3. Research
Introduction
Going “green” and shopping ethically is a becoming a growing trend worldwide.
In the UK this lifestyle is being embraced in more ways than just food, fashion and
energy. The 2013 Keynote market update has found that ethical consumers consider
things like finance, their home and even their vacations when trying to conserve and
preserve their environment (Hucker). Because the green and ethical lifestyle is such a
large and popular trend, fashion designers and clothing companies need to consider all
of these outlets while creating their brands. This report will breakdown the
demographics, and environmental preservation concerns of the green and ethical
consumer in relation to the creation of the Zeitgeist clothing collection and will include a
profile of the target customer.
Demographics
The Zeitgeist collection is being marketed to females aged 18 – 25. According to
the 2013 Keynote Green and Ethical Market Update a larger percentage of females are
concerned about ethically produced clothing and cosmetics as shown in the chart below.
The chart shows 30.2% of females would never buy clothing or footwear from a
company that exploits its employees. This means that a green and ethically produced
collection may sell considerably better to a female consumer than that of a male
consumer. Selling to the 18 – 25 age bracket may pose a problem for the collection as
this age range is not as involved in the green and ethical lifestyle as shown in the Mintel
chart below.
Hucker 2013 p. 12, Table 2.4
4. According to this chart out of a 2000 group sample size 17% of females aged 16-24 are
considered green consumers. Although these consumers make up a small portion of the
green and ethical trend Zeitgeist’s collection will be sold on the ASOS website which
caters to the age range of the collection. Mintel has also reported an increase in youth
sales by 2.1% in 2014 meaning that the youth market as a whole is shopping more,
whether it is ethically or otherwise. Many of the target customers will be in some form of
post secondary education (college or university) and most if not all will have some form
of income whether it is from a job or parental support.
Environmental Preservation
The Zeitgeist collection is made from ethically sourced materials and is produced
in low emission factories to help preserve the environment. Target customers will have
the same interest in environmental conservation and will most likely participate in some
or all forms of recycling. According to the Mintel Green Consumer report 74% of people
say they always recycle and 43.2 participate in composting (Duckett). Target customers
may also participate in clothing recycling which could mean shopping second hand and
at charity shops. Charity shops pose a double benefit for the ethical consumer as they
are not only buying a vintage or second hand item but they are also helping their
community and contributing to charities that may have some kind of meaning to them
(Cancer Research UK, PDSA).
Mintel Academic 2013 fig. 38
5. The ZeitgeistCustomer
The Zeitgeist target customer is female and between the ages of 18 and 25. She
strongly believes in the green and ethical lifestyle and supporting her community.
Although she may be young in the eyes of her family she is a strong willed and
passionate woman with a mind and style of her own. These attributes are shown through
her love of volunteer work such as working in animal shelters and participating in
community events. She also enjoys shopping at farmers markets and likes to purchase
foods that are produced locally. She believes that caring for her body is as important as
caring for the environment and shows this through regular exercise, and healthy eating
habits. She is an educated woman, which adds to her want to help whenever and
wherever it is needed.
She may try to find ways of lowering her carbon footprint by carpooling, taking
public transit or riding her bike. She enjoys a night on the town with her friends but is
also happy staying in and curling up with a book. A vacation for her doesn’t always mean
flying to another country; it can be something as simple as a road trip with friends or a
day at the beach. Music is a love for her whether it is an indie band or the latest top 40
hit and she sometimes takes a night to listen to a local band. Finally, the Zeitgeist
woman enjoys fashion from around the world. She may read magazines such as Vogue,
InStyle or Elle but also branches out to international magazines such as Nylon, Lou Lou
and Ruush.
7. Spring/Summer15 Prints
Assessing current trends, prints and colours helps designers and retailers
understand what would best sell and what trends should be recognized. Within the green
and ethical trend this can be even more important as the customers in this section can
be more judgemental on where the product is from, how it was made and how it may
affect the world around them. In the UK Monsoon, Peopletree and Marks & Spencer are
considered some of the best in green and ethical fashion. Using primary and secondary
research of their spring/summer 2015 prints a comparison can be made in relation
between the stores themselves and the creation of the Zeitgeist collection.
Marks & Spencer was started as a Penny Bazzar in 1884 and since then has
grown into a major competitor in the UK market. The introduction of Marks & Spencer’s
Plan A program has turned the heads of many in the green and ethical community. Their
stores sell a multitude of brands including Per Una, Autograph, Classic, Indigo and many
more (Marksandspencer.com). All of these brands have their own personality, features,
and prints. At first glance the brands carry a multitude of floral designs printed on
everything from shirts to dresses. These prints range in colours from bright yellows,
pinks and blues. The patterns are repeated on certain items of clothing while others look
like they have been gently painted on the clothing like a canvas (see Fig.1).
