"Woke" Fashion

PART 5

?SERIES A

“WOKE” Fashion

?Fashion has always been influenced by cultural components emerging from trends or realizations made by modern society. Whether it is technological advancements, social-economic changes or the political climate, these circumstances make appearances in fashion in some form or the other.

?The influence of ‘woke’ consumers on fashion

?Shoppers, particularly younger ones, have social and environmental issues on their minds. Here’s what the fashion industry should know about the trend.

?Younger consumers are seriously concerned?with social and environmental causes, which many regard as being the defining issues of our time. They increasingly back their beliefs with their shopping habits, favouring brands that are aligned with their values and avoiding those that don’t.

Brands are responding by integrating social and environmental themes into their products and services. The benefits of these policies are clear, but as the causes that some brands champion venture into controversial territory there are risks and consequences for those that fail to get it right.?

Nine in ten Generation Z consumers believe companies have a responsibility to address environmental and social issues. The inclusion of the latter is a departure from the views of the previous generation of millennials, which had a greener focus.

Signs of this evolving agenda can be found beyond consumer sentiment, too. Fashion companies are showing signs of getting “woke” (a phrase defined as “alert to injustice in society,” popularized on social media). For example, based on a “data scrape” of more than 2,000 fashion retailers, the appearance of the word “feminist” on homepages and newsletters increased by a factor of more than five from 2016 to 2018.

Many brands and retailers, including Levi Strauss and Nike, are on board, and both companies have taken a clear stance on social issues in recent months—Nike supporting Colin Kaepernick, the face of the NFL’s “anthem protests,” and Levi’s fronting a campaign against gun violence. Gucci has also supported that cause, supporting a student-led march calling for more gun control.

In Asia, Fast Retailing, the parent company of Japanese retailer Uniqlo, made efforts to hire refugees and, since 2016, has donated more than $5 million to the support of refugee initiatives in Asia. British retailer ASOS has taken a different approach to support refugees, launching an exclusive lingerie line in partnership with designer Katharine Hamnett and Help Refugees, a non-governmental organization that would receive all profits from the initiative and use it for various refugee causes.

Some fashion players have now become more aware and vocal in supporting other causes relating to inclusivity and diversity. For example, Balenciaga collaborated with World Food Programme, with a slogan, “Saving Lives, Changing Lives.”. Moschino used only models of color during their fashion show in 2018. H&M launched a Pride collection in 2018 in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Instead, the fashion world has now open to discussions of a brand’s ability to remain relevant by being cautious of issues like cultural appropriation, exclusion of minorities and “fast fashion.” Millennials, Gen Z and any other modern grouping are growing increasingly aware of the circumstances of fashion. Whether it is the use of LGBTQ+, colour, child labor, animal testing or vegan manufacturing - with the use of faux leather and fur or the elimination of it completely.?