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Millenial Collection
The Politics of Apparel
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Lindsay
Helen
Nora
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Rachel
Jenny
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Kelsey
Natalie
Ingrid
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Rosamond
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Allison
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introduc tion---The function of this catalog of clothing tags is to inform the viewer and showcase the ways millenial shopping habits are influenced and harbored. This research catalogs 10 tags from 10 females living in Lincoln, Nebraska between the age 21-23 to provide a visual record of local womens fashion in 2016. Each female’s diverse background and interests contribute to their individual collection. The catalog encourages viewers to consider where clothes are bought, made, and sold. It asks us to critically view and discuss where are clothes are bought and made but also how we choose to idenitify ourselves through our clothing and brand decisions. What does the back tag of our shirt really say about us?
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illennials—born between 1980 and 2000—are both the 20th century’s last generation and its first truly digital one. This old century/new technology dichotomy gives pause to marketers attempting to understand and connect with this key demographic.
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But are Millennials really a unique new breed of plugged-in, networked savants? Or do these prized consumers share critical similarities with previous generations?
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6,000 consumers 1,707 millennials 8 countries and 60 retailers
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A There are roughly 80 million Millennials in the United States alone, and each year they spend approximately 600 billion. While originally typecast as financially dependent teens, today’s Millennials include young adults in their 20s and 30s. Many have careers, are raising kids and live in their own homes. While Millennials are already a potent force, they will truly come into their own by 2020, when we project their spending in the United States will grow to $1.4 trillion annually and represent 30 percent of total retail sales. Millennials will have a major economic impact in other markets our research covered as well.
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You want to touch it; you want to smell it; you want to pick it up. 14
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Millennials are certainly very savvy online customers, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped frequenting brick-and-mortar venues. In fact, interviews conducted at one of America’s largest shopping malls confirmed our survey findings that many members of the digital generation actually prefer visiting stores to shopping online. What’s more, our research findings in the United States were reflected in the other countries where we surveyed as well. Echoing countless generations of canny shoppers, one Millennial told us, “You want to touch it; you want to smell it; you want to pick it up.” Make no mistake: Online and mobile channels are important to Millennials, providing the information and insights they need to find the best products and services. Many hone their shopping skills on the Internet, checking product ratings and reviews or feedback on retailers, for example, to con-
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firm that both product and vendor provide the best value and service, respectively. One challenge for retailers is the Millennials’ seemingly omniscient grasp of prices and promotions, which this generation expects to be the same in stores as they are online. To cash in on in-store retailer promotions, Millennials also want mobile coupon scanning capabilities, and having to print out coupons prior to shopping could be a deal-breaker. One summed it up this way: “When I get to the store, if I haven’t printed out my coupon and I can’t use it, I walk out.” When it comes to shopping, we found that 68 percent of all Millennials demand an integrated, seamless experience regardless of the channel. That means being able to transition effortlessly from smartphone to personal computer to physical store in their quest for the best products and services.
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In a survey of retail industry leaders, nearly 40 percent said the No. 1 concern they have about Millennials is their lack of loyalty. But we found that Millennials can be exceptionally loyal customers—provided they feel they’ve been treated right. They demand a customer-centric shopping experience—one tailored to their wants and needs as valued customers. As one shopper put it, “You want to feel welcome when you go to the stores.” In describing the ideal shopping experience, a Millennial noted, “There is [something] about the product and its cost, but there’s also a big part about
being treated like a valued customer.” Many seek personalized, targeted promotions and discounts as the price for their loyalty. “Loyalty programs are big,” confirmed one interviewee. We found that 95 percent or more of Millennials say they want their brands to court them actively, and coupons sent via email or mailed to their homes currently (or will in the future) have the most influence on them. Other channels, such as text messages, have an influence on just over half of all respondents in terms of their shopping behaviors.
