The Shopping Imaginary by Joseph

The Shopping Imaginary: A Social Experiment

Chinatown Marketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Smiley Basketball (SGD$105)

defining context

The New Luxury:

Luxury fashion brands have prioritised, incorporated aspects of disruption into their existing business narratives, as a means of appealing to the Generation Z demographic with hopes of distingushing themselves from their competitors (McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2019 report, P71). The definition of ‘material wealth’, as previously defined by sociologist Erving Goffman, has in recent years shifted in this landscape of digital marketing: Goffman discusses via The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, the utilisation of status symbols, previously signifying one’s ownership of a plethora of highly priced, quality goods (P24). Luxury objects are utilised today to convey a variety of meanings: individuality coupled with articulating values, messages coherent to brand identity simultaneously (McKinsey, Highsnobiety). WGSN sums up attributes of the Generation Z demographic to being ‘digital natives’ (Owen, et al, P5), leading lives intertwined with wanting to create positive change and driven more strongly (than their predecessors); the need to stay connected whilst maintaining individuality has been a characteristic marketers are looking to appeal to simultaneously.

Fig.1 - Most mentioned brands when Highsnobiety global users were asked about their most expensive apparel/footwear purchase in the last 12 months (>$500 purchases only).

The New Luxury, Highsnobietyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Whitepaper, 2018

Definitions, Depictions of Brand Luxury

Individual Meaning A celebration of personal creativity, expressiveness, intelligience; influenced by brand values and social environment.

Social Meaning

High scoring on the symbolism, to associate owner with desired group, role or self-image; desire to impress others.

Prestige Durability Exclusivity

Considerably high with intangible worth; 3 levels of prestige: upmarket, premium, luxury. Good quality, design, goods that incorporate a greater aspect of quality, taste than other goods.

Has some degree of rarity and social mystique; synonymous with selectivity and/or designed for an exclusive market and derived from the Latin word luxus, which means indulgence of the senses, with no regard for cost.

Affordability

Products and services that are not so expensive, as to be out of reach; more affordable, more accessible = target new customers.

Within the premise of Instagram, the use of bold logos serve simultaneously as visual signifiers, indicating one’s allegiance to a brand, tribe or following instantaneously. Accounting for 40 percent of global consumption by 2020 (McKinsey, P45), the Emoji Generation’s appetite for visuals stem from their ferociously consuming visuals and embodiment of ‘visual lifestyles’ have added to the need for addressing immediacy into business models. Business of Fashion (Choufan, Cook) cites the use of luxury logos to tap into themes of nostalgia simultaneously, driven forth by youths born between 1995 to 2010 (Francis, P3), looking to relive the timeframes of the 1980s to early 2000s when Logomania was spiked (Mlotek). The luxury sector having adapted methods of streetwear releases (lacking the funds and created out of necessity), such as ‘The Drop’ and forgoing the standard releases of a bi-annual fashion calendar of releasing collections; one which taps heavily into models of anticipation and released in limited quantities. This sums up how consumers deriving a sense of achievement from securing a purchase; while others are excluded from the conversation. The discussion then lends itself to the utilisation of fashion logo imagery as a means of conveying a company’s ethos, while signifying one’s access to scarcity. WGSN cited a 226 percent rise in ‘logo-heavy products’ in the United Kingdom in 2017; growth in the United States was reportedly up to 67 percent (BoF).

Vetements’ Hong Kong exclusive Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Kowloon

e pop-up in Nov 2017; n (Hypebeast).

Chrome Hearts Holiday 2018 collection; items include baby rattle and spoon, dog cllar, hose nozzle, the basketball hoop and stethoscope (depicted above). One-off items, such as the customised walker (above). All items are sporting â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gold, silver and diamondsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (Hypebeast).

