Introduction
In this campaign book for the second part of the concept and direction module, I am discussing the meaning behind my campaign, my plans for the campaign outcome and an in-depth explanation about the ideas behind the campaign and what has influenced my decisions. I have explained my strengths and weaknesses which has impacted my overall campaign ideas and how I will present them, I have also looked into various case studies which have been the biggest reasons behind each aspect of my final major project such as H&M. Finally, I have given a very in depth and detailed plan on what my campaign will look like, how I will achieve this, how I will promote the campaign locally and nationally as well as explaining how I will tackle and obstacles that may get in my way in this very unprecedented time.
Strengths and Weaknesses
In order for me to decide where my campaign was going, it was important for me to under pin my strengths and weaknesses as a communicator to help me understand what would suit my campaign the best. For me, it is clear that I am more of a written person. When given a task or a new module, the first step I will take is to research and get facts, information and back ground knowledge before anything else, rather than looking for images or making mood boards. Once I have then got all the information and completed the written aspects, as these areas are where I feel most comfortable in, I will then get images, make mood boards and start on the creative aspects of the tasks as I feel this is a lot easier once I know more about the topic. This does not mean I do not enjoy the creative side of the tasks as I am a creative person, it just means having a background knowledge and knowing about a task first allows me to then imagine the outcome of the creative side. This understanding of myself has drawn me to the conclusion of what I want to do for my campaign and has made this easier for me.
Market Level
The market level my brand and campaign are aimed at is the fast fashion market, I came to this decision from my previous research from the first part of the module when I was first understanding my brand. For me, fast fashion is the market level that reflects me as a person and me as a brand the most. When I first started my research, I was almost certain that I was looking at online fashion retailers such as pretty little thing and missguided, however, after researching further I have now come to the decision that high street brands are what suit my campaign idea the best, as high street brand H&M is what has heavily influenced my outcome and my overall message. Although at first it was a challenge trying to mix sustainability and the fast fashion market together, I now find that this was the best option for my campaign as the target audience is generation Z, who do not have the biggest disposable income to be spending money on luxury brands but do want to make a change, more importantly who have the opportunity to make a change and help make the fast fashion market less damaging to the environment.
Brand and Campaign Meaning My brand name that was developed from my research from the first part of the concept and direction module is MollyP, this came from my brand me research as this was all about me and calling a brand reflecting me, my own name felt necessary. After deciding on this I was then researching and discovering my personal message to then make my campaign, this is called ‘We are the future’. This has come from the idea that I wanted to think of a way to make the high street more appealing to generation Z whilst also making it a more sustainable market. Generation Z has the opportunity to act on the idea of sustainability and change the future of our planet by buying into brands that are more sustainable. My idea is to not make a whole new concept on sustainability, but to enhance the current sustainability messages within fast fashion brands such as H&M and ASOS and take these to the masses and expand on these messages more. For my campaign I am looking into whether this message is strong enough and if it is targeting enough consumers and how we can make it target enough consumers. My main influence for my campaign is H&M so I have looked into how H&M have tried to trickle down the luxury marketing model of sustainability to help create a sustainable product.
WE ARE THE FUTURE
I have looked into a number of case study’s such as H&M, ASOS and sustainability in the luxury market which has influenced me on factors like the meaning behind my campaign, how I will present my campaign and how my campaign will be reflected onto the consumer.
