anna.yhshihI talked with a friend to discuss how fashion marketing differs from commodities because I saw a marketing plan to make the material to its unique selling point( USP). The project didn’t mention any personality or atmosphere of the product. Even though I always check material before I purchase because I am an apparel professional and always feel itchy to wool. However, I still have a jumper with 5% wool inside because I liked the colour of it and the look I wore. Therefore, I wonder which kind of marketing plan puts material priority, considering people usually get attention and purchase the outlook of the clothing most of the time?
A sustainable brand to adopt eco-friendly materials.
It is practical to put material as the brand’s USP. For example, I mentioned in a case study about a sustainable footwear brand Allbirds. It is famous for its wool trainers initially, and the sustainable material is one of its selling points. Because not too many footwear brands use wool as a material in trainers, Allbirds successfully builds a link between natural material and its brand’s image. It also puts a lot of pictures of sheep and the procedure of getting wool from them with cute drawings to attract the attention of people who like the feeling of barefoot on a wool rug.
[Link: The case study about Allbirds in Mandarin.]
Functional items to target specific needs.
In another situation, you can put material as the highlight of your product when the product provides more functions than outlook. For example, you use the lightest fabric but offer a water repellent function for a hiking jacket. It will attract people who are searching for a light and practical coat. At this point, the item’s style may be unnecessary, but consumers would like to know if they can wear it without using an umbrella.
Innovative material to impact the whole industry.
An innovative material can attract much attention to lead the industry development direction. Such as recycled polyester from recycled bottles, which first debuted using athletes’ uniforms in Bazil Rio Olympic 2016.
Or now a vegan leather which initially comes from mushrooms. It might make people who care about the environment feel better about buying a “leather” product. For example, Stella McCartney uses mushroom leather to achieve her vegan garment design. These highlights make it attractive to not just customers but also the media.
[Link: The world’s first MyloTM garments created from vegan mushroom leather.]
However, fashion marketing is more than talking about functions. Even sustainable brands or innovative yarns are still selling their expectation of the future. They are selling a dream and hope to attract people who have the same desire to change the world. Most consumers are looking for an item to meet their identification.
I once went to a MANGO shop in Prague. The shop was hidden in historical buildings, making me feel romantic and calm. Even the clothing was the same as I saw at the shop on Oxford Street in London; I felt delicate of the pieces, and it even looked prettier when I tried it on with the background of beautiful paintings hanging on a mottled wall. I finally bought a long coat. I checked the material, which was composed of almost polyester, but I felt so great to go outside to scroll in the atmosphere of middle age buildings and streets. Well, I wish it could be better to use recycled polyester.