The aspect of cultural currency elaborated on via Highsnobiety’s Whitepaper - is defined knowledge surrounding procuring a desired good(s) and/or the context by which the communicative aspect of a signifier to a selected few; subsequently elevating it beyond standard means of justification. Value is generated, acquired and flexed within sub-communities; being in the know and having the accessibility to get your hands on the next jewellery collection by Virgil Abloh, and gaining access with completing the designer’s necessitated questionaire(s)for example. Being in the forefront of the know, gaining access to exclusivity (lower prices); subsequent adopters to the bandwagon incurs inflated prices via resellers. It’s about brands taking on a stand, to values expressed by the Generation Z demographic in mind.

DEFINING CONTEXT

Dover Street Market The North Face

the social exper

riment Initial findings depicted a preference for less conspicuous logos in luxury goods amongst young Singaporeans: while degrees of flexing (a verb utilised to summise the act of communicating oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth, superior state to others) is observed, luxury signifiers (to majority of young Singaporean) extends beyond blatantly obvious methods of utilising Instagram, for instance. The demographic articulated a preference for brands such as Balenciaga, Gucci as a whole; outranking Off-White, Supreme and Ambush. This could indicate Singaporeans are still relying on commonplace signifers, albeit more discreet communicators. The scope of this experiment looks into the purchase behavorial aspects of the Gen Z Singaporean individual, primarily through heavily curated e-commerce sites that faciliate the Hypebeast aesthetic; uncovering patterns of brand narrative resonance, as per the items selected, designers / brands etc. Secondary findings look into finessing potential amongst the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;New Luxuryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; brands young, savvy Singaporeans. resonate with; justifying factors of inconspicuous consumption to be present.

Labels selected by Gen Z Singapor respondents for this experiment^: 1017 ALYX

A-COLD-WALL* A. P. C.

ACNE STUDIOS

ADIDAS/ADIDAS ORIGINALS ALCH

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN / MCQ ALEXANDER WANG

ALEXNADRE BIRMAN AMBUSH AMIRI

ASHLEY WILLIAMS ASICS

BALENCIAGA BALMAIN

BOTTEGA VENETA BURBERRY

BURTON AK457 BY FAR

CARHARTT WORK IN PROGRESS CECILE BAHNSEN

CHAMPION REVERSE WEAVE CHLOE

COLLINA STRADA

CDG HOMME PLUS

COMMON PROJECTS CONVERSE

CP COMPANY CULT GAIA

DIOR EYEWEAR

DOLCE AND GABBANA DR MARTENS

ECKHAUS LATTA

ELEMENT BY NIGEL CABOURN EYTYS

FEAR OF GOD FENDI

FRAME GANNI

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI GIVENCHY GMBH

GR-UNIFORMA GUCCI

HAIDER ACKERMANN HERON PRESTON

HOMME PLISSE ISSEY MIYAKE HUMAN MADE HYEIN SEO

JACQUEMUS

JENNIFER BEHR JIL SANDER

JOHN ELLIOTT JORDAN JOSEPH JUUN. J

JW ANDERSON KANGOL KENZO

KIK KOSTADINOV KOCHE LE KILT

LOEWE

MAISIE WILEN

rean MAISON KITSUNE

STELLA MCCARTNEY

MAISON MICHEL

STUSSY

MAISON MARGIELA MARC JACOBS MARINE SERRE

MARTINE ROSE

MASTERMIND WORLD MATTEAU

MICHAEL LO SORDO MISSIONI

MM6 MAISON MARGIELA MONCLER

NANUSHKA

NEW BALANCE NIKE

OFF WHITE

PALM ANGELS

PERKS AND MINI

POLO RALPH LAUREN PRADA PUMA RAEY

RAF SIMONS

STONE ISLAND SUICOKE

TAKAHIROMIYASHITA. THE SOLOIST THOM BROWNE TIBI

TRES BIEN

UNDERCOVER

UNIFORM EXPERIMENT

URBAN SOPHISTICATION VALENTINO VANINA VANS

VERSACE

VETEMENTS

VICTORIA BECKHAM

WHITE MOUNTAINEERING X-GIRL Y3

YMC

YOHJI YAMAMOTO

RAG & BONE

RANDOM IDENTITIES RHUDE

RICK OWENS SACAI

SAINT LAURENT SHAUN LEANE

SOLACE LONDON SOPHNET.

