Before beginning to create a brand and digital experience, I first have to understand who my target audience are. By defining and researching my target audience I will be able to create a mobile app which effectively appeal to the user’s lifestyle and interests; as well as developing a use of language (UX writing, tone of voice etc.,) and interactions which can be easily navigated by this specific demographic (considering their mental model i.e., experience with technology).
I decided that a young adult audience (17 to 25 years old) is the most effective demographic to focus on when creating an app which discourages fast fashion because this age group is the industries largest consumer base. [In 2020, Vogue Business conducted a survey of 105 young people to understand their shopping habits.](https://www.voguebusiness.com/consumers/gen-z-still-loves-fast-fashion-but-boohoo-investors-are-spooked?) More than half reported they bought a majority (if not all) their clothes from fast fashion brands like Boohoo, Shein and Pretty Little Thing. Of those who agreed with this statement, half claimed they would continue to do so despite recent claims Boohoo underpaid staff were working in dangerous, cramped sweatshops in Leicester, England. Additionally, according to Global Management Company, McKinsey & Company “The State of Fashion, 2019” report, young adults aged 18 to 25 purchase 60% more fashion items compared to their peers 15 years ago.
I began to brainstorm different factors which have caused young people to shop with fast fashion brands despite many being aware of the ethical implications (as noted above). I think one of the largest factors contributing to these figures is the influence of social media. Young adults make up the largest portion of active users on popular social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and Twitter. As a result, they have an influence on market trends which was impossible for younger creators and consumers to attain only a decade prior. A 19 year old in their room can have a greater impact than the magazine editors who once dictated what trends and styles filtered through the fashion industry.
Although, I think it’s interesting to note that this point has a lot of incredibly positive implications too. Social media has made creating content more accessible to a larger audience of young people. This has led to better representation for people of different races, ethnicities, sizes, sexualities who were once excluded from the pages of magazines like Vogue.
(above) Valerie Eguavoen runs the blog: On a Curve which promotes plus size fashion
However, as a result this demographic is consuming huge quantities of visual content everyday. This has created a greater pressure to emulate the unattainable, carefully-constructed lifestyles of internet celebrities who bombard social media feeds with brand trips and hauls. Fast fashion brands like Shein, Motel Rocks and Pretty Little Thing have taken advantage of the influence of popular social media users. Many send out huge PR packages and create collaborative lines with internet celebrities to push their products on the influencer’s followers.
(above) original House of Sunny Hockey dress produced sustainably
(above) Copies of House of Sunny dress quickly began to crop up on fast fashion sites like Shein for cheaper
Due to the unethical nature of fast fashion, brands like Boohoo and Shein are able to produce and export poorly-made garments at dangerously accelerated pace in comparison to ethical production of slow fashion garments. This allows companies like Shein to produce cheap copies of clothes currently trending on young people’s social media feeds within a week of its emergence (thus, creating Micro-Trends). Meanwhile, sustainable clothing brands like Patagonia take much longer to design, construct and release clothing lines. However, these garments will age better (both in terms of construction and also, in style)
(above) Swedish luxury clothing brand Djerf Avenue’s are produced in local factories where the small, slow fashion brand can monitor how the welfare of their employees and the quality of their products
To build on the previous point, slow fashion brands are also generally more expensive than fast fashion brands. This is because slow fashion brands like Patagonia source higher quality materials which are produced ethically. They also utilise slower but better methods of construction to create durable products. Additionally, they pay their garment workers a fairer wage and create safer working environments for their employees. All of the mentioned factors cost the company a lot more money than fast fashion brands like Shein and Primark who outsource their work to developing countries were labour laws are much weaker and inhumane
(above) Money: “Millennials Less Likely to Ever Buy a House”
Consumers aged 17 to 25 years old are at an interesting stage of their financial lives. Many are working part-time jobs during university; living away from home for the first time or are at the beginning of their careers. Many are also more concerned with saving for larger investments in the future like buying their first house. This is a goal that in today’s current economic climate feels unrealistic; while older consumers are more likely to have experienced this stage of their life. Thus, young people do not believe they have the budget to invest in timeless pieces from Slow Fashion brands (or so many believe, according to the surveys below)
In summary, young people aged between 17 to 25 years old are the largest consumers of fast fashion because brands like Shein provide a cheaper alternative to slow fashion garments at a quicker pace; allowing customers to keep up with the trends they see their peers and online celebrities wearing in social media posts.
My Initial Research has provided me with a better understanding of fast fashion and its effects on our planet, I decided it would be interesting to learn what others in my demographic thought about over consumption in the fashion industry. I distributed this survey to some of my peers who provided useful feedback. However, the participants of the survey all belong to a similar demographic (female, students and graduates, under-25, similar incomes etc.,).
(above) Feedback from online survey conducted
(above) Feedback from online survey conducted
This lack of diversity creates limits to the full perspective of fast fashion. Given more time and resources I would like to expand this survey to a larger pool of participants to gather much more diverse responses that could shine new light on issues and solutions to my project.