Feature Articles for Oh, George! vol. 16 (Winter 2019-2020)

1. Retail-Be-Gone! Or not? by Julian
2. Lost in Translation: How fashion is losing its meaning  by Lucas
3. Fast-Fashion Retailers Influence Customers To Have Unrealistic Price Expectations: Customers are unwilling to pay the price of sustainable fashion by Bailey
4. Digital Disruption: How the fashion and beauty industry is adapting and advancing with technology by Paige

Plus, as a spare:

• The Evolution of Retailing in Toronto by Genevieve

DISRUPTION IN FASHION Retail Apocalypse: The rise and fall of brick and Mortar Retail

          This year was a year of a new era in the fashion industry. It’s a year of awakening for the major players in the industry. To be successful, brands and companies will have to come to terms with the fact that the climate is changing  and  the old rules won’t be effective anymore . Due to the change in consumer demands, new developments of new retail strategies, new technologies been introduced, and the impact of social media, Brands and retailers need to be quick, fast and digitally competent to satisfy consumer. They will need to take a stance on social issues and movements, the demands of transparency, and sustainability. While many brands and Companies adapted and adjusted to this new paradigm, some are still stuck using the old ways and this has resulted in major losses.

         Throughout this year, we’ve seen a lot of closures and companies filing for bankruptcy.  Major retailers and brands in north America have filed for bankruptcy and store closures, such as HBC’s Hudson’s Bay and Lord and Taylor stores, Forever 21, Victoria secret, Nordstrom just to name a few. The amount of store closures this year 9,000 has increased compared to last year. According to a report by Coresight Research, it's predicted that this number could reach 

12,000 by the end of the year. With the rise of e-commerce, investment bank firm USB analyst say more than 20,00 stores will close by 2026.

    The end of brick and mortar stores coming to a close, a lot of stores are re-structuring and closing multiple locations. The stores that have had major closers this year, were at one time the coolest and trendy stores for a generation. These retailers shutting down the most stores in both U.S and Canada this year, looking at the retailers with the largest amount of store locations in both countries.

Forever21 

Forever21 was once one of the fastest growing fast fashion retailers in north America. Early September, the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and released a list of locations closing. The list shows the company will be closing 178 locations in the United states, most of its locations in Asia, Europe and all its Canadian locations. The past month, all 44 Canadian locations have been having crazy liquidation sales. This was a result of changing times, the company was one of the most popular  retailers that produced unique and cost friendly merchandise. However, the company focused on expanding and acquiring more locations worldwide, its merchandise style got “cliched and cookie cutter”. The company lost touch with its core customers and companies like, fashion nova, H&M, Zara rose. Consumers are also more eco-conscious and want to support sustainable brands, which forever21 is not. By closing these locations, the brand plans on repositioning, itself in this new climate in the industry.

Hudson’s Bay Company

HBC the oldest company in north America, with various subsidiaries under its banner from the bay, Saks Fifth in the U.S. The company announced closures for most of its subsidiaries. Early this year it will be closing and its Lord and Taylor locations in the U.S.  The company also shut down all its companies in Europe both The Hudson’s Bay Galleria Kaufhof and Saks in the united states. The company went private as a way to restructure its company’s portfolio and a way to reduce underperforming businesses.

Victoria Secret

Over the past year, Victoria’s secret has faced a serious decline in its popularity. The company has lost its touch and struggling to find its place in world where diversity, body positivity and originality matter more to consumers than its hyper-sexualized brand image. The company’s over sexualization of women and its lack of diversity in its models and merchandise are some factors that led to its decline. March of this year the company announced it would close 53 stores in North America, this increased from the 30 that was announced in 2018. From controversial comments from its previous chief executive, sexual misconduct issues and the cancellation of its infamous fashion show. The once widely popular brand is on its last legs, but with two new appointed CEO’s, the company might just turn the business around with the right strategy.

        Throughout the past year, we’ve seen a lot of closures in the industry and this will continue into 2020. With the new consumer demands, development of new technology and the rise of social media and e-commerce, the future of brick and mortar is bleak, however retailers and brands must adapt to the new climate. It’s possible for retailers to be successful in today’s economic landscape, they must implement new ideas and connect to how modern and younger consumers shop. This year has been shaped by shifts in consumer shopping habits linked to technology, societal issues, and also the disruption from global political and. Economic events. Only brand that can accurately reflect this trend will emerge at the top as winners.

Are Fashion Shows Still Necessary?

Are Fashion Shows Still Necessary?

The fashion industry in 2019 is in a really weird place. With constant growth in technology, and ways of living, the industry is finding itself having to adapt in many different ways. One question that is essential in todays age of sustainability is, do we still need the infamous fashion shows? 

There are many pros and cons to fashion shows, and fashion week as a whole. In order to answer the question at hand one needs to break down and understand both sides.