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Although Millennials are masters of social media, they view Facebook and other sites differently than many marketers may assume, which can lead to misunderstandings. While clicking an icon on a social network page might indicate that they consider a retailer or brand cool or hip, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are loyal customers. “I really don’t follow my retailers on Facebook or Twitter,” said one. Instead, they view social media relationships with brands and retailers as transactional. “Social media? I use it to get deals,” offered another. Marketers, who are relentless scorekeepers, can easily mistake a pressed “like” button
for far more than it really is—which, from the Millennials’ perspective, is basically a way to find the best offers. “I do ‘like’ certain retailers on social media,” one Millennial noted, “especially if it gives me access to coupons or deals or more information. [Otherwise], I would have to be pretty emotionally moved to just ‘like’ [a retailer] for no reason.” To reach Millennials on social media, a brand or product must become a routine part of their conversations concerning product information, updates and special offers. “It’s not like you’re communicating a deal to [your friends],” one person explained. “It’s more like, ‘Hey, I got this new thing, this new toy.’ ” The goal should be to create positive buzz,
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to be talked about by Millennials. Simply having a presence on social media isn’t enough—the aspiration should be to become the topic of conversation for all the right reasons. Contrary to the famous public relations maxim that all publicity is good publicity, many firms have found, to their regret, that the negative online buzz they are generating can zap both brand strength and sales. Instead, companies need to engender the type of positive online buzz that can lift brands and sales alike.
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Driven by the Millennials and future digital generations as yet unnamed, we believe retailing will change more in the next five years than it has in the last 50. That’s because consumer uptake of new communication technologies has continued to compress over the past 125 years. Look at radio: It took more than 30 years to achieve a consumer adoption rate of 50 percent. Mobile phones took only 15 years to reach the same level, and social media, a mere 3.5 years. The message for retailers is simple: While you had literally decades to perfect your radio-era go-to-market strategy, with social media you will be lucky to get a year, and in the future, a year might be a best-case scenario.
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Millennials still like brick-and-mortar stores. In fact, 82 percent of them prefer bricks and mortar.
84 83 91 68
percent prefer shopping in department stores
percent shopping in discount or mass merchant stores
percent prefer shopping in drugstores
percent prefer shopping in consumer electronics stores
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Lindsay 22 Hometown Papillion, NE Favorite place to shop Home and Closet or Missguided Favorite thing to wear Probably my high waisted, boyfriend fit jeans from Missguided. They fit loosely, cuff at the ankles and are super comfortable. They are light wash with subtle pink stitching, but work with just about all shades. They are easy to dress up with boots and a satin shirt or dress down with sneakers and a vintage t-shirt. Studied Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations
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Helen 21 Hometown Washington, KS Favorite place to shop ASOS. In person I like to shop at Forever 21 or Primark Favorite thing to wear I have this amazingly comfortable black shift dress from ASOS that I love to wear because its so easy, but I accidentally shrunk it, so Ive been googling all these ways to unshrink things so I can wear it again. Studying Art History and Graphic Design
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Nora 22 Hometown Papillion, NE Favorite place to shop Mostly vintage consignment shops, Scout, Home and Closet Favorite thing to wear I have this green flannel that I wear probably way more often than I should. Its just very versatile and comfortable and I feel like I can wear it with anything . Studying Advertising, Public Relations, and Psychology
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Ingrid 23 Hometown Lincoln, NE Favorite place to shop Home and Closet or Stella Collective Favorite thing to wear My black velvet overalls. I got them as a Valentines Day gift last year. I dont wear them as much as Id like occasions for velvet overalls dont come up every day but when the occasion strikes, I have my go-to gal ready to throw on. Velvet rules and overalls rule, combine the two and you have a masterpiece. Plus, its fun to store hidden items in its many pockets. Id love to take my turtle for a ride in the big, front pouch one day. Studied Journalism
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Rachel 23 Hometown Hastings, NE Favorite place to shop My wallet likes to shop when I have a Madewell promo code and I like the task of finding interesting things at Target but my eyes like to shop at Ace and Jig, Acne, Reformation and Everlane Favorite thing to wear My favorite thing to wear is shoes. Most of the time I would say my uniform is basics paired in proportions that are interesting to me but if I am trying to have fun, I like to combine patterns. I especially like combining neutral colored geometric patters with colorful floral patterns. Studied Political Science, Global Studies, and Spanish.