Frequency of designers selected throughout the experiment, can be found in subsequent sections.

https://hbx.com/women/brands/maisonmargiela/organza-shirt-dress

Maison Margiela

The Organza Shirt Dress, Maison Margielaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest retailing womenswear item via HBX, goes for SGD $1,833.37.

The Yellow Trim Show Puffer Jacket, Maison Margielaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest retailing, menswear item sold out at the discounted price of SGD $2,909.85.

https://hbx.com/brands/maison-margiela/ yellow-trim-show-puffer-jacket

Maison Margiela

https://hbx.com/women/brands/nike/ nike-snkr-sox-jdi-ankle-socks-2-pairs

Nike

The Nike SNKR Sox JDI Ankle Socks (2 pairs) via HBX, retails for SGD $18.56.

In comparison, respondents’ total spendings for this social experiment: “EXPENDITURE”

$28,805

$30,000

$25,000

$6,374.11

$5,880

$5,828

$9,510.61

$11,514.58

$5,593

$3,348.9

$4,860

$5,116.7

$6,323.17

$6,736.6

$3,006.68

$6,885

$5,930

$7,250.9

$9,311.47

$9,005.2

5 $5,000

$13,949

$16,105

14 $10,000

13 $12,873

$15,000

$17,860

$20,000

Fig.2 - Documentation of all responses from Generation Z Singaporeans, through the Shopping Imaginary experiment (sequential order).

$26,562

$28,910.4

$30,000

$22,070

$25,000

$20,000 $14,919 $8,363

$10,057.9

$12,825

$8,325

$8,153.4

$11,614

$9,651.76

$10,145.95

$10,841.48

$15,000

$10,000

$3,574.08

$3,418.21

$5,770

$6,279.3

$8,342

$9,089.49

T-SHIRTS SHIRTS TROUSERS SHORTS SKIRTS DRESSES PULLOVERS/JACKETS VEST/BUSTIERS JUMPSUITS FOOTWEAR SMALL ACCESSORIES MISC. SPORTWEAR ITEMS

$5,000

“RESPONDENTS” 23

“APPAREL TYPES”

purchase sequences:

00:47:13 HOURS

00:03:25

Browsing of 032c commences

00:03:36

Black Leather Collar (USD235)

00:03:58

00:04:09 00:05:34 ITEM ADDED

00:05:43 00:06:23 00:06:36 00:06:48 00:06:52

MINUTES

Black Adidas Originals Edition Weekend Duffle Bag (USD235) Browsing of 1017 ALYX commences Black Roll Turtleneck (USD165) Black Storm Flap Hoodie (USD 820)

Silver Classic Chain Link Necklace (USD565)

SECONDS

ITEM ADDED

00:10:19

00:11:18

Black Gatter Trousers (USD690) - 00:06:52

Beige Osca Vest (USD505) Black Osca Vest (USD505) Blue Farrin Face Hoodie (USD305)

Blue Konst River Jeans (darker blue) (USD300)

00:11:32

Browsing of ALME LEON commences

00:12:16

Grey Wool Tweed Trousers (USD390)

00:12:20

Navy Collegiate Crewneck Sweater (USD235) Grey Collegiate Crewneck Sweater (USD235)

Black Rollercoaster Bracelet (USD530) Black Logo Lounge Pants (USD330)

Blue Konst River Jeans (light blue) (USD300)

00:12:49

Browsing of AMBUSH commences

00:13:25

Browsing of AMI ALEXANDRE MATTIUSSI commences Black Smiley Hoodie (USD255)

00:07:11

Browsing of ACNE STUDIOS commences

00:14:20

00:08:12

Blue Franklin H Stamp Hoodie (USD415)

00:14:40

Black Carrot Cargo Pants (USD405)

DANIEL

Designers selected from the get-go >>

(SSENSE)