2020 is a major year for climate change and the beginning of a necessary call to action to make change. The United Nations released a report indicating that by February 2020 a hard deadline is set for when we need to begin implementing change in order to keep climate change at survivable levels. To connect this to the fashion industry, garments will still be being produced, sent out, and fashion shows will continue long after the deadline. The carbon footprint of a fashion shows is huge , due to their focus being on spectacle and excess and not sustainability. The main factors contributing to the carbon footprint of fashion shows is their single use sets, lighting, flowers, theatrics, and also the flights taken by the attendees. Some examples of excessive fashion shows are Chanel shows with their elaborate sets and theatrics. A recent example from Chanel to put things into perspective is their 2015 cruise show, where they created an egg-box structure on a man-made island in Dubai which Chanel built as a catwalk. The estimated cost of this show was around 1.7 million dollars. This is an exuberant amount of money spent for a relatively short show. Saint Laurent was also making headlines recently for their Malibu beach show, with critics criticizing how they can bring these carbon emissions to a beach with the current state of our environment. These fashion shows are extremely expensive to make and put on, but they average ten minutes in length. How can this be fair to the environment and also to emerging designers who can’t afford such a grand show. The industry is still pointing towards fashion shows as the answer and it’s what people have come to expect. The industry isn’t as a whole looking for these young designers, if they don’t have a show their reach to buyers has shrunk immensely. Emerging designers also do not have the budget to fly in and pay social influencers to be at their shows. Social influencers are one of the main selling points from fashion shows as they extend the reach and create buzz around the event.  This problem within the industry can also be broken down to what designers are taught at school. They are generally taught that fashion shows are a necessity and to the point that their final project is a fashion show. Thankfully, in today’s age many new designers from school are understanding the environmental and price factors that come with a fashion show. The return on investment from a fashion show is very minimal, Haute couture and runway garments are the lowest selling pieces at most fashion houses. Why does the industry continue to look at fashion shows as the right way when they have so many negative impacts?

The first ever fashion show was in 1903 and since than designers and brands have adopted them as the norm. The reason being is because they do come wit a lot of pros. The number one reason why fashion shows are so important and were essentially created, is for press. Brands need press in order to reach their consumers and ultimately sell goods. When fashion brands put on elaborate shows with celebrity models people become enamoured, they buy into what the brand is selling. One of the most important things in fashion and clothing is seeing how the clothes move and feel. Buyers flock from around the globe to these shows in order to see the clothes in person because a picture can only tell them so much. The fashion show allows all the buyers to do this at the same time making it easier for them and the brand. Due to fashion shows gaining tons of press, they are actually a great way for emerging designers to get their names out there. Buyers who may be new to the brand can be invited to shows in which they fall in love with the brand. With pictures alone this makes it a lot harder for the buyer to fall in love. Also if an emerging designer puts on a spectacular show and it goes “viral” they have just gained a bevy of new potential customers. Fashion shows give the brand a platform to sell and be heard. It opens up their potential clients and allows them to be seen around the world. 

It is clear in today’s society with advancing from of technology and media that fashion shows need to be subject to some sort of change. The environment needs help and as an industry who is one of the leading contributors to climate change, we need to be proactive and make changes anywhere we can. Cutting out the carbon emissions from theses grand fashion shows is a small price to pay when we are faced with the technology we have now. Change needs to be made, cancelling fashion week as a whole won’t work because it will end crucial discussion. Fashion shows are a necessity to the industry, they need to be stripped down to a more simplistic carbon neutral show. Brands also need to look at online alternatives and step away from the single use large sets. They can live stream a show from an already made set, which allows for buyers to see the garments move. They could also focus on look books with fabric swatches and things along the like. In conclusion the fashion industry needs to make some change on how they go about fashion shows. Balance is crucial and finding a happy medium that allows brands to showcase their clothing and create press without creating such a crazy carbon footprint and impacting our environment anymore. Can the fashion industry make the right change and propel itself to a lower carbon footprint? 

Disruption In the Fashion Industry: Power of influence

Disruption In the Fashion Industry: Power of influence 

Times have changed to where you do not need to depend on fashion shows cat walks to showcase the upcoming and current trends of the season. Fashion influencers having a platform on social media display current trends and influence the world of fashion. Many influencers are as successful as they are because millennials really do depend on their posts to showcase what is set to be in “style” and on “trend”. This has impacted many areas of the fashion industry to where marketer companies have to take action and stay on track in order to stay in business and generate profit. That being said, high fashion brands as well have to accommodate to the changes that are arising. When you are walking through the streets, malls, at school or at work, millennials are always carrying a piece of technology with them which includes a cellphone, laptop, tablet etc. We are all aware that technology is taking over, to where it feels weird if we are not connected to some sort of technology. 

            Many can argue that technology has caused positive impacts to the fashion industry, but you really need to analyze and take in consideration all the pros and cons that come with the power of fashion influencers through social media. Marketers are realizing that millennials do not rely much on ads as much as they do from recommendations from influencers. Research shows that 71% of people are more likely to make an online purchase if the product or service has been recommended by others. How many can say they are guilty of this? I know I sure can. Looking at reviews before making the decision is a key factor for most online shoppers. These recommendations and sponsors through influencers take action to advertise and promote certain brands which result to receiving a higher audience. By an influencer making a post, this gives their followers more trust and encouragement to buy the product which then gives the brand more visibility and drives traffic to the products. One example if this is Kylie Jenner and Adidas. With the high amount of followers Kylie Jenner has at 149 Million and Adidas 35.7 million, the collaboration will generate social reach through Kyle Jenner’s younger fashion audience. The influencer economy is estimated to be worth $1.3 billion for 2019, said by Vogue Business. The power behind partnerships really comes to show how a following audience can really impact a business.