Case study 1 - H&M H&M has had a huge influence on my campaign and the meaning behind it, their start to become 100% sustainable whilst still keeping the prices low for consumers and being a fast fashion brand has influenced my outcome as I want to develop their ideas further to allow other fast fashion brands to become more sustainable. As part of its bid to become more eco-friendly, H&M has set a target of achieving 100 per cent recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030, along with the goal of becoming climate positive by 2040. For Helmersson, the CEO of H&M, it is the ultimate goal of moving to a 100 per cent circular model, in which all products can be reused or fully decomposed, although there is still a long way to go before that can be achieved (Chan, 2020). “How do you make sure that fibres can be used over and over again?” asks the CEO, who previously held the role of chief sustainability officer at the H&M group. “That’s the biggest need: to find better ways to scale up the recycling of fibres going forward. (Chan, 2020)”
Some strides are already being made in that direction. In February 2020, H&M became the first retailer to sell a dress made from Circulose which is a fabric that is 100 per cent recycled cotton and sustainably sourced pulp. In October 2020, the retailer also launched a new in-store recycling system called Looop, which allows customers to bring in their old garments and see them transformed into something new, they see this for themselves which gets the consumer more involved in the brand and being sustainable (Chan, 2020). I t is H&M’s sheer size, however, that is a huge concern for environmental campaigners, who say the retailer’s business model is fundamentally unsustainable as it requires producing and selling hundreds of millions of garments a year. The CEO argues that the company’s move to circular will mean it can “decouple growth and production of garments from the use of natural resources,” adding that the group is addressing overproduction (Chan, 2020). H&M’s Conscious collection is currently made from at least 50 per cent sustainably sourced
materials, such as organic cotton and recycled polyester, apart from in the case of recycled cotton, which currently only makes up 20 per cent of a product due to quality restraints (although new technologies such as Circulose will aim to change that) (Chan, 2020). However, the brand does not currently give any specific details on the sustainable materials that each product contains, meaning customers are not able to assess the eco-credentials of the item they are buying (Chan, 2020). In spite of this, Helmersson says H&M is leading the way when it comes to transparency. Earlier this year, the company topped Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index, which ranks 250 of the biggest global fashion brands and retailers according to how much they disclose about their social and environmental policies. “We’re taking a lot of steps when it comes to transparency, which I think is a fantastic way to engage with our customers,” she says (Chan, 2020).
Case Study 2 - ASOS
ASOS has also started to follow in H&Ms footsteps and begin to make a positive change for their brand to make it more sustainable so I have decided to research into what the brand has decided to do to become more sustainable as this will help influencing my 360 campaign. They are the latest retailer to get on board with thinking more about sustainability in the fashion world, launching a curated edit online full of “environmentally conscious clothing, accessories and living items”. Showing us that you don’t have to compromise on style to be eco-friendly, the brand’s new Responsible Edit is a one-stop shop for items that are both sustainably made and on-trend. With pieces made from recycled goods, sustainable fibres and fabrics created using less water and producing less waste, the edit has thousands of items to choose from (Mcginley, 2019).
In 2010, ASOS introduced a collection called the ‘Responsible Edit’—a selection of clothing, accessories, and beauty products marketed for a lower environmental impact. ASOS private label clothing comprises about a quarter of this collection with pieces made in conjunction with fair labour partners in Kenya, and some lower impact fabrics like Tencel (Cariki, 2020). However, acknowledging that single use plastic and waste is a serious problem, ASOS have reduced the thickness of their mailing bags, saving approximately 583 tonnes of plastic per year. By also recycling customer return mailing bags, new bags are made with 10% post-consumer waste content, decreasing virgin plastic usage by approximately 160 tonnes annually (Cariki, 2020). ASOS has a number of sustainable brands now selling on their platform, champion reused and vintage clothing on ASOS Marketplace, and have released their own ‘Eco Edit’ collection. Their Eco Edit products must contain a minimum of 50% recycled or sustainable fibres, except for recycled cotton where a minimum of 20% is required. Suppliers must also provide relevant validations or certifications to confirm compliance with their responsible edit criteria (Cariki, 2020). This responsible range has exploded in size over recent years, previously offering a fairly limited selection but now providing a full range of both men and women’s clothing. ASOS have even added a responsible filter to their search platform, providing the consumer with the option to always shop sustainably (Cariki, 2020).
Over the course of just 1 year between 2017 and 2018, ASOS had reduced their carbon footprint by 10%, yet there is still a lot more to be done before they can claim to be a truly sustainable business. However, although carbon emissions have reduced by 14.6% per metric tonne of clothing sold, it is still high, and their overall CO2 output has actually increased due to growth in sales between 2012 and 2018 (Cariki, 2020). It is clear from my research on ASOS that they have made a start on becoming more sustainable but are not close to where H&M currently are, and they are still facing some issues with becoming more sustainable.
Case Study 3 - Sustainability in Luxury Fashion To help understand how the fast fashion market can become more sustainable, I have researched into the luxury fashion market and examples of how brands are already sustainable which is what has trickled down to the fast fashion market in brands such as ASOS.