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Jenny 21 Hometown Omaha, NE Favorite place to shop Anthropologie or Target Favorite thing to wear this flow-y cotton sweater-shawl from Anthropologie. It is the most comfortable thing Ive ever owned and makes jeans and a tank top look like a put together outfit. If I were to describe my ideal wardrobe in one piece, that would be it. Studying Speech Language Pathology
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Rosamond 21 Hometown Kearney, NE Favorite place to shop Gap, Target, or The Black Market Favorite thing to wear This pair of greenish brown waterproof Palladium boots that Ive had for a couple years. I like them because I can wear them around outside or dress them up and because they definitely look seasoned. Studying English and Film Studies
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Kelsey 21 Hometown Papillion, NE Favorite place to shop The Goodwill or ASOS Favorite thing to wear This cross country shirt from 1993 that I found from the Goodwill. It has this green striped pattern, its oversized and very comfortable. I can wear it with a regular causal outfit or I can wear it with jeans or to sleep. I wear it all the time. Studying Journalism and Mass Communications
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Natalie 21 Hometown Grand Island, NE Favorite place to shop HM, Gap, Topshop Favorite thing to wear BLACK JEANS. Nothing makes me feel more confident or capable of destroying any male. Studying Hospitality and Tourism with minors in Leadership and Business
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Allison 22 Hometown Papillion, NE Favorite place to shop Madewell or local thrift stores Favorite thing to wear I like to wear striped shirts and dark jeans. That tends to be my daily uniform. Studying Graphic Design
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Our research shows that Millennials are not only transforming their own shopping behaviors but those of their parents, who are increasingly mimicking the demands of their children for seamlessness as they climb the digital learning curve. One consequence of this evolution is that the retail environment will probably change faster than many companies expect in the coming years, and many retailers will find themselves falling further and further behind. That’s because delivering products and services in a truly seamless fashion will require companies to make profound changes across their entire organizations—changes that many seem either unprepared or unwilling to make. To close this emerging consumer generation gap, retail leaders need to take action now to provide the seamless end-to-end experience Millennials demand.
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About the Research
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To bring the needs of Millennial consumers and their potential impact on retailing into sharper focus, Accenture undertook a threepronged research initiative that included a major, multicountry online consumer survey, a global retailer benchmarking study and face-to-face interviews with 50 individual consumers.
Developing integrated merchandising skills, which requires retailers to provide an integrated product assortment and unified pricing across channels.
Consumer survey. We conducted an online survey of 6,000 consumers, of which 1,707 were Millennials, across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Japan, China and Brazil.
Enabling personalized interactions through which retailers effectively engage customers to offer the dynamic, accessible and continuous shopping journeys, whether in-store, online or via a mobile device, consumers desire.
Retailer survey. The second element of the research was a benchmarking survey involving 60 global retailers that focused on six capabilities and asked 80 questions. The six capabilities are: Providing a consistent customer experience regardless of channel. Offering connected shopping that allows customers to move seamlessly across channels to fulfill a single shopping mission.
Putting in place flexible fulfillment and returns procedures that offer customers multiple convenient options.
Providing better, faster and more memorable customer experiences. Accenture matched the consumer and retailer benchmarking surveys on a one-toone basis to evaluate what is important to customers compared to what retailers are actually delivering. Face-to-face interviews. To bring the survey findings to life, we interviewed about 50 randomly selected consumers at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Christopher Donnelly Donnelly is the industry managing director of Accenture Retail. He is based in Chicago. Renato Scaff Scaff is an Atlanta-based managing director in Accenture Retail. 45
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collophon This publication was typeset with a free trial of GT Pressura Mono and Google font’s Eczar. GT Pressura, released in 2012, was designed by Marc Kappeler (Moiré), Dominik Huber (Moiré) from the Independent Swiss Type Foundary. Inspired by type stamped on shipping boxes, GT Pressura uses the visual effect of ink spreading under pressure as a stylistic device. This references the way many of us recieve our clothing today, through mail. Eczar is designed by Vaibhav Singh, produced by David Březina, and published by Rosetta Type Foundry. It began as a student project in 2010 during Vaibhav’s MA Typeface Design studies at the University of Reading (UK). Eczar was designed to bring liveliness and vigor to multi-script typesetting in Latin and Devanagari, and providing an alternative to existing designs by imparting a strong mix of personality and performance at both text and display sizes.
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