What experts can argue is the impact fashion influencers have on fast-fashion brands that increase unsustainable consumption of disposable fashion. One prime example is the brand Fashion Nova with 16.5 million followers on Instagram, that introduces about 500-800+ new items every week. Imagine the amount of waste that arises when trends go out of style within the next few months and all the clothes either never gets worn again and goes to dumpsters and landfills. Having recommendations and promo codes made by influencers only promotes their audience buying habits to shop online for items that are not sustainable which involves cheaply made and slave labor which is indeed harmful to the environment and the workers. I came across an interview on YouTube with Arden Rose who is an American actress, author and influencer that talked about the power of influence and how influencers should use their platform for positive actions. Throughout the interview, Arden mentioned how influencers should be promoting sustainable business practises, especially when Youtubers push fast fashion as a “cheap” and “easy” alternative to a constantly refreshing industry. You really do not see how youtubers are promoting capitalism and fast fashion until you are educated in the subject. During the interview, Arden brought up the documentary called The True Cost on Netflix, to reference how many of us are not educated on the power fast fashion has on our environment and our world. According to the film The True Cost, the garment industry is the second most-polluting industry in the world. In the film, it is also stated that almost 95% of clothes in America is produced in developing countries where conditions are very poor. That being said, one of the responses Arden stated that stood out was how much easier it would be if largepublications and fashion houses made it a priority to promote this message. Going back to fashion influencers, imagine what a difference it would make if the top influencers only started promoting sustainable brands. 

When taking the decline of fast-fashion retailers in comparison to the online retailers it is a huge difference. Take in consideration brands such Forever 21 and H&M that were once the go-to fashion retailers for millennials and which now Forever 21 is going bankrupt. The competition has sparked up due to the competition through online retailers. Since disruption is being seen through fast fashion, the impact sustainability will make if more brands started to promote ethical and environmentally friendly products will be a positive action. An influencers ability to promote and connect with their followers can certainly make impactful changes. Research states that the clothing and textile is depleting non-renewable resources, emitting huge quantities of greenhouses gases and using massive quantities of energy, chemicals and water, according to an November 14 editorial by The University of Queensland. 

The Power of fashion influencers is as seen, very impactful in consumers buying habits. Simply just scrolling on Instagram and seeing your favourite actors, models and artists promoting clothing items that catches your attention already shows the power and influence social media has. Taking this to consideration, disruption is brought to the fashion industry. Just by being educated on the impact’s influencers have on some of the topics listed will help to spread the word and hopefully make a change. 

DON’T BE AFRAID, STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT.

          THE DISRUPTION

Throughout the past year’s technology and logistics combined with e-commerce business has become very advanced. Understanding the new development of retail strategies, e-commerce businesses have been a very profitable way to run a business within the fashion industry. Due to it being an easy and less time-consuming way of making purchases, online shopping has become an extremely popular and an attractive trend for the fashion world and for consumers compared to shopping in stores. However, this brings to a question, is online shopping really the best option for you to be shopping? 

Looking at this disruption that e-commerce businesses has caused negatively relating to the environment along with people spending too much time towards the internet more than looking after their health, and a lack of customer service that can only be provided to one in store. The whole point of having stores are for customers to have experience with the physical item in hand before being able to purchase the products they are looking for which is the whole point of “shopping”. Visiting the stores does not only expose you to the latest styles and trends in that are hot in the fashion industry but also helps you communicate with other people including the service that is given to you while shopping. Customer service that is given to you directly gives a clearer understanding of the product value and quality which also allows you to compare and make judgements from one thing to the other directly. While on the other hand, shopping online makes you not want to step outside your house, and you could only read about the product information and receive it without seeing it. 

       FATIGUE HUMANS

Other than people just being lazy, sitting at home and looking for the things you would want to purchase online effects your health in many ways and also makes you less interested to want to look towards the many different kinds of stores that are located to see what varieties they carry. This is the biggest issue that leads people into unhealthy options while they can still keep themselves in shape by other things. Think of shopping in stores as a refreshment that keeps things off your mind while you are admiring the things that are created by talented people. 

    ENVIORMENTLY UNFRIENDLY 

Let’s compare the two methods of shopping. E-commerce-based shopping consists of many logistics that effect the environment. Things like pollution, packaging and gas. The biggest one out of all the amount of money that is put into the different delivery methods. While all you really need to do is go shop in stores and you are the delivery method for yourself. It is that easy! The less you shop online the more environmentally friendly you become, and the less pollution is created. REMEMBER, although there are many other ways this world is being polluted let’s not be a part of those many. Fashion is meant to be given a closer look at. So, let’s take the closer look while taking a step outside your comfort.s

