Maria Valente da Costa

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].

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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].

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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.

Planet Earth is the biggest asset human beings have ever been given, and in order to take care of it, a series of different strategies are being implemented across industries in order to achieve a sustainable future socially, environmentally and economically speaking. A concept which is crucial when talking about sustainability is of a circular economy, which is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution (MacArthur, 2022) by transitioning to renewable energy and materials avoiding overconsumption and the growth of industries that harm the environment in multiple ways.

Sustainability is described as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (Brundtland Report, 1987). In order to achieve a sustainable future, the UN created the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) for the world’s future up until 2030. The goals apply to every nation and every sector: cities, businesses, schools, organisations and more are all challenged to act. The SDGS are relevant to all sectors, and fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil, an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste is created annually from the fashion industry.

Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned globally (Evans, 2019). The numbers of textile waste are expected to increase by 60% between 2015 and 2030 if the industry doesn’t act upon this issue. The future is all about globalisation, however, as the access to materials, products and new collections becomes easier, over consumption becomes an issue.  The fast fashion dilemma brings to light various environmental issues related to how fashion is harmful to the environment: for example, Zara offers over 24 new clothing collections each year, a number that adds up to tons of clothes being wasted.

The Fashion Industry’s Response

The entire fashion industry is making an effort to reduce the impact they are having on the environment, from the big luxury brands and fast fashion giants to slow fashion brands. Reformation is a brand whose mission is to bring sustainable fashion to everyone by producing all clothes from low-impact materials, rescued deadstock fabrics, and repurposed vintage clothing; their entire supply chain is sustainable and it is the brand’s goal to ensure positive environmental and social impacts are delivered with the clothes. Another way through which Reformation is able to keep its production less wasteful and exclusive is by starting its collections with small quantities of each product, and only producing more if the demand is high, which is based on direct data and feedback. Reformation is contributing for the development of the SDGS 13: climate action and 12: responsible consumption and production. The brand plans to become Climate Positive by 2025.

• Christian Dean. 2022. Waste – is it ‘really’ in fashion? – Fashion Revolution : Fashion Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/waste-is-it-really-in-fashion/. [Accessed 09 October 2022].
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 2022. What is a circular economy? | Ellen MacArthur Foundation. [ONLINE] Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview. [Accessed 09 October 2022].
• McKinsey & Company. 2022. Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula | McKinsey. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula. [Accessed 09 October 2022].
• What Do These Fashion Sustainability Buzzwords Mean?. 2022. What Do These Fashion Sustainability Buzzwords Mean?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.refinery29.com/en-au/sustainability-glossary. [Accessed 09 October 2022].
• Sustainability at Reformation – Product. 2022. Sustainability at Reformation – Product. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.thereformation.com/sustainability/sustainability-at-reformation.html. [Accessed 10 October 2022].