The modern buyers born with exposure to modern technologies have never inhabited the world without fashion. They became shoppers at the height of its boom, and many fashion retailers and brands have incorporated various strategies to lure them. Among all these tactics, customization remains one of the closest solutions that enabled fashion houses to understand consumers' perspectives and empowered them to have a say in the fashion industry. The tailored software solutions work on a similar concept and allow apparel companies to listen and meet various demands put forth by customers. Its customization and digital features help brands tap on the modern buyers' nerves and allow them to unleash a fashion designer in them.
Tailoring Software Enables Clothing Brands to Capitalize on Latest Consumer Behavior
Tech-savvy shoppers are a lot different from the previous generation. Their preferences and ways of expressing themselves have put many leading fashion companies on the spot. Therefore, brands and retailers always have to be on their toes and swiftly display their new collections in order to entice young buyers. Retailers, such as ASOS, drop at least 5,000 new styles a week, and Shein offers 700 to 1,000 new styles daily. And while these young shoppers are increasingly wary of the evils of fast fashion, they have little room to protest. They buy what's available, and what's available is generally fast. Modern innovation has a pivotal role in shaping and then reshaping their behavior. We have seen in the past that garment production has accelerated at its breakneck speeds in the past three decades. These expedited productions have resulted in making young and old consumers think of their clothes as disposable. It began in the 1990s, so the story went when the founder of Zara spun the fast fashion wheel into motion. Zara abandoned the concept of fashion seasons for the thrill of constant novelty. A confluence of various factors had prompted several western fashion houses, such as Forever 21, H&M, Gap, and others, to follow the same path for decades. They had even migrated their manufacturing industries to underdeveloped and developing countries where labor is available at a cheaper rate. All these factors worked in favor of fashion big wigs as their profits soared and the number of apparel manufactured from 2000 to 2014 doubled to 100 billion a year. The dream of instant fashion became a reality, and things started to get faster. Then came the outbreak of the pandemic that had compelled the entire world to halt, which severely hit the supply chain of many industries, let alone the fashion industry.
When people were asked to stay home and work remotely, they realized the significant factors they missed out on had put the fashion industry in the situation it is today. During the prolonged lockdowns, shoppers swiftly changed their purchasing behavior and gained more awareness about the harm the fashion industry has been causing to the planet. They indulged themselves more in social media, online shopping, responsible shopping, inclusivity, and many other elements. These driving factors compelled leading fashion houses to revamp their business strategies and models and make themselves more flexible to the ever-evolving dynamics of the clothing sector. In the current blog, we shall highlight many new emerging factors that can help garment brands to reinvent and reshape their business value and expand their business.
Let us look at the numerous rising trends in the fashion sector that call for change in the existing business model that enables apparel companies to flourish in the market:
1. Inclusive Products Gain More Traction from Buyers
We have seen how inclusivity has emerged as a core concept for many leading brands in the last few years. The past events, such as Black Lives Matter, have provided the necessary push for the industry to embrace changes in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and body types. We have seen curve women like Ashley Graham, Precious Lee, and Alva Claire walk for luxury labels, including Versace, Fendi, and Michael Kors. But, what about the curve, men? If we talk about rules and inclusion, then everybody should be welcomed in the industry. It has been revealed that only seven out of 77 brands across the Autumn/Winter 2022 menswear season featured plus-size men's models. The seven fashion houses with curvy men as their faces were not some leading names in the fashion sector; rather, they were budding brands willing to make changes in the fashion sector. These wereKidsuper, Études, Casablanca, Magliano, Kiko Kostadinov, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro, and Doublet. This seems unfair to men. Many experts believe that size inclusivity for women should set an example across genders. It should become the men's business as well, and they should have a voice in the sector that reaches wider audiences, and society begins to accept these changes.
Casting directors are keen to feature a spectrum of men's body types in luxury campaigns and shows. However, they point out that a lack of size ranges in luxury collections and a perceived lack of demand for plus-size men's fashion is holding back progress. Indeed, until recently, apparel brands have shown reluctance to feature plus-size models. IMG is the only pioneer agency in the fashion world with a plus-size men's division. Most of the apparel brands overthought signing a plus-size male model because they thought these models wouldn't be welcomed by society, and the general public would hesitate to buy a product endorsed by these models. However, there are cases in the past that show the big wigs in the fashion sector have supported men's plus-size. Recently, Rihanna's Savage x Fenty cast plus-size men's model Steven G (Green) for a men's lingerie launch campaign. The campaign went viral and one tweet of the photo captioned "Okay Rihanna" received almost 300,000 likes and over 30,000 retweets. The lingerie collection sold out in about twelve hours. This collaboration between Savage x Fenty offered the first assignment to Steven Green, and since then, he has worked with Adidas, Lululemon, Haimler, as well as Ralph Lauren Polo.