          2 VISIONS 

After interviewing a consumer who strictly does online shopping along with a consumer who only enjoys shopping in stores, comparing the two different consumers were a great example of understanding two different personalities towards their likes and way of looking at fashion. According to the consumer who takes great interest shopping in stores said, “I am very specific with my quality and material, I get anxious when I shop online because I always wonder if it would fit right or not and then I hate making the effort to return it”. While the interviewer who shops based online said “I enjoy shopping online, I mostly only shop on Fashion Nova I feel like I never find the uniqueness that I look for from in stores that I do on Fashion Nova”. The two interviewers had a very different perspective from each other’s based on the way of shopping however the e-commerce-based consumer also mentioned some pro’s and con’s that were not relatable to the other but were the obvious things that are not provided through the e-commerce. “The only thing that seems to be the most frustrating part of online shopping is the return policy and the average of time it takes to receive the product in general and to return it back to get the right one. Which is the good thing about shopping in store because you know exactly if the item is worth it or not. On rare times I have also received the wrong product from what I ordered which is the worst to go through due to the time consumption…” they said. But due to their schedule they only have enough time to look at things through the internet also because their job is based on the internet too therefore majority of their time goes on their devices. 

Retail-Be-Gone! Or not?

                   Enter e-Commerce. This takes the product to the customer and makes buying and selling products easier than ever before. In fact, a transaction could have been completed faster than the time it would take to read this far into the paragraph. While this makes the experience more convenient than ever for the buyer, how does it affect the industry as the whole and what does it mean for the future?

            Retail has been a staple of life ever since the dawn of modern humans and the barter system. With the invention of the cash register by James Ritty in 1883, the stage was set for retail on scale never seen before. Department Stores became hugely popular with companies like Macy's and Harrods and their one-stop-shop mentality. 

The number of ways a consumer is able to acquire a product is at an all-time high today with both online and in-store shopping, over-the-phone ordering, and even trading as ways to get transactions done. But like the barter system and mom-and-pop stores, the medium people will use to buy their products will continue to be shaped by convenience, and while new generations of people continue to shop, a trend can be seen as to how the various generations do their shopping. 

According to a 2017 survey conducted by Statista, retail is still very much alive and even preferred among older generations, with only 28% of Seniors and 41% of Boomers preferring to shop online. However, with the younger generations, it drastically differs. Over 55% of Gen X and a whopping 67% of Millennials prefer online shopping to in-store, and with the first waves of Gen Z being old enough to become a major shopping demographic, that number is expected to continue to increase. While this is going to make shopping much more convenient, we must look at what this means for the future of brick-and-mortar stores, but before that, how exactly e-commerce became so popular and why consumers are choosing online versus in-store must be seen.

Transactions taking place over the web dates back to the 1990s. E-Commerce started officially with Pizza Hut opening its online store in 1994. Later in 1995, e-comm pioneer Amazon opened its online store and sold its first book. In 1999, online sales by retail companies reached a staggering $20 billion, more than half of what was made on in store shopping that year. The industry was then reshaped with the dawn of social media 2007 by sites like Facebook and MSN. This was a true game-changer as advertisements were not only displayed on social media, but contained a link to the store website, making that medium even more effective. This later became more advanced with data collection, which allows companies to advertise directly to customers that would be interested in their products. This new way of advertising was transmuted into more popular, modern social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, allowing a new form of advertisement in social media influencers. 

Today, the convenience of online shopping is unmatched, Consumers are able to shop from the comfort of their homes. Next-day delivery is now an option, price comparing has never been easier and crowds are a non-factor. There is no need to run around searching for a product as it can easily be found through a Google search, and much more time is saved by consumers. Literally anything that can be bought, can be found online. These factors are what makes online shopping increasingly popular, but where does this leave the future of the retail store?

According to a 2018 interview in The Marketing Journal, Baker Foundation Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School John Deighton says that “Retail is not dead, Mediocre retail is dead.” In order for the brick-and-mortar retail stores to continue to exist, they must be able to provide something that e-commerce cannot: excellent and unparalleled customer experience. Deighton also states that “those retailers who are genuinely linking their digital and physical environments in a way that allows them to understand their customers and their needs are pulling ahead of the pack”, and he is not wrong. 

Companies like Nordstrom, Walgreens and even Starbucks are masters of this omnichannel retailing, and it shows as they are some of the leaders in their specific field of retail and all post incredible sales numbers, both online and in-store. 

What this means for the future of brick and mortar is that companies must be able to adapt to the changing landscape. If they do a good job, they will be able to exist, just like the previously mentioned companies. If they do not, however, brick-and-mortar stores will ultimately fail, as seen in the case of Barneys NYC. Founded in 1923, it was a leader in retail; however, its online presence was unequal to that of other luxury department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. On August 6^th, 2019, Barney NYC filed for bankruptcy, as it could not cover increasing brick-and-mortar operating costs with its sub-par online presence. This, however, is not the case for all companies.

The future of brick-and-mortar stores for retail is bleak as it seems; however, merchants must be able to adapt just as they did in the as the barter system, just as they did with the introduction of currency and just as they did with the revolution of retail in the early 1900s. It is possible for retail stores to be successful in today’s economic climate, they must simply be able to connect to how modern customers shop. 

War Tech

War 

Tech

How are new technologies, new manufacturing techniques or new retail strategies

disrupting the fashion industry?

Fashion is that thing that gives a person an identity. It defines who you are and, represents your personality.