These floral prints have been blown up in a range of sizes and placed on some
garments for a much more dramatic look while the “painted” prints are placed in more of
a symmetrical way so as to stay as true to the scale of picture itself. Marks & Spencer’s
Limited Edition collection is catered to a younger age group and carries an assortment of
Marks and Spencer 2015 fig. 1
8. floral printed garments that have placed in a repeating pattern over the entire garment
uniformly (see Fig.2)
The Marks & Spencer collections also include some interesting abstract printed
garments. The colours range from a blend of soft colours mashed together with dark
tones and monochromatic patterns (see Fig.3)
Marks and Spencer 2015 fig. 2
Marks and Spencer 2015 fig. 3
9. There are also printed garments with paisley and animal print expressed in bright spring
and summer colours like yellow, blue, and orange.
Peopletree is a highly recognized ethical and fair-trade retailer in the UK with a
multitude of designers catering to all those who live the green and ethical lifestyle. The
Peopletree collections have a small collection of hand printed dresses and tunics in red
and blue. These garments have an equally sized repeating geometric pattern spread
evenly over the entire garment. The tunics are given a bit more embellishment with an
added geometric trim (see Fig.4)
Peopletree also includes a collection of abstract printed dresses, trousers, skirts and
shirts. A majority of these patterns follow the same red and blue theme with some
turquoise shades and splashes of yellow added along side. These abstract prints are
evenly distributed on the garments in in a small and medium size (see fig.5).
Peopletree 2015 fig. 4
10. There are also an array of floral and tropical printed garments sold in deep blues,
creams and turquoise. Peopletree has stayed true to their message of ethical and fair-
trade clothing by using primarily organic cotton, but also silk, fair-trade cotton and
elastane. Their garments range in price from £20.00 to £850.00 for a hand woven silk
gown.
Monsoon is the final retailer researched in the green and ethical trend. Monsoon
has a wide range of collections with catering to many different tastes. Their collection
Botanica features deep tropical prints and folk inspired patterns. Their tropical prints are
spread evenly across the garments in a medium repeating pattern while their folk
inspired prints are mixed in size from medium to large and tangled together creating a
mosaic pattern across the garments (see fig.6)
Peopletree 2015 fig. 5
11. Monsoon’s collection Jet Set takes prints that seem to be
inspired by popular summer travel spots. Large florals are printed on kimonos, camis
and dresses in reds, blues, and pinks (see fig. 7)
Monsoon includes a range of bright florals, abstract patterns and folk inspired prints in a
beautiful mix of summer yellows, deep blues, and many more. Their price points are
from £29.00 for a cami up to £399.00 for a hand embroidered maxi dress. Their
collections include fabrics such as polyester, silk, nylon, viscose, linen and cotton.
Monsoon 2015 fig. 6
Monsoon 2015 fig. 7
12. All three of these retailers have many things in common with their collections;
they have used inspiration from the world around them, they have blended colour and
pattern to create unique prints and they have used repeating patterns and scale to
change the feel and look of the garments they are selling.
Spring/Summer16 PrintAnalysis
The spring summer 2016 print trends are inspired by everything from the skin of
deep-sea animals to food. WGSN has broken their print forecast down into four main
groups for the season Deep Summer, Eco Active, Past Modern and Soft Pop
(wgsn.com). Soft Pop consists of bright eye catching prints, colourful printed slogans
and phrase and repeating patterns. Some of the NESCOL prints have these same
attributes using bright colours, slogans and abstract repeating patterns. The Eco Active
section of prints is inspired by tribal markings in earthy tones, geometric patterns and
folk-inspired artwork (wgsn.com). The prints have a repeating quality but aren’t nearly is
bright and in your face as that of the soft pop prints. A larger quantity of the NESCOL
prints have this quality, the colours used are more subtle and relaxed. Many of the prints
also only use one or two colours blended keeping the print as more of a simple design.
There are many prints that have the same geometric characteristics of those in the
WGSN they are printed with a complex geometric repeating pattern using no more then
two or three colours. Deep Summer’s print collection is a more psychedelic array of
prints taking inspiration from such things as deep-sea creatures and aquatic plants
(wgsn.com). Some of the prints have an over saturated filter look with neon colours and
swirling designs. The colours range from deep dark shades to soft pastels almost
contradicting themselves when put together. There are a few NESCOL prints that have
taken on this look, some with patterns that look like aquatic life and plants. Others have
gone in more of the psychedelic route with bright, saturated colours printed over a
complex geometric pattern.
There are many similarities between the print trends of 2016 and the NESCOL
prints done for the same season. Their colours, patterns, and use of worldly inspiration
draw them together to make beautiful works of art.
13. Zeitgeist: The Collection
The Zeitgeist collection consists of simple pieces made from fair-trade cotton.
The word zeitgeist means the defining mood of a particular period of history as shown by
the ideas and beliefs of the time (Oxforddictionaries.com). Green and ethical living has
definitely become a major topic of the times therefore zeitgeist seemed to best
encapsulate the collection as a whole. This collection is meant to appeal to the fashion
leaders of its target customer (18-25). These people have a strong sense of themselves
and what they want out of their clothing and won’t be influenced by others but rather they
will influence the flow of the brand. Green and ethical consumerism is not a new trend
but it is a trend that has not become extremely popular because of its higher price points
and sometimes-limited selection. The colour choices are influenced by the 2016 spring
summer trend forecast but they were also chosen because they can be worn for more
then a season. Zeitgeist’s idea is that fast fashion has made ethical and green shopping
more of a difficulty because the items of clothing don’t last therefore they are thrown out
and more purchases have to be made. The zeitgeist collection is made to be worn
multiply times and for many years meaning that for the ethical consumer they are
purchasing a sustainable item of clothing.