(New tabs) 032c, 1017 Alyx 9sm, Acne Studios, Ader Error, Ambush, Almé Leon, Ami Alexandre Mattiussi, Carhatt Work in Progress, Dior Homme, Doublet, Engineered Garments, Études, Eytys, Feng Chen Wang, Gentle Monster, GR-uniforma, Helmut Lang, Junya Watanabe, Junn.j, Kiko Kostadino, Ksubi etc

00:14:48

ITEM ADDED

Browsing of C2H4 commences

00:18:39

Browsing of ETUDES commences

Black Brain Capacity Figuration Graph Hoodie (USD235)

00:18:58

Browsing of EYTYS commences

00:19:08

Black Suede Halo Sneakers (USD465)

Memory Supervisor Hoodie (USD210)

Grey Vagrant Double Layer Distressed Hoodie (USD385) Black Lounge Pants (USD195) 00:17:18

Browsing of CARHARTT WIP commences

00:17:28

Browsing of DIOR HOMME commences

00:17:36

Browsing of DOUBLET commences

Browsing of FENG CHEN WANG commences 00:20:18

Khaki Cargo Pants (USD395)

Black Wool Panelled Pants (USD330) 00:20:55

Browsing of GR-UNIFORMA commences Grey Melton Lounge Pants (USD135) - 00:21:11

Black Chaos Track Jacket (USD765)

Browsing of HELMUT LANG commences - 00:21:22

Navy Chaos Embroidery Track Pants (USD485) 00:18:21

Black Panelled Hoodie (USD395)

Browsing of JUNYA WATANABE commences 00:21:39

Browsing of ENGINEERED GARMENTS commences 00:21:50

Browsing of JUUN.J commences

00:22:42 ITEM ADDED

ITEM ADDED

Beige Cotton Cargo Pants (USD410) Black Cotton Cargo Pants (USD355)

Black Wool Cargo Pants (USD355) 00:23:30

Browsing of KIKO KOSTADINOV commences Multicolor Wool Tulles Jacket (USD855) - 00:23:52

00:24:00

00:28:20

Multicolor Broken Knit Sweater (USD885) 00:28:43

Browsing of MONCLER commences

ITEM ADDED

White Benoit Jacket

Black Girocollo Sweatshirt (USD445) - 00:31:04

Browsing of KSUBI commences - 00:24:00

Black Down Chabod Vest (USD916) Black Massereau Jacket (USD1350)

Black No Daisy Shirt (USD170) - 00:25:14 Blue Bullet Jeans (USD280) - 00:25:20

Black Down Merak Vest (USD640)

Black Auxiliary Cargo Pants (USD235) - 00:25:29 ITEM ADDED

00:26:32

Black Down Jacot Vest (USD925)

Blue Chitch Jeans (USD235)

Black Sign of The Times Coach Jacket (USD215)

Off-white Corduroy Sport Trousers (USD365) - 00:32:17 ITEM ADDED

Browsing of MACKINTOSH commences Mackintosh Black Down Gillock Vest (USD785) 00:26:58

00:33:05

Black Parachute Shirt (USD2435)

Browsing of MSGM commences Black Denim Logo Square Jacket (USD375) Black Gabardine Trousers (USD310)

Browsing of MASTERMIND WORLD commences Khaki Drawstring Cargo Pants - 00:28:02

Black Down Billecart Gilet Vest (USD925) Red Down Billecart Gilet Vest (USD925)

Mackintosh Black Cullen Coat (USD1540) - 00:27:11 00:27:29

Browsing of MIHARAYASUHIRO commences

ITEM ADDED

Tan Gabardine Cargo Pants (USD335)

00:33:55

00:34:43

Browsing of NOAH NYC commences

00:39:15

Black Stripe Flower Long Sleeve T-Shirt (USD160)

Black Cotton Cargo Pants (USD275)

Green Paisley Lounge Pants (USD180)

Grey Pullover Hoodie (USD255)

Navy Depeche Mode Violator Hoodie (USD160)