People – Blog 2
Association of individuals and the society in the fashion industry has been ongoing ever since fashion was invented. Due to the increase in demand of certain categories of goods, supply will automatically rise to reach equilibrium. Stating the obvious, Gen Z are the first generations to grow up with online social experience. According to CivicScience data show that 90% of Gen Z adults aged 18-24 report they use social media, compared to 88% of Millennials aged 25-34. Nowadays, products sold online are all advertised digitally including via throughYouTube ads, Instagram, Facebook etc. demonstrating easier ways to find merchandise without physically going out to buy them. Moreover, in many’s opinion ,goods are usually ideal to our desire, requiring less time and effort to acquire them. Digital natives often turn to the internet when looking for any kind of information. On another hand, growing up in an uncertain economy and being raised by more frugal Gen Xers have less entitled more money conscious generational cohort than Gen Zers (Jeff Fromm, Angie Read 2018) meaning GenZers are more likely to spend money on unnecessary items due to no careful consideration and ‘Fear of missing out’(FoMo). Overall, The purpose of social media in the fashion industry is to act as a main channel of communication from consumers to the industry. (Hoskins 2014, p. 34)
Popular applications like TikTok, where 60 percent of the app’s one billion-plus users are GenZers(McKinsey&Company 2023), allow brands to directly respond and listen to consumers. Users become the deciders of trends. This is extremely beneficial to fashion brands but has generated the demand for fast fashion.
In order to attract more consumers like the Gen Zers, a generation which grew up with social media, therefore curate their online selves more carefully than those in prior generations have.(McKinsey&Company 2023), companies should aim for diversity in designs, applications and storylines. Brands like Charles Jeffrey Loverboy choose to create designs that have helped shape the queer clubbing scene. Their clothings are unisex, colorful and is a fashion powerhouse for today’s global LGBTQ+ community. Statistics shows that ‘Close to 40 percent of Gen-Z consumers prefer gender-neutral beauty products, compared to around 30 percent of older generations.’ (BOF, 2023)
To summarize, in the fashion industry, being creative and open minded are a great approach to build a strong partnership between coworkers of different ethnicities, societies, and beliefs . In Addition, living in the world of newly advanced technology “The Five KeySkills Expected to be Required in the Industry 4.0 Are: Digital Skills; Programming skills for Robots and Automation; Working with Tools and Techniques; Technology & Computer Skills; and Critical Thinking” (Stolzoff, 2018).
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Citation reference –
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (Rachel Peter 2023 )
Fashion for the Earth. Earth Day.(earthday.org 2023)
Stitched up: The anti-capitalist book of Fashion. Pluto Pr (Hoskins, T. E. 2014).
CivicScience; Social Media Trends Among Gen Z and Millennials (Sara Shriber 2023)
The rules for reaching this vast and very different generation of influencers (Jeff Fromm, Angie Read (2018 )
McKinsey Explainers: What is Gen Z? (McKinsey&Company 2023)