Traditionally people satisfied their fashion needs using a face-to-face experience and visiting boutiques in

person. However, with the urge of technology, the industry is facing massive changes, as the people would

prefer to do their shopping online to save money and time. This article will discuss both sides with adding

expert inputs to examine the issue at hand from different perspectives.

On the one hand, traditional fashion has many advantages, as people find their way to the stores, wandering

around and imagining themselves in different styles. The traditional fashion has been offering many benefits

such as creativity and customized products. You can go to a shop and ask the designer to create something

unique, something that represents you and only you would wear it. This experience could never be done

through a computer; however, our new generation would prefer following role models. Singers, actors

Instagram celebrities have been disrupting the notion of fashion through vast advertisements on social media,

and some youngsters see these characters as their role models. As a result, they would rather use retail stores

and popular brands to wear the same clothing as their ideals. An interview was done with a recent graduate at

George-Brown College, and Maliya Abenier stated that the "traditional fashion industry is coming to an end

and it's very displeasing". She argued that these are different times and therefore the fashion industry needs to

adapt itself as well. She is a designer and even she would rather prefer online shopping because it’s much more

convenient, cheaper and faster. She is not against the technology nor in favour of it, she stated and I quote "we

should not see the technology as an enemy, we should see it as our friend and we should use it to our advantage

to adapt the industry and make sure the fashion does not die". Now the question that comes to one's mind is

how the fashion industry can survive this huge wave of change?

On the other hand, over the past several years technology has been our friend. You can order items with one

touch using fast check out, easy payment methods, and fast delivery? I would mostly say everybody expects

old people. About 70% of people in Toronto are adapting themselves to use online shopping even from

expensive brands such as Gucci, Fendi, Ysl etc. I am addicted to online shopping because it's way faster than

in-person shopping. Online shopping is becoming a business in Canada. Besides, technology has many

advantages but, with every advantage comes a disadvantage. This means as technology makes things more

convenient, faster and cheaper but, it requires less workforce. This leads to many people losing their jobs as

people would rather use self-checkouts or use online shopping instead of going to actual stores. The new mass

manufacturing methods and corporate retail-stores are disrupting the notion of fashion. One example would

be Sephora with its vast product variety and assisted self-service philosophy that led them to earn double-digit

growth in recent years. They use a virtual assistant that was a game-changer by tailoring the cosmetics

recommendations to each customer's skin, tone, type, eyes or even hair color specifically. The Sephora virtual

beauty app uses augmented reality to digitally overlay Sephora products on their selfies that were a game changer for millennials and generation Z as their smart-phones are a big deal in their daily lives.

You cannot swim against a furious river, no matter how hard you try you will still fail. With every problem

comes to a solution, it is undeniable that the manufacturing techniques and the retail store advancement are

disrupting the fashion industry. Yet the fashion industry should adapt itself to the change, one idea that came

to my mind while I was researching this article was to develop an application. The application will connect

every boutique thought the desired radios to the costumers. The sellers will be providing their products on the

app with prices and availability etc, they can even present their new ideas and designs and they can receive

feedback from the costumers. On the other hand, the costumers have the chance to find unique products that

are available in all the shops near-by or far away, they can even ask for a delivery! How awesome is that? In

this way, the online shoppers have a chance to buy unique products and even customized ones using the

application and the traditional boutiques would stand a chance against the corporate retail stores and mass

manufacturing companies. You might spend a little bit more but at the end of the day, you know what you

wearing is unique and it's you.

A Visionary Blast into a Sustainable Fashion Future

Learn how the world is affected by the Fast fashion industry and how millennials today can combat and bring positive disruption by diving into Sustainable fashion habits that can influence and change the world forever!

Most individuals on this planet have discovered that our very world is crumbling before our eyes. Most of the world today is divided into two notions: developed and developing countries. Unfortunately, due to lack of awareness throughout the past years, our world is suffering from global warming. There happens to be a lot of factors that tie into why our world is dying but this article is going to look at just one of the many issues’ society faces today.
For those of you who aren’t aware, in 2016, Ecowatch has reported that the apparel (clothing) industry is the world’s second largest polluting industry! I know what you’re thinking, how?! Most of society doesn’t realize just how polluting-air, water and land wise-the fashion industry truly is. This article goes deep into the actual issue with why the fashion industry is disruptive to our environment as well as who is working towards fixing the fast spiral of destruction.

The fashion industry wasn’t always so harmful to the environment. There was a time where clothing was made strictly out for the need for it as opposed to having multiple items ready at your disposal. According to a September 2017 editorial by author Namanpal Singh, the major change came about in the 1900s and occurred due to over 20 million sewing machines being produced from factories worldwide. Mary Boni of 3DInsiders has reported that due to a need for blue & grey military uniforms in mass numbers for WW2, this event initiated the Mass Production in the Apparel Industry. The September 2017 editorial author Namanpal Singh also went on stating that in the year of 1915, the world seen a major change as the fashion industry grew to becoming the third largest industry in America. Whereas in Canada, Mary Boni of 3DInsiders has reports that the apparel industry contributed 2.2% to the manufacturing gross domestic product. It wasn’t until the late 19th century where department stores introduced an idea that would allow consolidating large amount of mass-produced consumption to occur according to Namanpal Singh. Since then, mass production in the fashion industry has caused havoc to our world. Rotem Taitler, an author at 3D Insiders has researched and found that endless amounts of unused and unsold clothing clutter the environment as well as found that manufacturing companies dispose of their waste to prepare the garments in unethical ways. A research from this same author states that 84% of unwanted clothing end up in the garbage in the US alone! As years went by, society is finally starting to see just how detrimental the fashion industry is not only to the environment but the individuals that must work in this extremely fast pace environment. This is when the idea about Sustainable fashion came into play.

