PEOPLE

People are the most important factor within the fashion and cosmetic industry. They make up the foundations, whereby they are the consumers, the producers, and the innovators. This industry is always ever changing due to society changing and adapting to new trends annually. These trends are all developed and moulded by people of different generations, whether that be Generation Z or Baby Boomers (Francis, 2018). Within these same generations, there is a wide diversity of individuals.

Focusing on Gen Z, consumerism is characterized by: ‘ …a focus on innovation, an insistence on convenience, an underlying desire for security and a tendency toward escapism’ (Wood, 2013). Most individuals in this generation are engulfed in a world of technology, where their first phones were iPhones, or they watch films online instead of going out and buying a DVD. To them, this is their normality, they know nothing different. Because of these technological advancements, an online presence is increasingly popular, and brands utilise this in growing their businesses both in person but also online. This correlates with Gen Z having an insistence for convenience. Easy accessibility to clothing and cosmetic products online means there is constant growth within the sector, where brands can sell hundreds of products every minute. As well as having websites/apps, retail companies can advertise their businesses on social media platforms such as Instagram. It has been found that 71% of 16-24 year olds in the UK use Instagram daily (Dixon, 2023). A simple advert placed in between posts can boost the brands exposure and therefore sales.

Consumers buy from brands that have the same ethos’s as them. To try and widen their target audience, companies such as Fenty Beauty, by Rihanna, have ‘become the epitome of a contemporary diverse, inclusive make up brand…’ (Barett, 2022, pg 4). Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation is currently advertised as having 59 shades available (Fenty Beauty, no date). Little (2020 in Barrett 2022) claims that this vast shade range was introduced during the Black Lives Matter movement, whereby most of the shades are centred around darker skin tones. This inclusivity is a key skill needed for a fashion brand to be successful. Alongside ambition, motivation, and creativity, being inclusive is what makes a brand well known and popular. Gaining insight into how to be inclusive comes from a brand being good listeners. If they listen to what their customers want and then alter their produce accordingly, customers are overall more likely to buy.

Bibliography:

Barrett, N.E., 2022. Fashion Fair in a Fenty World: Intersectionality, White Privilege, and the Importance of Black-Owned Brands in the Cosmetic Industry Through Critical Ethnography. Temple University.

Dixon, S. (2023) Share of Gen Z users in the United Kingdom engaging with selected social media platforms daily in October 2022. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1341903/social-media-daily-usage-uk-gen-z/  (Accessed: 14/10/2023).

Fenty Beauty (no date) Foundation + Concealer. Available at: https://www.citethemrightonline.com/sourcetype?docid=b-9781350927964&tocid=b-9781350927964-36 (Accessed 14/10/2023)

Francis, T. and Hoefel, F., 2018. True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey & Company, 12, pp.1-10.

Wood, S., 2013. Generation Z as consumers: trends and innovation. Institute for Emerging Issues: NC State University, 119(9), pp.7767-7779.