The simple garment shapes and colours were chosen because the collection is
meant to appeal to all those people who want ethical clothing they can wear in their own
way. The multiple colour choices mean the target customer can add their own
accessories and style the clothing the way they feel suits their personality. The addition
of the multi-colour, tie dyed print was added as a way to give the collection a bit of
character and give the target customer a bit more selection while shopping the
collection. The choice of adding denim into the collection was done because denim,
although sometimes controversial, is a staple in many peoples wardrobe. The denim
shorts and jeans are a relaxed fit and the jeans can be worn during the warm summer
days and the cooler seasons as well.
The collections price points range from £35.00 - £85.00 this is because of the
choice in material. Target customers won’t be shocked by these prices, as they want the
reassurance that the clothing they are wearing was not produced in a forced labour
setting and that the materials were ethically sourced. The collection ranges from sizes 6
to 16 which reflect the sizes sold on the ASOS site this was also done because as the
sizes becoming larger more money time and energy is needed to finish a garment. As
this collection is a small one it was decided that only a small portion of the target
14. customer would be reached and as popularity builds within the brand the possibility of a
wider size range may become possible.
15.
16. Zeitgeist Marketing Campaign
The zeitgeist marketing campaign will consist of a mix of social media as well as
advertising on the ASOS website. The collection’s message is all about ethically sourced
materials and production. The best placement for the collection will be on the ASOS
Green Room page as this page is about green and ethical products sold within the
ASOS website (ASOS.com). This will also guarantee that any green and ethical
consumers will be able to better access the collection from a more direct source rather
than having to search through the wide assortment of clothing sold on the ASOS
webpage.
Zeitgeist’s goal is to not only sell a collection of clothing but also inform any and
all who are interested about the materials and production procedures undertaken in the
creation of their garments. During the marketing campaign the ASOS Facebook page
will have posts containing the phrase “do you know where your cotton comes from?” with
a variety of pictures to spark thought in the minds of ethical customers and others. There
will also be a link to the Zeitgeist page giving consumers the possibility of research the
collection and learn about what has gone into the production of the garments. Instagram
is another social media platform that Zeitgeist will use in order to market the collection.
In this case a more laid back approach is taken by showing pictures of the collection with
light-hearted comments. Instagram will also be used to show the various combinations
that the collection can be mixed and matched into; this will be like a lookbook preview.
Zeitgeist choice in marketing on Facebook and Instagram is because of their popularity
and use by those in the target market. Because Zeitgeist is a green and ethical brand
marketing for the collection will follow the same ideals meaning no mailed advertising or
spam emails. Social media’s popularity gives the possibility of reaching multiple people
all at the same time.
When consumers enter the ASOS page they will be met with the same phrase as
on the Facebook page. While scrolling down the page, information about fair-trade and
organic cotton will be available to consumers. The inspiration of the page will shine
through from the moment that a customer clicks the link. Customers will also be able to
email any of the questions or comments they may have directly to the company to
tighten the customer relationship and build trust within the brand. Zeitgeist will follow the
promotional strategies ASOS has on their website but will also give addition discounts
on clothing during Earth Day. The week following Earth Day the Zeitgeist page will
17. include information about Earth Day and any other information pertaining to
environmental conservation.
Although the Zeitgeist campaign doesn’t include elaborate marketing and
advertising across multiple platforms the collection is meant to reach a younger
customer and the choice in social media as a marketing platform gives it the possibility
to be seen while still conserving the ethical trend.
18.
19. Referencing
ASOS,. The Green Room Logo. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
ASOS,. The Green Room Page. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Duckett, Jack. The Green Consumer. 1st ed. Mintel Group Ltd, 2014. Web. 29 Apr.
2015.
Fairtrade Foundation,. Fairtrade Logo. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Fairtrade.org.uk,. 'Fairtrade Foundation Calls For Change One Year After Rana Plaza'.
N.p., 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Hucker, Robert. Market Update 2013. Keynote, 2013. Print. Green And Ethical
Consumer.
Marks & Spencer,. M&S Collection Mix & Match Printed Kimono Top. 2015. Web. 30
Apr. 2015.
Marks & Spencer,. Per Una Specialize Abstract Print Bodycon Dress. 2015. Web. 30
Apr. 2015.
Marks and Spencer,. Classic Pure Cotton Floral A-Line Skirt. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Marks and Spencer,. Limited Edition Floral Printed Wide Leg Trousers. 2015. Web. 29
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Marks and Spencer,. Limited Edition Smockdress. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Marks and Spencer,. Per Una Floral Skirt. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
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2015.
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