Seize fashion, one great strategy at a time. The changing habits and cultures in the fashion industry and their significance to the younger generations.
Evolving. No, really. The fashion industry is facing a major change and turn of events ever since the new generation of audience made their grand entrance into the market: the millennials and Gen-Z and the generations after. We have seen countless collections from various brands, ranging from the classics and the high-end to the downright street and independent boutiques around the world pushing various marketing strategies and injecting digital, one collection at a time.
The question is how do the bigger brands then communicate to the younger generations? We know most are putting their strategies to the test. But although so, newcomers and budding talents and designers alike in the industry are taking a leap of faith by experimenting on their own.
The Fashion Immediacy Strategy
Although debates have it that the bigger players are making pragmatic approaches to appease the younger market, fashion immediacy has made it clear that there are certain things that can and cannot work. To an extent, waiting six months for collections to arrive in store after their runway debut may not seem attractive to the younger ones. This type of framework may place the emphasis on the trade, and the art of waiting, as opposed to the instant effect of its immediacy. But to the new kids on the block, some major tweaks had to take place.
What we have seen so far in the market are the increasingly common business models that utilizes the notion of pre-fall, resort, and even holiday collections placed in between main collections. This kind of disruption is what allows brands to fully cover a range of time they may use up while waiting for their main collections to hit the stores. Luxury fashion brands are taking a major reroute from the traditional ways of marketing their collections by making themselves more approachable and closer to their targets.
Maggie Marilyn Pre-Fall 2018. Photography Jake Terry. Image courtesy of Maggie Marilyn.
Interestingly enough, smaller brands have taken such approach and practicing them greatly to their collections. Take Maggie Marilyn, for example. The young 23-year-old designer from New Zealand not only applied ethical production to her pieces, but also utilizes pre-seasonal collections to good use, which was her strategic approach of disrupting the traditional fashion status quo. Marilyn’s pieces are only presented during preseasons. Less than pretentious but channeling more of the millennial confidence, Marilyn is more than proud of admitting that her collections were designed for her peers. Strategically, targeting the right market also meant creating an online platform to further boost her presence in the online realm.
Lorod Pre-Fall 2018. Image courtesy of Lorod.
Lauren Rodriguez and Michael Freels also take on an interesting tactic to play in the fashion game. Through label, Lorod, the duo took their collections to the extreme, only presenting them in preseasons and avoiding Fashion Week model. Shying away from the thrills and spotlight of Fashion Week, Lorod’s had their first presentation in a basement studio of an art supplies store in Soho mid of this year. While traditional approach is appreciated, Lorod applied a strategy that is intimate, engaging, and close to the hearts of the millennial and the younger generations. A hard-work mentality and authenticity are applied to show the rigorous and burdensome effort put into their collection, something that runs true and relatable among these go-getter generations.
A Rebrand To The Brand
A better approach aside from strategy is that brands have the liberty to move around to the extreme, an opportunity to find the right formula that best fit into the day-to-day equation of the fashionable youngsters. To say the least, the elderlies are leaving such a great legacy and indelible marks on fashion, serving as valuable lessons for the generations to come.
Carolina Herrera Pre-Fall 2018. Image courtesy of Carolina Herrera.
And so it is for fashion. With the old ways of thinking leaving a mark together with these elderly patrons, change is futile. Innovation is what these big brands and luxury labels are focusing on, including a new fresh take on their creative process. Dressmaker Carolina Herrera is an example. The luxury formal and opulent dressmaker has eyes on the younger generations for the past few years. Focusing on dresses that are more vibrant, colorful, and full of life, the label adapted to the ways and thinking of the younger ones, creating a sense of relation with the taste and feel of the market.
RED Valentino Pre-Fall 2018. Image courtesy of RED Valentino.
Diane von Furstenberg Pre-Fall 2018. Image courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg.
RED by Valentino also reworked their brand by collaborating with a number of digital savvy and creative youths to further elevate their brand presence. Online content creation added with an e-store opportunity became a core strategy, whereby stories are crafted in a relatable manner. This allows the youngling to feel belonging, promoting the millennial tenets based on dreams, confidence, and transparency (honesty). Similarly, Diane von Furstenberg made it clear that putting the children of the brand’s clienteles were imperative, as they are now an integral part of the industry’s long-term growth.
Jil Sander Pre-Fall 2018. Image courtesy of Jil Sander.
Putting emotions back to the brand is also key to most high-end and luxury brands that are eyeing onto the millennial clients. German minimalist brand, Jil Sander puts back the human emotions in to their collection while surging their content into social media – one of the most effective platforms to reach the young ones. Same thinking goes to brands like 3.1. Phillip Lim, MM6 Maison Margiela where street wears have become a major highlight to their collections; a statement that are much more accepted and appreciated among the young. The sense of authenticity and rawness are what turn these younger markets on – a place made to belong and be creative.
3.1 Phillip Lim Pre-Fall 2018. Image courtesy of Phillip Lim.
MM6 Maison Margiela Pre-Fall 2018. Image courtesy of MM6 Maison Margiela.
Brands are making their way to experiment and implement strategies that best fit their models but at the same time be able to fit into the lives and habits of the teens, tweens, young adults of today. This new era should well become a turning point for the industry, where technology and digital innovations should be embraced rather than shelved away. Strategic creative concepts of utilizing social media platforms and the Internet are a great start in attracting the digital natives. In a matter of time, brands both old and new would not have to always rely on pre-seasonal collections but also welcome revolutionizing ideas that the industry really needs to see.