Sustainable fashion has been around a lot longer than most people think. Freelance Digital Marketer Solene Rauturier has reported that the whole concept started in the 1960s where the Hippie revolution took to the streets with rebellious movements by embracing natural fabrics and becoming the first anti fashion group. This movement was continued and evolved into the Punk and Gothic era where this group also rejected the traditions practiced in fashion. Instead, they created a niche for second-hand/vintage garments. In the 1980s is when the Anti-Fur Movement came into play. However, it wasn’t until the 2013 devastation that took place in India where the Rana Plaza collapsed is when the world realized just how terrible the apparel industry got. The world is still new to the concept of Sustainable Fashion but an individual by the name of Francesca Abony that resides in Toronto, Ontario is one of the many individuals taking live action to cause a disruption in the fast fashion industry.

It was a fine autumn Thursday afternoon when I got the chance to speak with the one and only Francesca Abony otherwise known as an upcoming Toronto fashion icon that has a strong passion for Sustainable Fashion. Since August 2014, Francesca has been disrupting the fast fashion industry by becoming the cofounder of one of the few rental dress companies in Toronto by the name of ‘I Love Goldie’. As Francesca was on her way home in Toronto’s lovely rush hour traffic, I had the opportunity to have a short but detailed phone interview. Once I got a hold of Francesca, I didn’t waste any time and got to questioning. I began with a question inquiring about observations on a noticeable disruption in the fast fashion department. This was a question that Francesca answered with passion and grace. “Oh 100%, I find the new students are very excited about the movement. I’ve also noticed that major competitive companies such as Zara and H&M are marketing poly sustainable/fake ads which is quite irritating” I continued the interview with asking how much (% wise) of society do you think would switch over or be more in favour of sustainable clothing. Francesca slightly laughed under her breath then stated, “Since I’ve started ‘I Love Goldie’, I would say 25%, it could be better” I go on to inquire about individuals that want to start their own Sustainable Fashion line and let’s just say, Francesca got very passionate with her answer. “I would ask exactly what the reason you’re starting it. The point of sustainable fashion is that we have too much fashion… too much shoes, too much clothes, too much of this shit! Sustainability is an easy concept, if you’re going to start a brand, it better be worth something because you’ll just add to the waste.” Ding ding ding, and there you have it! You heard it here first ladies and gentlemen. The Sustainable Fashion industry is a disruption because the mission statement alone is vastly different from the traditional reasons to starting a clothing brand. Lastly, I end the interview with asking where Francesca sees herself and I Love Goldie in the next 5-10 years. You could tell in Francesca’s tone that she had began to smile as she began to answer. “Operating out of a large warehouse(s) in either Los Angeles or New York as well as working in the film industry.” I don’t know about you but if, sorry-when Sustainable Fashion hits the film industries, I think that is when and only when we, as a society, have truly mastered a disruption in the fashion industry.

In conclusion, Sustainable Fashion has always been in the background scenes of fashion but as of recently, there has finally been a disruption that could forever change the fashion industry as we know it.

Fast-Fashion Retailers Influence Customers To Have Unrealistic Price Expectations: Customers Are Unwilling To Pay The Price Of Sustainable Fashion

More consumers are trying to switch to sustainable clothing options. However, not everyone realizes that sustainable and ethical fashion, comes with a higher price tag. Consumers who are familiar with shopping at retailers such as, H&M, Zara and Forever 21 are more accustomed to a certain price point that is relatively low. The reality is, when clothing is extremely cheap, some type of short-cut is likely being made. Lower price tags may be the result of unfair working wages, mass order sizes, cheap fabrics etc. Although, fast-fashion retailers have been making changes to be more sustainable, mass production is still harmful and is less sustainable than independent designers who are creating sustainable lines for smaller audiences.

Sustainability is a definition that varies a little for everyone, in general sustainability involves aspects of caring for the environment and when in relation to apparel, the ability to last. In return, won’t end up in the landfill. Stephanie, previous owner and designer of Fait Atelier, says sustainability means creating something that is made to last. “My garments were made of linen, because linen ages well, I also used indigo to dye my products because it’s natural and as it ages the colour changes, making the aging process beautiful”. Stephanie spoke on how a product that lasts forever is something worth investing in. “I wanted my products to be an investment, that is fixable if they ever needed repairs and would last forever”.

