Farah Moosa

People are the core focus of all organisations who are looking to be successful. This means that companies must consider the changing attitudes and views of the market and consumers to achieve sales.  

Generation Z consumers are born between 1996 and 2010, along with their year of birth, other characteristics, and life experiences band this group together. For example, Gen Z had their early life shaped by seeing the first black president in the US which “Gen Z watched in wonder and internalized a deep sense of progression” (Fromm and Read, 2018). This led to Gen Z becoming more socially conscious and having diverse mindsets meaning brands had to adapt practices to accommodate this ‘new way of thinking. This means fashion brands must sway away from Eurocentric advertising commonly seen in the fashion industry in the 80s.  

Because of this shift in the younger generation’s behavior, brands that embrace diversity have seen enormous success. For example, lingerie brand Savage x Fenty is worth around $270 million which could be argued is due to the brand’s immense strides in the right direction towards inclusivity and diversity within the fashion industry (The business of fashion, n.d.). Including people of all races, sex, sizes, and abilities, Savage x Fenty has been able to win over Gen Z as it makes the fashion brand more approachable as opposed to the luxury brand Victoria’s Secret whose specially selected models made their products seem out of reach. However, the rest of the industry has a long way to go as only 0.8% of advertising includes people with disabilities. 

Along with brands being able to attract Gen Z through promoting diversity within the organisation, with the technological advancements of this generation, brands must market their products differently to reach Gen Z consumers as they are described as being able to pinch, swipe and zoom as soon as they come out of the womb (Fromm and Read, 2018). This means fashion brands need to develop practices that cater to Gen Z using their mobile phones more frequently compared to any other form of technology (Fromm and Read 2018). For example, eyewear brands such as Ace & Tate have integrated technology into their websites which allow the customer to virtually try on the glasses before purchasing them in the comfort of their own home. Therefore, brands must heavily invest into research and development of technology such as AI to satisfy Gen Z consumer wants and needs.

Bibliography:

The Business of Fashion. (n.d.). Rihanna Is Now Worth $1.7 Billion, Thanks to Fenty Beauty and Savage Lines. [online] Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/beauty-and-lingerie-lines-help-rihanna-become-a-billionaire/. 

Fromm, J. and Read, A. (2018). Marketing to Gen Z : the rules for reaching this vast and very different generation of influencers. New York: Amacom. 

Image reference: 

Cat-Wells, K. (n.d.). Shaholly Ayers On Savage X Fenty: A More Inclusive Fashion And Advertising Landscape. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/keelycatwells/2021/10/16/shaholly-ayers-on-savage-x-fenty-a-more-inclusive-fashion-and-advertising-landscape/?sh=1b47a8a91d43  

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The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world contributing to 10% of the world’s carbon emissions (Geneva Environment network, 2021). One contributing factor is the intense production methods used by textile producers to keep up with increasing consumer demand. This results in cotton farmers heavily using pesticides, so they don’t fall behind and lose out on orders from large garment manufacturers that are a substantial part of the farmers’ income. The $3-5 billion used annually by farmers in the growing of cotton is classified as toxic by the World Health Organisation and has links to cancer and harming insects by destroying their habitat (The Modern Dane, 2019).  

The negative impacts of the fashion industry can reduce by developing a circular economy. This means having a system in which clothes are circulated for as long as their maximum value is kept. This can be achieved by following three key principles: Keeping clothes in use for as long as possible, craft of use (Conde Nast, 2016), using renewable and safe materials in the production process such as wool which is seen as one of the most sustainable materials and lastly solutions based on upcycling existing materials. However, this can only be done if consumers are willing and able to adjust consumption habits for the greater good. 

There are many ways sustainability can be achieved within the fashion industry: 

• In garment design, designers should have more information on their consumers and how they manage their clothing. This way, designers can innovate and come up with solutions that would increase the longevity of the products which would help consumers reduce waste.  
• During the production of garments, producers can look at the waste produced through cutting patterns and making samples and investigate ways they can make the process more efficient and reduce textile waste. This is because 15% of materials used in pattern making are wasted (Gwilt, 2016).  