Luxury brands have an advantage over fast-fashion companies when it comes down to being more sustainable - their products are purchased for longevity, rather than being temporary and disposable like their inexpensive counterparts (Davis, 2020). Online luxury fashion destinations, Net-a-Porter, Matches Fashion, Selfridges and Browns, have all chosen to make sustainability more visible on their respective websites, proving that there’s an obvious demand for it. Customers want transparency when it comes to what they’re buying and retailers are catering to this shift in numerous ways (Davis, 2020). In 2019, 32 companies both fast-fashion and luxury fashion brands - signed the fashion pact, including household names such as Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Prada, as well as the H&M Group and Zara. The pledge promised to combat greenhouse gasses and emphasise sustainability in the industry. It represented a key step in how the fashion industry plans to help play its part in saving the planet. Without this action, the industry could account for a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050 (Davis, 2020).
A few examples of luxury fashion brands that are sustainable are: Stella McCartney has been reshaping fashion since launching her first collection in the early nineties. Known for creating modern garments that exude natural confidence, the luxury designer from the UK is a pioneer of alternative materials and cutting-edge technologies (NA, 2020). There is no compromise when it comes to sustainability, and pushing boundaries is always at the forefront of the brand’s mission. In 2014, Stella McCartney introduced Clevercare, a simple, five-step labeling system to help consumers care for and prolong the life of their clothing through mindful garment care. “We consider our environmental footprint at every point of our design process,� shares the brand. Continuing to set the bar high for social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry, Stella McCartney regularly conducts audits and measures impact (NA, 2020).
Rag & Bone is also a luxury label as passionate about redefining urban style as it is about sustainability and local production. Working with manufacturers committed to detail and excellent craftsmanship, the brand is loved for its blend of edgy New York aesthetic and humble British streetwear. Despite having an extensive men and women’s collection, the brand initially launched as a denim label; Rag & Bone’s beginnings are rooted in a love for American casual wear, or jeans and a T-shirt to be exact (NA, 2020). In 2017, Rag & Bone partnered with Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green to launch a denim recycling program that encourages customers to bring in their old jeans back to a brickand-mortar store. After the jeans are donated, the denim is then recycled and transformed into insulation for homes (NA, 2020).
Eileen Fisher is also passionate about disrupting the linear production model utilised by most luxury fashion brands. The eponymous Illinois-bred designer paints in circular brushstrokes, recycling and giving new life to old textiles and discarded garments. Which results in luxurious and sustainable womenswear with a particular focus on inclusive and petite sizing. Loved for her use of recycled fabrics, organic fibers, and natural dyes in production, Eileen Fisher has also created a signature fabric: Silk Georgette Crepe. A refined and relaxed textile, it is dyed without hazardous chemicals in the world’s only dyehouse to produce bluesign certified silks (NA, 2020).
My Campaign The Shoot
For my campaign and my final major project, I am going to start with digital styling in the form of croquis and mood boards as this is an effective way to get an idea of what my shoot will look like and will allow others to see how I develop these ideas into something further. I will then go on to doing a photo shoot which will bring all of my ideas to life and highlight the idea of my campaign.
My shoot will be inspired by H&Ms previous shoots which are set outside in a very rural setting, this outside setting will give my shoot an environmental feel which then reflects onto the main idea of sustainability. As discussed in the first part of this module, I discovered that the colour that represents me and my brand the best is pink, I still want to incorporate this colour into my final major project and so although the setting will be very neutral colours, I will still include light, dusky pinks into what the model will be wearing so that the meaning of my brand is still included without compromising the idea of sustainability and the ideas behind my ‘We are the future’ campaign. Including this colour will also attract the targeted consumer, generation Z too, as this colour is already heavily used in popular fast fashion brands.
My plan for this shoot is to do it in an open space and with a model, however, with times being very uncertain at the moment and with us going in and out of lockdown it is not definite that the shoot will 100% go ahead. I am going to follow all of the necessary guidelines given to us by the government in the hopes that I will be able to go through with my plans to do a physical shoot. However, if this is compromised and I am unable to do a physical photo shoot for my final major project, I have a plan B to do a digital 3D shoot. I will use apps such as Clo3D and Elements to build digital avatars and create a virtual campaign. After thinking about this, I concluded that if this was to have to happen this would not be too detrimental as the idea of everything being digital makes the campaign more sustainable in itself as there will be no waste of clothing etc, this will then reflect on my campaigns message.
