To the terror of millennials everywhere, Gen Z has officially canceled the skinny jean. Denim’s wider silhouette is only eclipsed by the flamboyant nature of today’s styles. The post-pandemic consumer mindset is defined by post-traumatic growth, or “the positive psychological change that is experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances." Experiencing Fashion PTSD Post-traumatic growth can result from circumstances such as war, climate change, loss, or a global pandemic. A single incident can change the …
Walmart and Amazon Vie for Fashion Crown
What a difference a year makes. Amazon recently eclipsed Walmart as the retailer with the highest apparel sales, and its growth doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. According to Wells Fargo, Amazon’s apparel and footwear sales in the U.S. grew by 15 percent in last year. This means that Amazon’s apparel sales are now 20 percent to 25 percent above Walmart’s. The luxury segment is a particular bright spot for Amazon. Not in the sales made by the luxury brands, but in Amazon using the luxury segment to create a better brand …
Why Legacy Retailers Are Moving to TikTok and Other Video Tools
Email marketing is dead. A full inbox causes stress and anxiety, and it doesn’t facilitate purchasing. This is especially true among next-gens, who prefer almost any other communication tool to inbox-centric dialogue. A 2020 study from consulting firm Creative Strategies found that there’s a generational gap in the platforms that respondents use for work. Those 30 and older use email among their top collaboration tools, while the under 30 crowd uses Google Docs most often for collaboration, closely followed by Zoom and iMessage. Legacy …
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Is the “Self-Love” Industrial Complex Here to Stay?
The term “self-love” has been applied to everything from showing more skin to using a meal planning journal. But marketing is no longer centered around making consumers feel bad about themselves, and I think we can all agree that is a beautiful thing. “Self-love” and “self-care” have joined spiritually themed merchandise as the newest marketing musts. The growth of these categories was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, during which over 1/3 of consumers increased their self-care. To date, a whopping 9 in 10 Americans practice some form of …
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Nike/Louis Vuitton Marry Luxury and Streetwear. Will Consumers Support the Wedding?
Luxury and streetwear are not a new combination. But with Dior, Louis Vuitton, Vetements, and more jumping aboard the streetwear bandwagon, it is undeniably the luxury sector’s new darling. Louis Vuitton is a trailblazer in the luxury streetwear market, ringing in one of the most successful collaborations to date by partnering with Supreme for a unique product line that was sold at Louis Vuitton stores. The Louis Vuitton and Supreme collaboration was successful for a few reasons. Supreme is the first billion-dollar streetwear brand in …
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Is J.Crew Adapting, Or Abandoning its Signature Style?
J.Crew was one of the most beloved brands of the early aughts. But the preppy retailer fell hard and fast, filing for bankruptcy during the height of the coronavirus crisis last year. Many have been pontificating that the money moves J.Crew made led to the company’s $1.3 billion dollar debt. But in this case, it isn’t all about the Benjamins. The company failed to continue attracting customers during the recession. J.Crew’s 2020 bankruptcy comes down to the fact that the brand’s offerings didn’t reflect the cultural zeitgeist of the of the …
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The Mom Whisperer: Evereve’s Secret Sauce
How many retailers do you know that were founded and inspired by a woman who found herself crying alone with a baby stroller in a dressing room? Evereve’s husband and wife cofounders, Megan and Mike Tamte, pride themselves on being “the biggest women’s apparel retailer that you’ve never heard of.” My first reaction upon visiting the website was, it’s an off-price world right now. So how does Evereve justify charging full price on brands like Free People, Michael Stars, and Revolve? Style and Substance When I hopped on a Zoom call with …
The Retail Workforce of the Future
Millennials and Gen Z make up around half of the global workforce. Many are frontline retail workers whose jobs were impacted during the pandemic. Whether they were laid off, suffered reduced hours, or had to switch from a nonessential retail job (such as cosmetics sales) to an essential one (such as stocking shelves at an Amazon warehouse), there is nary a next-gen whose career trajectory wasn’t deeply impacted by the last year of lockdowns. Job Insecurity Slows Frontline Employee Loyalty The pandemic showed frontline retail workers the …