Fast-fashion retailers produce products faster than we can keep up with, often resulting in packed stores and lost margins. Forever 21 is a good example of a store that produced too fast, having too much inventory and maybe not the “right” inventory, resulting in a bankruptcy. Irene Kim and Kaitlyn Wang state in Business Insider that “Jin Sook was eventually approving over 400 designs a day. Which meant the company could sell trends as they were happening. Even if some of those designs landed Forever 21 in trouble.”. Although speed is a desire for consumers to have the latest trends, rushed products tend to result in a less sustainable product. Stephanie gave a breakdown of how long it takes her to make a “batch” of her indigo dyed, linen garments. “A breakdown of the whole process includes everything from the idea down to the marketing. It took me about 5-10 hours to create and idea and source for it, and it took me about 30 hours to cut and sew a batch of about 20, then I had to tag them all and take pictures and market them, which took about 5 hours”. That’s about 45 hours for one batch! The time and effort put into independent brands can’t be compared to the mass market when it comes to care and sustainability.

Apparel production is without a doubt harmful for the environment, the mass production apparel market is especially damaging. According to an article by Jasmin Malik Chua in September 2019 for Vox, apparel and footwear production accounts for about 8.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Brands and designers have pressure to produce as responsibly and ethically as possible by consumers. However, fast-fashion retailers get away with taking short-cuts as customers desire affordable prices. What some customers don’t realize is retailers that produce a mass amount of clothing at an affordable price are likely to be making shortcuts. It can be assumed that the retailer is making a fair mark-up margin, so somewhere down the production line a price shortcut is being made to achieve a low price tag. Stephanie spoke about how sourcing locally increases cost to produce. She said “My fabric of choice was linen, which is already a more pricey fabric, sourcing it locally is definitely more expensive than if I were to ship it. I also account for my time it takes for me to go and source my fabric, because if I shipped it, I wouldn’t have to account for that”. When shopping locally and sustainably, the prices tend to be higher because the costs of goods are generally higher.

When I asked Stephanie if she thinks customers being accustomed to fast-fashion retailer’s low price points affected the willingness of customers to purchase her line, she shared, “I think it affects younger shoppers the most, the people who were usually willing to shop my line were more mature, and I think that’s because young shoppers grew up in the prime of fast-fashion. Where more mature, older generations were aware of it, but value a good product more. Younger generations seem to shop frivolously and carelessly, for fun. The clothes probably sit in their closets with tags on them, because they shop just to shop and cheapness is more important than ethics”. She also mentioned that she has been noticing a change in younger consumers more recently, “I do think there’s hope for the future, younger customers are slowly starting to share concern about the world, and I understand the want for cheap clothes. I don’t think it’s necessarily fair either that being sustainable costs so much...”. Consumers desire ethical, sustainable clothing, but the price of fast-fashion seems hard to ignore.

Independant, sustainable brands definitely have their work cut out for them when working against mass production retailers that offer prices they simply can’t afford to offer. Stephanie shared she’s taking a break from her line because she wasn’t making enough money to be profitable. A common struggle that many smaller designers and brand owners face.

Digital Disruption— How the Fashion and Beauty Industry is Adapting and Advancing with Technology

If you were to ask yourself what you picture the future of fashion and beauty industries to look like, what are a few descriptors you would use? For me, technology and sustainability are two words that quickly come to mind. The future of fashion and beauty is constantly evolving and adapting to new trends to help make their products and services more attractive and helpful to their customers. Through technological advances and innovations, the online and in-store shopping experience has evolved over the years. Online retailer perks, innovative app features, AR (augmented reality), and social commerce are a few examples of how the fashion and beauty community has introduced many technological innovations. These changes can be seen as for better or worse depending on the individual shopper but overall they are meant to aid and advance the overall experience for shoppers.

According to a July 23, 2019 article by Digital Commerce 360’s April Berthene, e-commerce accounts for more than a third of all apparel sales. Several years ago this might not have been the case. Online retailers have taken over the fashion and beauty industries by introducing innovative and useful ways to research, browse, and purchase products and services. The popular shoe retailer Converse joined the AR community recently by introducing the “Converse Sampler App”. This app allows customers to shop for their preferred shoe or design their own and sample them on their feet by positioning their cameras on their feet. They then have the ability to see how the shoe would look versus going in-store to try them on.

Sephora, an example of a popular beauty retailer, has introduced features online and in-app that enables customers to colour match foundations and concealers, along with sampling lipstick and eyeshadow colours. The idea is for the customer to take a clear head shot of themselves and upload it to their account and find what works for them from there. This allows consumers to shop and browse on the go rather than visit the store to have a beauty expert aid them in these discoveries. Along with providing makeup finding aids, Sephora has online and in-app bonus features to ordering products online. Multiple freebie and sample promo codes are provided to customers when ordering online which increases online and in-app purchases versus in-store. 

Online retailers have increased over the past few years, leaving in-store retailers needing to advance and expand their offerings to keep shoppers interested at in-store level. Uniqlo and TopShop are two examples of apparel retailers that have both online and physical locations for their customers to shop. To enhance in-store shopping appeal for consumers, both retailers provided similar innovations that have become increasingly popular for in-store retailers. AR features have been becoming an interesting used feature in-store to help persuade customers to continue shopping in-store versus online or through an app. TopShop introduced the popular in-store trend of AR mirrors that allow customers to try on articles of clothing and accessories without actually having to try them on in change rooms. Similarly, Uniqlo brought in mirrors that allow customers who try on items to view different colours of the items through the AR features. These AR features help solve the issue of customers not wanting to try on clothes for sizing, fit, and colours while in-store.

