The Consumer New Codes By Luke Owen
WIP
Contents Page
Contents Page...................................................................................................................................................................................2 The Intentions of this book..............................................................................................................................................................3 The Consumer and their digital narative........................................................................................................................................4-7 Talking about the Yohji Yamamoto consumer...............................................................................................................................8-11 Talking about the Palace Consumer............................................................................................................................................12-15 References......................................................................................................................................................................................16
2
The Intention of this book... Something that heavily influences how I will create and produce my final piece is the consumer, how they want to consume content and how they can understand a conceptual idea such as New Codes. Within this book I will be looking in to the pros and cons of the generation, breaking what communication channels to use and avoid and techniques within this that will be most effective. Within this consumer profile, I will also look into the multiple market levels and see how this could possibly change the approach we take in terms of marketing and communicating to generation alpha. As we go through the gears of technology, our day to day lives are changing, how we consume information, news, entertainment and fashion have all changed drastically. From moving to purely digital formats and slowly phasing out analogue techniques such as newspaper printing and DVD’s have even gone off in terms of when you look at streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. The second part of this book will look at two consumer profiles that I will be contextualising with New Codes, showing the practical application of New Codes at two different market levels. Yohji Yamamoto at a conceptual level and how I think we can market this to a younger audience, how can we move Yamamoto in to a digital space whilst keeping the integrity of the brand as well. The second consumer profile is looking at Palace Skateboards and how they consume Palace at the moment and potentially how they can consume in the metaverse as we, be it through social media or other means. This book will help direct where we move in terms of meta-marketing and what this will look like in terms of communicating and telling stories. By the end of this book, we will have a greater understanding of our consumers at a generational and sub-cultural level, and how this changes our approach to marketing within the metaverse. 3
The Consumer and their Digital Narrative
The generation I am creating this identity for is Generation Alpha, showing a new possibility for digital fashion and digital creation. My previous research into Gen Alpha has shown a lot of facts leading to a technologically advanced and driven generation, as a research by McCrindle research says “From shorter attention spans to the gamification of education, from increased digital literacy to impaired social formation, these times impact us all but transform those in their formative years.” (McCrindle, 2021) Technology is something that is always changing and evolving and something that fashion needs to keep up with, especially with the NFT space in terms of sellable art and graphic content. My consumer is someone who values new technologies and new ways of consuming content digitally, I know this because of the way video games and online content has changed in recent years. For example, Fortnite changed the way we consume content through their ‘Pass’ system. This system is basically like levelling up and unlocking new content as you level, but they put this levelling system behind a pay wall, so you pay a certain amount at the beginning of a season and you can unlock as much content as you’re willing to play. “A key takeaway is that digital consumption in games is at once both easy to ‘see’ but also highly abstracted, making it very difficult to pull apart what people are actually consuming when they engage with the monetization layer of contemporary digital games.” (Joseph, 2021) This quote was taken from an article talking about the pros and cons of this system and how it can be seen as a negative step in the video game space as it takes away some clarity as to what you’re paying for and adds the element to having to play further for the content you’ve actually bought. 5
Practically, this could look like a Discord server in which people gain access to this behind a subscription or purchase of a ‘battle pass’ esque code. Then once in this server, you have access to a catalogue or wardrobe of New Codes clothing that cannot be found anywhere else, making it an exclusive experience. So instead of investing in a brand or within a company, you invest within a tribe if you like, a group of likeminded people who also follow a similar uniform, but this can range from augmented reality filters, to virtual reality filters and even NFT’s that can have monetary value outside of the appearance of the item. I believe this appeals to Gen Alpha’s technological mindset and the visual/ interactive format they need. I think this also appeals to the idea of being more diverse, as this can lead to a worldwide community, that has no restrictions in terms of gender, age and race. These are key characteristics of Gen Alpha’s according to a study from Iberdrola (Iberdrola, 2021). Some of the problems that Alpha will have are supposedly things like a reduced attention span and “less development of creativity and imagination. Without questioning the skills that the Alpha generation will acquire thanks to new technologies, it should be stressed that as the use of physical toys is reduced, the development of imagination and creativity will suffer.” (Iberdrola, 2021), this means that new ways to stimulate will need to be found and I think augmented reality and looking at blending these physical and digital worlds will do this. They can imagine the world, through a digital lens.
