes up the brand; essentially it is a brand’s core belief system. A mission statement declares the purpose of the brand to their customers; every brand has a mission statement. For example, Asos’ mission statement is “to inspire young people to break down barriers and, ultimately, to achieve amazing things” whilst also having their 2030 vision/strategy of sustainability, however, as a brand, Asos have not done well in working towards their 2030 vision as they are a fast fashion unsustainable brand that produces lots of waste. A unique perspective on brand philosophy is Katie Ledgers proposed ‘Shed Me Project’ (fig6) which looks at the brands purpose of sustainability and the wear re using the garment in more than one way (Gwilt, 2014) 

Brands can communicate their purpose with Gen Z in many ways, most importantly who the brand chooses to associate themselves with (people) or movements they stand behind as these align with Gen Z’s beliefs. A brand that has a purpose for equality and focuses on consumers feeling valued and happy within themselves e.g ‘Savage X Fenty’ can choose to show their stand to the Black Lives Matter campaign as the core belief of this movement is equality showing Gen Z their true purpose and choosing to stick with it.

REFERENCES

APA (n.d) – APA Dictionary of Psychology 

https://dictionary.apa.org/well-being

Gwilt, A (2020) – A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion 

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/reader.action?docID=6234061

Traditionally, in a business sense, profit refers to the difference between total revenues and total costs -however, this differs from business to business as some businesses are not solely focused on profit making as a means to justify their success. 

The fashion industry is a mass produced, saturated, and dynamic industry worth $1.5 trillion in 2021 with demand being very high (Smith, 2022). It is an industry that is made up of various sectors including textile design and production, fashion design and manufacturing, fashion retailing and merchandising, media and marketing (Fashion Academy, 2021). The pandemic in 2020 caused these disruptions to these sectors and forced fashion brands to alter the traditional cycle of production, manufacturing, distribution and retail. Many brick and mortar stores have seen a massive decline in sales due to their lack of an online presence and closure periods (fig.1) leading to their extinction such as Debenhams and Topshop. Although many consumers started to shop online, their demand was not caught up with some online retailers as they struggled to “keep pace”. The e-commerce sector risked lots of disruptions due to reduced staff, social distancing, site cleaning and much more (Baum et al, 2020) leading to consumers having to wait for long periods of time to receive their orders. Many fast fashion brands like Missguided and Pretty Little Thing experienced a ‘boom’ during the pandemic due to the rapid rise of microtrends on TikTok which consumers wanted to participate in.

Figure 1 -graph predicting companies that may face monetary challenges depending on closure periods 

During uncertain times, such as the Covid-19 pandemic or current recession we are experiencing, it may be very difficult for brands to stay afloat and remain competitive especially when customer confidence is low. In order for fashion to stay competitive they may have to utilise social media to their advantage such as blogging. Blogging has become very popular in recent years and many businesses have started to notice the significance of blogging such as Vogue Magazine; fashion brands can seep many rewards when working with a blogger such as engagement, reach, and even a potential increase in seales (Mitterfellner, 2019). 

For many people, bridging the gap between art and commerce can be seen as a challenge, however, in the fashion world it should not be seen as much of a challenge especially since fashion is art in a sense. When the two concepts (arts and commerce) combine together, many opportunities open as collaborators and businesses come together to create fashion products. 

REFERENCES

Colleen Baum, Pamela Brown, Emily Gerstell, and Althea Peng, 2020 -‘Perspectives for North America’s Fashion industry in a time of crisis’ 

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/perspectives-for-north-americas-fashion-industry-in-a-time-of-crisis

Fashion Academy, 2021 -’What is the fashion industry?’

Mitterfellner, 2019 -’Fashion Marketing and Communication: Theory and Practise Across the Fashion Industry’

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/reader.action?docID=5981798

Smith, 2022 -’Global apparel market -statistics and facts’ 

https://www.statista.com/topics/5091/apparel-market-worldwide/#topicHeader__wrapper

A vital pillar of the Fashion Business School is ‘People’. This pillar focuses mainly on the fashion industry’s interrelations with the public. Fashion businesses’ need to meticulously research their target audience in order for consumers to feel connected to the brand which in return leads to brand loyalty and a better brand image. However, this has not always been the case due to the fashion industry being cemented in Eurocentric ideals and beauty standards.

‘Gen Z’ are people born from 1995 to 2010; they are digital natives having grown up around the exposure of the internet, social media, and to mobile systems (Francis & Hoefel,2018).