Social commerce is feature added to social media over the past few years that has become an increasingly popular way for consumers to shop and purchase products. Instagram is one of the top social media platforms for social commerce. Over the last few years it has brought in the feature where you can add links for each individual article of clothing, accessories, or beauty product. These links take you straight to the product online or even just provide the price right there to eliminate the consumer having to go search for it themselves. In your story, if you are a big enough influencer, you can add the “swipe up” option where it will take you directly to the site and the exact link for the product or service. Facebook, Twitter, and the popular social media platforms are offering the same sort of concepts through advertisements posted on their sites. These advertisements are, most of the time, linked to stuff you have previously research or looked at before.

Technology will continue to advance and expand with the fashion and beauty industry. At the end of the day, people have their personal preferences of how they shop which will sway their decision regardless of technological advances or not. My personal opinion is that most of the technological innovations in the fashion and beauty industry only enhance and benefit the shopping processes and outcomes for consumers. Along with easing the process of shopping, the technological aspects help the environmental concerns consumers have.

Lost in Translation - How Fashion is losing its meaning

Lucas Sobczak 101195390

Sarah Hood

Journalism: FASH 2082

October 28, 2019

Lost in Translation - How Fashion is losing its meaning

            In recent years it seems that everyone is taking their stake in the fashion arena. If you were to ask a majority of the Instagram generation who their favourite designers are, you would hear the likes of Virgil Abloh, Heron Preston, or 1017 ALYX 9SM. These are just a few of the several tastemakers that the today’s consumer buys into for what comes with purchasing their garments, the attention and recognition. The raging popularity of these labels transformed the once friendly platform, where you would share photos of your meal with filters caked on, is now the home to influencers flexing their expensive poorly made garments in order to out-do the next. The toxicity of the bourgeois mindset has led many, once prestigious, luxury houses to conform to meet the demand of this new consumer. In a sense, fashion has lost its’ identity. The modern fashion admirer is left to question the ethics of mainstream designers and the industry has turned its back on the history and craftsmanship popular fashion houses embraced to create their legacies.

An area which negatively affects the industry would be streetwear. In 2018 Mark Bain from Quartzy, an online media source for pop-culture, defined streetwear as being, “...a niche, upstart movement, its signatures—casual clothes like hoodies and tees, graphic logos that seem made for the Instagram age…” The vague category in fashion, where aspiring designers are set to grab their piece of the consumer pie. Street wear was once a reflection on youth and hip-hop culture where luxury’s logomania designs laid this niche’s foundation. Those part of this group would buy into the culture one brand embodies without needing to live the presumed lifestyle their consumers tended to live. This shift in consumer behaviour began to gap to divide between the upper echelon of society and the middle market and unifying the class system. Young creatives began to see opportunity by mimicking and simplifying the practices luxury houses were using to expand their market. The age of the logo begins.

Attending school was once the way someone chased their dreams of becoming a designer. However, this is no longer necessary. To be someone successful in the industry is to be someone willing to put capital towards an idea. With the addition of a good Instagram following and some clout, today’s designer emerges. The product of this formula has led to an oversaturation of industry movers who aren’t doing anything except to reap profits from the misled consumer. Millennial industry movers, such as Off-white and Supreme New York, have found much success in both the western and eastern parts of the world. The steps these labels take in the path to recognition comes at the consumer’s expense and is transparent through the lack of idealism and quality in the clothes that monopolize Instagram’s explore page. Designers no longer design with purpose of deep expression, rather for economic gain. Too many designers saturate the market with false truths, neglecting purpose or meaning. Business of Fashion Columnist, Eugene Rabkin in 2018 stated that, “We have entered a state of pure postmodernism, where anything goes, and nothing means anything anymore.” Rabkin’s statement expresses how meaning and connection cannot be forced. Designers once made people look at a garment in new ways. Form, structure, and environmental influences once conceptualized great design.

The number of individuals expressing artistic concepts make it difficult to highlight persistence when the market is flooded with commonalities. In an interview with Eugene Rabkin in 2018, Ann Demuelemeester, renowned designer and graduate from Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, was asked about intangible elements in her work. Demuelemeester took her jacket off her back and began to explain how a seam and certain cut reflected the fragility and imperfection of man and how she literally cut meaning into her garments. Ann Demuelemeester highlighting her design process and her conscious effort to portray the imperfection and fragility of man, displays her ability to create garments utilizing destructivist methods. The complexity of artistic principles used in today’s designer lackluster in comparison to those like Demuelemeester. Perhaps the new generation no longer values the design process or quality of garments, rather, the marketability and influence of the final product holds greater importance.

Times are changing and new generation no longer values the artistic integrity within garments. They are no longer moved by intangible details, but instead influenced by social trends. The change in fashion may have a simpler explanation. Perhaps fashion is evolving rather than changing. The couture era of putting meaning and valuing form is obsolete and society would much rather spend their money on representation through logos and graphics. It is difficult to understand where fashion will end up as it is constantly changing, however, it is evident that unless more individuals create dialogue about quality and craftsmanship, fashion will lose its meaning.