6
This has come hand in hand with a digital landscape in terms of how monetisation has and will be subject to change for the younger generations, this acceptance of paying for a service that you may not fully use or take advantage of is something that is a lot more prevalent with Gen Z and Alpha. The amount of subscriptions to streaming services that younger people have and other subscriptions such as YouTube, Twitch and potentially Instagram, but this is still in its framework. Through research I found this as the reasoning for this monetary change on Instagram “Like Facebook’s service, Meta, the parent company of the two social media platforms, has said it will not collect any fees from creators using the service until 2023 at the earliest. The move is part of Instagram’s belief that creators need to have more control over their business as it looks to continue building the tools to allow them to do so, both online and offline.” (Douglas, 2022). This suggests a move to eventually monetizing the platform as whole in years to come or moving to a new platform that does this altogether. These changes show how big brands and companies are predicting the new generations will consume and spend their income, through virtual and digital outlets, even more than we do now and I can see fashion brands jumping to monetise in these ways sooner rather than later so I think it’s important for the exclusivity and luxury values within New Codes to give people something that can work towards, or something they can build on, for now being something simple like exclusive graphics/ filters etc. Generation Alpha will continue to discover the world through technology, so what about a new virtual world through the same techniques and methods.
7
Talking about the Yohji consumer
Yamamoto has been a brand that has turned heads and created against the norm for decades now and has built up a strong almost cult like following, that appreciates and consumes its works and wears as a devotion to Yamamoto’s art. His style is easy to recognise and his ready to wear pieces are very unique, this was said about his fashion creations “Yamamoto’s signature aesthetic, which hinged on all-black, body-engulfing designs, put a new spin on tailoring and stood out among the cinched waists, shoulder pads and bold block colours that ruled the 1980s fashion scene.” (Bannerman, 2018). This notion gave Yohji an audience and a following from his beginning works. The way Yohji produces his collections in a conceptual and avant-garde way, with the pricing of luxury fashion also, this makes his consumer a more up-market and fashion knowledgeable person, investing in pieces that last the test of time and don’t tend to lend to trends or seasons as such. This creates a timeless aspect and I think this can be heavily supported by digital fashion, creating pieces that can be organic and have those Yohji like flowing and loose materials and textures.
9
But where does this fit in to a newer consumer? A digital consumer? Something that Yohji did in 2003, was start a long and eye-opening collaboration with Adidas and I quote “It’s the perfect blend of style and function, and, as one of the first cult sportswear lines on the market, it elevated streetwear style while contributing to the rise in sneaker popularity,” (Bannerman, 2018). This shows a certain angle that I think can be utilised, similarly to the likes of The North Face and Gucci or Nike and Off-White, the idea of something like ‘bridge marketing’, this is where a high end brand like Yohji Yamamoto, collaborates with Adidas and uses this to create a connection with the lower market level consumer, helping them cross said bridge in to the higher end of fashion. Travelling in to the new generation and in to digital fashion, we can look at creating content that keeps to Yohji’s style and aesthetic, for example, creating a flowing and long line Japanese piece, but in a digital space, it can turned in to something similar to a Fabricant piece, that is within an augmented reality filter, but is then posted on to a model on a runway or within a lookbook. I think something that many fashion houses do, that keep high value and shows a more thought out and high production approach is that of a fashion film, or a series of content that has high production value. Yohji isn’t one for social media and Tiktok, their social medias, in my opinion are very ‘there for the sake of having to have them’ which is okay, but I think there is a real space for Yohji to move in to the digital space. There are many, many videos on Tiktok looking and idolising Yohji himself as well as his fashion, looking at the content creators making these videos as well, a younger audience also exists for this, as vintage and reuse fashion is a massive trend at the moment, we can use this market to push for an upcycled or reinvigorated Yamamoto style.