This demographic is estimated to be “the single largest group of consumers worldwide” that are “defined by …cultural aggregation, fluidity and contradiction” (Sarah Owen, no date). Having grown up around tech, Gen Z are vivacious consumers that enjoy the likes of the internet and what it has to offer when it comes to online shopping with 39.5% of Gen Z estimated to enjoy online shopping because it is fun and relaxing (Drapers, 2022).

Due to Gen Z being the largest consumers worldwide, fashion brands need to be able to effectively connect to and attract consumers that fall into the Gen Z demographic. In order to do this, brands need to have a social media presence where they are actively posting and engaging with their followers. For example, brands like PrettyLittleThing are in tune with Gen Z customers due to their massive online presence on Instagram and Twitter and their collaborations with ex Love Island contestants such as Molly Mae, Gemma Owen and Indiyah Polak.

As already stated, the fashion industry is very traditional when it comes to showcasing diversity due to Eurocentrism being deeply embedded into the industry, however, as of the 21^st century many brands such as ‘SavageXFenty’ have taken it upon their will to change these ideals and become more diverse and representative within the industry. The annual Fenty X Savage show, showcases a diverse range of models from different shapes, ethnicities and differently abled models such as Shaholly Ayers (Keely Cat-Wells, 2021).

One major key skill that brands need to utilise to be successful is to acquire good communication skills especially in their marketing and PR to put out a powerful message which resonates with their target market. Another skill is creativity -creativity in the fashion industry is a must due to the dynamic nature of the market, many brands need to be innovative with their collections to attract a vast audience.

REFERENCES

Francis & Hoefel,2018 -‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies 

Sarah Owen, no date -The Gen Z Equation https://www.wgsn.com/assets/marketing/toprightbox_assets/images/Gen_Z_Equation.pdf

Morgan G, 2022 -Gen Z and Millenials

Keely Cat-Wells, 2021 –Shaholly Ayers on Savage X Fenty: A More Inclusive Fashion And Advertising Landscape

PHOTO REFERNCE

Figure 1 PLT X Molly Mae

Figure 2 Gemma Owen’s PLT collection

Figure 3 PLT Marketplace starring Indiyah

Figure 4 Savage X Fenty NWFW show (Brian Ach,2018)

Introduction: Planet

There are four main pillars that are taught in the Fashion Business School: Planet, People, Profit and Purpose. Planet refers to the huge impact that the fashion industry has had on the environment and therefore the theory stresses the importance of sustainable fashion and extending the life cycle of our clothes as consumers. 

The Circular Economy

The circular economy is a framework that was designed in order to tackle global issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. Ellen McArthur’s model (fig.1) and research into this area has been essential in enforcing innovation towards the circular economy (Gwilt, 2020). The ideology of the model in regards to fashion aims to ensure that each stage clothes goes through; production, use and after use; are handled sustainably, however, many businesses and consumers are unaware of this phenomenon in practice of how to be more sustainable. Gwilt goes on to say that “the ambitious model for the sector prioritizes clothes and textiles being kept at their highest value during value and re-entering the economy after use, never ending up as waste” (2020).

Greenwashing

Greenwashing is a term used when referring to brands such as H and M that claim to be environmentally friendly and sustainable to forge an ecologically responsible image. H and M’s Conscious Choice line claims that each product contains at least 50% more materials and is created with consideration to the planet, however, the multinational corporation (MNC) is currently being sued for greenwashing due to false allegations. It has been found that their line is not in fact environmentally friendly as it contains up to 100% polyester (Marino, 2022)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

 In 2015, the United Nations created a list of 17 SDGs that define the ideal world we want to live in. They are intended to be achieved by 2030. Many fashion brands, when trying to be sustainable, look towards the SDGs as a guide. For example, Levi’s WaterLess campaign and Uniqlo are both attempting to tackle the 6^th SDG ‘clean water and sanitation’ when producing jeans. This SDG aims to provide clean water for everyone. Whilst many people in the planet have access to clean water, lots of people in rural areas do not have this luxury which has led to the creation of this SDG. Levis Water<Less uses innovative technology to manufacture jeans using up to 96% less water (TD21, 2016). Uniqlo also a similar approach to Levi when manufacturing their jeans. The MNC uses BlueCycle technology that cuts water use by 99% in the jeans finishing process.

REFERENCES

• Gwilt, A. (2020). A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion. London: Fairchild Books

• (UN)SUSTAINABLE FASHION: H&M IS BEING SEUD FOR GREENWASHING https://www.renewablematter.eu/articles/article/unsustainable-fashion-h-and-m-is-being-sued-for-greenwashing

• Taking Jeans from Blue to Green: How Levi Strauss is Reducing its Water Consumption https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-rctom/submission/taking-jeans-from-blue-to-green-how-levi-strauss-is-reducing-its-water-consumption/