Apparel Online India Magazine December 1st Issue 2018 | Page 33

FASHION BUSINESS
in parenting styles and hence their
basic upbringing. Gen Z grew up with
the Youtube culture, and therefore it
impacts on how they view celebrities
and who they consider to be influential
– leading to a growing importance of
their Instagram/social media image.
Nearly 92 per cent of Gen Z have a
digital footprint and act with more
entrepreneurship when it comes to
their career choices.
FASHION-BUSINESS
TRENDS: What is the new
fashion system we are
dealing with?
‘Digitalization’ across the value
chain is the new state of fashion.
Social media image is driving how
fashion is bought and sold. Celebrities
and ‘Influencers’ are taking
new fashion concepts mainstream
– promoting them to an audience
which is more connected to brands
through their Instragram profiles than
traditional digital platforms.
KEY TRENDS IN
FASHION AND
ACCESSORIES
2018: Products
that saw sales
rise…
• Duster: Is a light,
loose-fitting long
coat. 2018 saw the
comeback of the
duster coat as a
staple for the boss-
girl image, both for
the Spring/Summer
season in lighter
fabrics like satin and
linen, and for the
Fall/Winter season in
warmer fabrics.
• Mom jeans: A style
of jeans that is
usually considered
as unfashionable
or unflattering. The
look made a recent
comeback in fashion
when celebrities like
Kendall Jenner and
Gigi Hadid started
sporting them on the
streets.
While the traffic in the bricks-and-
mortar stores continues to fall,
brands are revamping the in-store
experiences dramatically. With
‘Experiential Retail’ being the
keyword, one can easily imagine a
retail space that is both a hangout
spot and an area to experience and
connect with peers, than to just shop. • Bumbag: A small
pouch on a belt, for
money and other
valuables, worn round
the waist or hips.
In an urgent need to innovate,
business models are increasingly
becoming more entrepreneurial and
‘Startup Thinking’ is the new
buzzword while planning business
strategies. • Fanny pack: Another
word for a bumbag.
‘Social Campaigns’ with a cause
and an awareness message are the
new marketing tools to grab the
attention of the new consumer who
is more socially conscious than ever
before.
The entire supply chain is asking –
how ‘Sustainably Conscious’ are
you today? Shoppers are consistently
re-evaluating their fashion choices
based on what kind of impact they
want to leave on the planet. Giving
back to the society is the key.
Brands like Nike are going big on the concept of experiential retail with there store in Manhattan's Soho
The trending travel
phenomenon in
fashion has made this
look popular around
the globe.
• Slides: The modern
shoe is now
replaced with fancy
slides – a form
of footwear different
from shoes and similar
to flip-flops. Brands
like Tory Burch made
it big on the runways.
Brands like TOMS shoes are driving sales from consumers who are more socially conscious with business
models such as the one-for-one concept
Technology is becoming a seamless
part of fashion. ‘Artificial
Intelligence (AI)’, ‘Automation’
and ‘Smart Clothing’ are a
growing reality now.
‘Customization’,
Personalisation and Direct-to-
Consumer’ are the new features
to connect with a consumer who is
more individualistic today in style and
lifestyle choices.
Industries as well as the product itself
is becoming more ‘Inclusive’, with
a ‘Collaborative’ approach to
business on the rise.
CATEGORY SHIFT:
Growing emergence of
a third market segment
– a unisex one
The LGBT community globally
is fighting hard for its rights and
is winning. Transgender is
slowly but steadily being
recognised as a third gender
today. Both male and female
binaries are questioning their
traditional roles in society
– as lines continue to blur
between their images. While
women are taking on roles
which were once defined for
a patriarchal world, men are
exposing their feminine sides.
The fashion world undoubtedly
is in a gender-neutral state with
brands – from fast-fashion to
luxury, and even the runways –
embracing a unisex category in
retail. A neutral colour palette
of black and white, browns,
shades of gray, forest greens
and the millennial pink are
filling up the retail shelves for
a consumer who refuses to be
categorised as only pink or blue.
www.apparelresources.com | DECEMBER 1-15, 2018 | Apparel Online India
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