Collaboration Consumer

For this collaboration for the menswear market, the consumer that will be targeted will be Millennials as this is the main consumer for both brands. Millennials are the group of people born from 1981 to 1996 (24-40 year olds). Millennials grew up in a changing technological age and so expect new technology to be available and exciting from brands. Moreover, they have witnessed economic hardships and so are savvy when it comes to getting the best deal. Furthermore, they will also shop around for a brand that responds to their values of sustainability, easy access, and good customer service. Millennials want to wear statement pieces and are known for wearing logos, however, more recently there has been as shift in this and instead they want to buy into the brand because of the company’s values instead of what the clothing looks like. In this way consumer loyalty is built due to the values brands represent. Millennials are also known to be a very socially active generation be it online or in person. The growth of social media platforms has greatly enhanced how millennials as consumers interact with brands, good communication with brands over the internet is crucial for this group. Virgil Abloh has expressed that he feels that there isn’t much in the way of fashion for millennials and believes they are an important generation for change therefore his brand targets this group. Moreover, H&M target them as they provide good quality, on trend garments at low prices matching the values of their consumer. Therefore, this collaboration will target the male millennial by being sustainable, transparent, and affordable. Despite the main target consumer being Millennials, the collaboration will also be open to Gen Z consumers. Gen Z consumers are the group born between 1992-2012 (8-28 year olds) like millennials they are value driven when it comes to choosing brands to shop with. They are the most diverse generation and given this value sustainability, equality, race, gender as well as honesty from brands. Moreover, Gen Z are the most digital and social media orientated generation, 88% discover products that they are interested in buying through social media. (Ortiz, D. 2020) Therefore, the sustainability trait in this collaboration as well as the importance of social media may entice them to purchase.

This collaboration will sit in a mix of two market positions, the ‘Bridge Brand’ sector of the marketing pyramid and the ‘Diffusion’ sector. Bridge brands cater for the top end of the high street and bridge the gap between high street and luxury- they provide high quality items but without the price tag. Their prices usually range from £30-£500, this level entices consumers that buy into quality and a brand image at a price they can afford. On the other hand, the Diffusion level is where luxury brands water down their lines to create a secondary line for a younger consumer at a more affordable price. Therefore, my collaboration will be a mixture of this however, the ‘Diffusion’ level will take precedence as Off-White is the over-riding influence in this collaboration. As with previous H&M collaborations ‘democratising’ fashion from a luxury level will be key.

M A R K E T

L E V E L