10
Talking about the Palace consumer
Palace has been and is one of the biggest streetwear brands for the past decade, it’s more UK based and consumed but this doesn’t stop the likes of Dover Street Market taking it on and one of the main consumers is their Japanese following. Showing that this stand-offish and crude attitude does work and can travel through multiple cultures. Palace has the streetwear uniform on lock and is part of every streetwear fanatics wardrobe, anyone who’s anyone in the modern streetwear game has donned a Tri-ferg tee at least once in their life no? Just me? Fair enough… Palace’s consumer are part of this hypebeast market, that see’s the £££ behind an item and not necessarily the fashion value of it, which is similar to that of Supreme and the likes of Jordan sneakers. This market is very much dependent on collecting and building up a portfolio if you like, of sneakers and items that can be shown on Instagram or other socials, revolving around the idea of being part of culture for the visual satisfaction for others. An online article described Palace as “a brand that is in it for the long haul. While its core skate roots and unmistakably gritty video style will no doubt ensure it retains a strong following among skaters, past seasons have seen the brand grow much bigger. The interior for their London flagship store is ostentatious and over-the-top. It is a brick-and-mortar embodiment of the Italian designer gear that the UK’s garage scene was so fond of.” (Lange, 2020). This refers to a London centred sub-culture similar to terrace culture within football that started in the 80’s and 90’s. This culture of rebellion and anti-establishment could be linked to the late 70’s also, with the punk movement that arguably began streetwear in the UK, Palace has used this to create a brand that shows attitude and a sense of humour that would be described as distinctly British.
13
If we looked at who consumed Palace at a statistical level, we understand that it is worn by the younger generations in particular, with famous hip hop musicians and influencers of the younger generations wearing Palace, “it’s spotted on the backs of hoodies worn by suburban teenagers, on shirts worn by Jay Z, on boys staring at the big screen in pubs, on the dancefloor of gay clubs and, in 2014, on England shirts produced by Umbro.” (Cochrane, 2016). This shows us that Palace is spread within youth culture. Palace is a part of a code within streetwear itself, having a very ‘if you know, you know’ feel, this means that Palace carries weight within the scene meaning that if you wear it, there’s a high chance you know exactly what you’re doing when it comes to streetwear and fashion in general. Supreme had this status many years ago, but the brand then became very mainstream and most of the statement pieces we see from Supreme are well, just not that cool anymore. Palace haven’t reached this mass market yet and haven’t dropped quality or exclusivity in recent years, collaborations with the likes of Reebok and Stella Artois show an in touch and remembrance to where they came from and the culture that helped launch the brand. Palace consumers are the young and outspoken within the streetwear scene, usually donning Palace with Stone Island, CP Company, Reebok and other classics within UK sub-culture, a new code that has evolved and changed from Adidas Gazelle’s to Stan Smith’s and a Tri-Ferg. With an interest in streetwear, modern and vintage, there is no denying that Palace is part of the complicated and intricate streetwear uniform of today. When it comes to marketing Palace in the metaverse, the approach I want to take in within NFT’s and the collection aspect potentially, lending in to the collectable aspect of todays streetwear culture, looking at how people invest a lot money in to hobbies and ‘side hustles’ nowadays. This could be visualised as Tri-Ferg art, or a collection of digital clothing in virtual or augmented reality.
14
References
Bannerman, S. L. (2018, October 23). Yohji Yamamoto, the Japanese Designer Who Redefined Avant-Garde FashionRetrieved from The Culture Trip: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/yohji-yamamoto-the-japanese-designer-who-redefined-avant-garde-fashion/ Cochrane, L. (2016, May 3). How cult label Palace went from UK skate kids to hip-hop royalty. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/ fashion/2016/may/03/cult-label-palace-uk-skate-kids-hip-hop-royalty-brand-rihanna-jay-z-teens-dads-leve-tanju Lange, N. (2020, October 7). WHY PALACE SKATEBOARDS IS MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER HYPE BRAND. Retrieved from Nicki Lange: https://www.nickilange.com/journal/2020/10/7/why-palace-skateboards-ismore-than-just-another-hype-brand Iberdrola. (2021). Generation Alpha will lead a 100% digital world. Iberdrola. Joseph, D. (2021, March 21). Battle pass capitalism . Retrieved from Sage Journals: https://journals.sagepub.com/ doi/full/10.1177/1469540521993930 McCrindle. (2021). Understanding Generation Alpha . Norwest: McCrindle Research.
16