According to Coresight Research, the plus-size apparel industry is estimated to be worth over $32 billion in the US alone, representing roughly 21 per cent of the total US women's apparel market. Brands and agencies have tended to play down the opportunities in men's plus size, while some argue that men above sample size are ready to wear luxury clothes. This problem can also be dealt with in another way: customization. For instance, online tailoring software, a customization solution, allows men and women of all ages, races, sizes, and backgrounds to design and flaunt their fashion. Once the tool is installed on the fashion brands' websites, their customers can customize and personalize their apparel, such as shirts, pants, suits, t-shirts, jeans, hoodies, jackets, blazers, and many other garments in the most seamless possible way. The solution will help brands cater to the wide and dynamic needs of customers and successfully rebrand themselves as a more inclusive, sustainable, and digital company.
2. Gen Z and Millennials Crave for New Fashion System
We have seen that the entire fashion industry was under lockdown; several business owners and designers intended to maintain their values for authenticity, community, and sustainability while building their brands. Many shoppers who were stuck at home or were fired during the pandemic were quick to mobilize their needs to build a new fashion system. Their core values that included sustainability, collaboration, and individuality were incorporated by the leading names in the fashion industry. For instance, the London-based designer Olivia Blakeman, who started making jewelry from broken necklaces and vintage charms in 2020, wanted to generate donations for Black Lives Matter. She still donates 10 per cent of profits to charity but has since evolved her hobby into a business, Planet B, by collaborating with other Gen Zs. Her long-term goal is to develop a marketplace for sustainable and ethical products made by a community of independent creatives.
A plethora of young entrepreneurs have entered the fashion domain and have succeeded in building a novel business model that has reshaped the sector. They have built their business on Depop, Instagram, and TikTok and shared their designs and fluctuating fortunes with millions of followers. And as the world is gradually emerging from these lockdowns and restrictions, many business owners can once again evolve their side-hustle into fully-fledged businesses with implications for the broader fashion ecosystem. The new business platforms, such as Depop, can boost sales on these online marketplaces. It was reported that on Depop alone, the seller community turned over $650 million in second-hand and own-brand items in 2020. Some businesses have ventured into the new business model because they wanted to fill gaps they perceived as consumers themselves. They want to serve people that encounter similar problems while engaging with brands as themselves. Their strategies pose all sorts of questions, not least about whether the mainstream fashion industry is failing to meet the next generation.
Among Depop users, 90 per cent have made changes to be more sustainable in their daily lives, for instance, repairing clothes (60 per cent) reducing fashion consumption (70 per cent). For Al-Momani, purchasing from Gen Z-owned brands was often a gateway into the broader sustainable fashion space. Her interest was piqued after she bought a bespoke deadstock corset from a fellow Gen Z seller at the start of lockdown and shared the collaborative process on Instagram.
3. Social Media Becomes the Primary Contact Point
Social media has become integral to entice more buyers to the Gen Z businesses, and many apparel brands and retailers use it to drive their sales. Some brands use it for paid advertising that helps them to build a relatable and authentic social media persona that eventually becomes the base of a brand identity. This allows fashion companies to generate and capitalize on customer loyalty and trust while also doubling the profit. On Instagram, brands can mix imagery and vintage drop previews with personal photos and behind-the-scene business content. Sometimes it is not all about selling the product; it is also about connecting buyers and building loyalty. Many brands across the fashion sector solely operate on social media. For instance, Sorcha Mondon, who launched her second-hand jewelry business by The Phat Cherub, has a unique strategy to connect with her buyers and increase sales and followers. Every week she takes Instagram stories for a QVC-style segment named Sorcha's Sunday Service with one of her followers. She started connecting directly with people during the lockdowns as she felt they craved structure and connection. According to Mondon, her sales are better on Sundays compared to other days as she doesn't have to put up her standard photos. She uses Sundays to build great relationships with my customers.
4. Digital Trends Help Brands to Approach Equity
In the era of digital technology, it is impossible not to get influenced by what is happening around the world and implement their stories in the business model. In a short period, the metaverse has grown all over the fashion industry, and many leading brands and retailers in the clothing sector have embraced it to attain equity and expand their business. For example, Ralph Lauren has taken the lead as a trailblazer into new digital markets as it has ventured into the domain of dressing up Emojis to launching exclusive virtual experiences or debuting limited collections for Roblox and Zepeto avatar customers, the quintessential preppy fashion group is taking the metaverse by storm.
Ralph Lauren's digital investment has remained focused on creating content for all platforms that enhances its digital capabilities to improve the user experience and leverage artificial intelligence and data to serve its consumers more efficiently. In the fiscal second quarter, the luxury giant, in association with Zepeto, launched its first digital apparel collection. It also introduced the exclusive Next Generation-focused capsules for Urban Outfitters and ASOS, as well as a new Ralph's Club fragrance. Ralph Lauren started its second digital-forward Emblematic retail concept in Shanghai.
Closing Comments-
The factors mentioned in the paragraph suggest that the expectations imposed upon young buyers have reformed their shopping habits. The recent developments in the fashion industry point out that sustainability, digital, inclusive, and individual moments are gaining more prevalence in the sector. Apparel brands and retailers need a solution to solve all of these problems and enhance the customer experience. The tailored software solutions by iDesigniBuy are one such stepping stones for clothing brands and retailers that allow them to cater to all these new and evolving dynamic needs of their customers and expand their business.
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