Promotion
I am going to promote my campaign by publishing it onto my website and onto my branded Instagram page. After researching I concluded that publishing my campaign onto these platforms is what will suit the fast fashion market the best as well as generation z who are my target consumer. Generation z spend a lot of their lives on social media and so promoting my campaign on Instagram will allow more of that generation to be able to interact with it. I will then promote my website on my Instagram so that the consumers will have easy access to the website where they will be able to read about my campaign and brand in order to have a wider understanding. By promoting on these platforms could give me a national and global audience and broadcast my work and campaign a lot further than just on a local basis. To then promote my campaign and work more locally I will then present my digital styling images and shoot images in a professional standard book as well as having large, printed versions of the images which will be beautifully presented for the exhibition launch night.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my 360 campaign has been a further development of my brand that I have made within this module. I have thoroughly researched my influences and ideas which has then led me onto my final campaign idea and actually bringing my brand and campaign to life. My ideas for my final major project campaign have been heavily influenced by fast fashion brand H&M, the main idea behind my campaign idea is to not make a whole new concept on sustainability, but to enhance the current sustainability messages within fast fashion brands such as H&M and take these to the masses and expand on these messages more. I need to ensure that my campaign does reflect this and highlights this well so that the meaning behind my campaign is not lost behind the images.
Bibliography
Cariki. (2020, March 1). Is asos ethical and sustainable? Retrieved from Cariki: https://cariki.co.uk/blogs/the-green-road/is-asos-ethical-and-sustainable Chan, E. (2020, October 14). H&M’s New CEO Wants To Fix Fast Fashion. Is That Possible? Retrieved from Vogue: https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/article/helena-helmersson-interview Davis, J. (2020, January 2). How are luxury retailers taking on sustainability? Retrieved from Harpers Bazaar: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a29386990/luxury-retailers-sustainability/ Mcginley, C. (2019, June 26). ASOS launches ‘responsible edit’ to make shopping sustainably a whole lot easier. Retrieved from Good house keeping: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/fashion-beauty/a28204545/ asos-launches-responsible-edit-sustainable-shopping/
NA. (2020, December). 5 Sustainable Luxury Designers For Eco-Friendly Fashion. Retrieved from The good trade: https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/luxury-eco-friendly-designers
Images Image 1 – https://www.eileenfisher.com/horizon2030 Image 2 – https://inhabitat.com/hm-releases-sustainable-fashion-line-made-from-fruit-and-algae/ hm-conscious-exclusive-lead/ Image 3 – https://www.prettylittlething.ie/the-edit/festival Image 4 – https://www.forbes.com/sites/johncumbers/2020/07/29/despite-coronavirus-new-surveyshows-56-of-americans-are-thinking-about-sustainability-more-than-ever/?sh=674321074076 Image 5 – https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/the-philippine-star/20180413/282634623199109 Image 6 – https://www.ecotextile.com/2019061724415/fashion-retail-news/h-m-called-out-on-illegal-sustainability-marketing.html Image 7 – https://cariki.co.uk/blogs/the-green-road/is-asos-ethical-and-sustainable Image 8 – https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/asos-unveils-debut-circular-fashion-collection/2020092851096 Image 9 – https://wellmadeclothes.com/articles/StellaMcCartneyCampaignHighlightsWasteProblem/ Image 10 – https://www.rag-bone.com/denim-recycling.html Image 11 – https://robbreport.com/muse/fashion-jewelry/fashion-brand-eileen-fisher-waste-nomore-2842117/ Image 12 – https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/hm-conscious-collection-launches-from-harlem-to-harare-with-rosario-dawson-and-naomie-harris/ Image 13 – https://www.indulgexpress.com/fashion/designers/2019/apr/19/swedish-label-hms-conscious-exclusive-range-takes-ethical-fashion-to-a-whole-new-level-14210.html Image 14 – Screenshot from my branded website