“They say you can predict the ‘it’ colour for the season by looking at the colour of the river (in China).” Orsola De Castro co-founder of Fashion Revolution.  

Goal 6 from the UN’s SDGs stresses the importance of availability and management of water and sanitation for all. This links to the fashion industry as the production of textiles requires mass amounts of water. Levi’s says that to produce a pair of 501 jeans from start to finish, 3000 liters of water is used (Frances Corner, 2015). 

Cotton is often advertised as a fresh eco-friendly material but the reality of it is dark and hard to solve. From pesticide-filled cotton to organic cotton, both need substantial amounts of water and fast fashion brands dye the materials leading to toxic dyes bleeding into rivers in China and Bangladesh. This has led to over 733 million people not having access to clean water because of a lack of monitoring and contamination.

References:

Bloomsbury fashion Central (n.d.). A practical guide to sustainable fashion. [online] Available at: https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/encyclopedia-chapter?docid=b-9781350067059&tocid=b-9781350067059-chapter4&pdfid=9781350067059.ch-004.pdf  

Corner, F. (2016). Why fashion matters. London: Thames & Hudson.

‌Condé Nast – Glossary (2016). Condé Nast – Glossary. [online] Condenast.com. Available at: https://www.condenast.com/glossary/key-elements-of-fashion-and-sustainability. 

Geneva Environment Network (2021). Environmental Sustainability in the Fashion Industry. [online] www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org. Available at: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/. 

The Modern Dane. (n.d.). Why Cotton Is Called the World’s Dirtiest Crop. [online] Available at: https://www.moderndane.com/blogs/the-modern-dane-blog/why-cotton-is-called-the-worlds-dirtiest-crop. 

Together Street. (n.d.). How to predict the colour of the season. [online] Available at: https://www.togetherstreet.com/blog/2018/7/9/how-to-predict-the-colour-of-the-season. 

United Nations (2021). Goal 6 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. [online] sdgs.un.org. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6. 

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History of Givenchy: 

The company was founded in the 1950s by French designer Hubert de Givenchy. However, it is currently owned by the LVMH group which owns around 75 of the biggest fashion houses in the world. Givenchy found success early being featured in vogue and the New York times. Although Chanel is noted for the iconic little black dress, Givenchy is noted for being the master behind Audrey Hepburn’s famous dress from her role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
This is one of the reasons Givenchy is one of my favorite fashion brands. Along with the black dress they made for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Givenchy worked with Audrey Hepburn on multiple occasions creating beautiful looks such as 1954 Sabrina, Funny face 1957, and many other recognised roles in film

Givenchy’s corporate social responsibility: 

Although the LVMH group has been slow to respond to the change in consumer preferences in terms of the environmental impact that the fashion industry has, as of May 2021 Givenchy along with other companies under the LVMH have joined the UN fashion charter and are taking part in the Life 360 sustainability plan.  

Linking this to the financial performance of the LVMH group, looking at their income statement from 2020 to 2021, their net profit has more than doubled. This could potentially be due to Givenchy adjusting business practices to suit shifts in consumer attitudes.  

Givenchy marketing strategy and target markets: 

When Givenchy first started as a fashion house in the 1950s it only produced women’s clothing geared more towards females between the ages of 25-35 years old. This is because Givenchy saw it as an opportunity to explore contemporary trends and fashion ideas as well as have the classic timeless element. This is because they saw their target audience as women who wanted to experiment with clothing and fashion.  

As they found early success, around 20 years later in the 1970s they began menswear collections with the same marketing ideas as the women’s wear and they gave men the opportunity to experiment with fashion in the same way.  

Currently, Givenchy still operates in a similar market with almost 35% of its consumers being 25-35 years old.  

References: 

Givenchy, History & Features of the Luxury French Brand

https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/gallery/audrey-hepburn-givenchy-film-looks

https://www.lvmh.com/investors/profile/financial-indicators/#structure-financiere

https://www.similarweb.com/website/givenchy.com/#demographics

https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/inside-lvmhs-biggest-sustainability-plan-yet