RGU: DESIGN FOR CLIENT

komorebi

design for client Tereza Prochรกzkovรก

1715128@rgu.ac.uk Hand-in date: 25th April 2018 1

CONTENTS

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TARGET GROUP ethical consumer

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demographics 5 persona 7 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

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spring/summer 18 trends

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arket 10 the people tree

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reformation 14 research conclusion

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TRENDS 18 wgsn ss19 prints

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love revolution

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artful authenticity

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THE LINE

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komorebi collection

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design progress

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MARKETING 30 marketing plan of the collection

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the launch of the collection

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social media platforms

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instagram 35 REFERENCES 36

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TARGET GROUP

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ethical consumer

The primary target group for the new ethical collection SS19 from ASOS are consumers between the ages of 25 to 35 who have an environmentally conscious mind-set and their ethical values are mirrored in their shopping attitudes. Their mind-set is driven by environmental shifts and pressures, population change as well as brands who are pushing organic and environmentally-friendly produce to the market.

According to Euromonitor International report on UK consumer groups, this consumer group could be called the “Empowered Activist” and people who belong to this spectrum believe that their actions greatly impact the environment. They are highly influenced by green labels and environmental claims, yet there is a growing scepticism among this segment towards green and ethical marketing tactics, therefore it is important for the brands to have an authentic marketing and a lot of background information behind these green products. (Euromonitor International 2017) This customer segment is willing to spend more money on ethical labels and organic products but they find it difficult to find ethically made apparel, given that the fashion industry has a bad reputation for outsourcing in third world countries, poor working conditions in garment factories, unethical treatment of the garment workers and an alarming rate of pollution this industry creates. Many fast fashion brands have tried to attract this customer segment by creating collections which are made from recycled materials, come from sustainable sources or use organic cotton. These initiatives spark up discussions among the green consumers whether these collections are in fact sustainable when the companies still run on the fast fashion model. The green consumer seeks for brands which are transparent regarding their production, offers traceable list of suppliers, ethical supply chain and uses materials which are safe for the environment.

Quality also plays a big role when it comes to purchasing decisions and the ethical consumers consider it as the most important factor, followed by price, availability and sustainability of the products. (Euromonitor International 2017). The consumer group usually purchases garments as an “investment” rather than as a spontaneous purchase, spends time researching the products before making the purchase and wears the garments for a longer period of time than the average fast fashion consumer who switches the styles of their closet based on the latest trends.

Purchasing garments in second-hand shops, charity shops, through online marketplaces like Depop and embracing the circular fashion model is highly popular among the consumer group. It is a cheaper alternative to buying from very expensive sustainable brands without supporting brands that make garments in unethical ways since the profits go to charities and the people who are reselling their old garments.

Other alternative of the clothing consumption for the green consumer is through circular economy when some companies offer garments for rent for a certain period of time.

demographics

The green consumer segment mostly consists of females (63%) in the UK and creates 10% of the UK consumers. (Euromonitor International 2017) As for the target group itself who are consumers between the ages of 25 and 35, they usually live in the urban locations of the UK, particularly London. The fact that they live in urban areas highly influences their lifestyles and makes it more accessible for them to follow the latest trends. On the Rogers Model (Rogers 1962), this target group could be positioned as early adopters or early majority when it comes to embracing the green consumer trend. That means that they embrace the trends in an earlier stage than the late majority and laggards. They are among the small percentage of consumers who already pay attention to ethical aspects of the products they purchase. The green trend will slowly emerge to other parts of the market as well but the progress is expected to be slow.

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They are part of the consumer segment of Acorn called “Younger Professionals in Smaller Flats� which mainly consists of this age group. According to Acorn, majority of these young professionals have a degree which also plays a role when it comes to green consumerism because people with higher educational levels show more interest in ethical products and services. Most work in white collar professional and managerial occupations and have high incomes which means that they have more money to spend on ethical produce than consumers who have an average income. (Acorn 2017)

x Figure 1: Diffusion of Innovations, Rogers, 1962

persona

Samantha is 28 years old and lives in London where she moved during her studies at UCL. After she graduated from university, she started working full time as a marketing manager for a small cosmetics company which uses natural and organic ingredients. After moving to London she embraced a more holistic way of living to relieve the stress of living in a big city; she began going to yoga classes, started being more conscious about the impact of her actions on the environment and became a vegan. Samantha lives in her own small apartment close to the centre of London.

She prefers buying organic produce and frequently goes to farmer’s markets because she wants to support the local economy and smaller businesses. Her fashion sense is quite minimal and timeless but she also enjoys finding her clothing in vintage and charity shops. During the spring and summer she tries to avoid using the public transport or cabs and uses her bicycle to get around the city. In her free time she continues to do yoga and started a course to have the qualification to become a yoga teacher herself, she also volunteers in an animal shelter during the weekends and likes to go to different workshops to learn new skills. She loves traveling and goes abroad at least twice a year. Her goal for 2018 is to start a blog about conscious living to make more people interested in this topic.

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COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

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spring/summer 18 trends

The selected target group which belongs to the green/ethical consumer group currently shops in retailers which offer sustainably and ethically made clothes. Since quality and ethical production are one of the most important purchase decision factors, three brands which are available on the UK market were chosen as potential competitors to ASOS’s upcoming green collection. These brands were examined through observational research based on the materials and fabrics their garments are produced from, sizing of the garments, price points and patterns which are used for the Spring Summer/18 collection.

Arket, Reformation and The People Tree are the three brands which will be analysed in the following section based on the aspects mentioned above. All of these brands have a price points which are noticeably higher than most high street retailers like H&M and Zara but the target group is willing to spend money on fashion items which are of a higher quality, timeless design and considers more expensive clothing as an investment. The selected brands also have a very transparent supply chain and offer information about the materials, production, impact on the environment etc.

Figure 2: Perception map of potential competitors of the Komorebi collection

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arket

Arket is concept store/sub-brand which is a part of the H&M group. It was first opened in August 2017 in London. The mission of this retailer is to democratise quality through widely accessible, well-made, durable products, designed to be used and loved for a long time and made in the most sustainable way possible.

The designs within the Spring Summer/18 are as it is typical for Arket very minimal and timeless, with exception of few pieces with bold floral patterns and colours. Materials are sustainably sourced and among the most used fabrics are organic cotton, silk, wool and viscose. Arket could be considered as a high-end brand so the prices of the garments vary between ÂŁ50 to ÂŁ225 per piece.

Arket: prints and graphics of SS18

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the people tree

The People Tree is a Fairtrade apparel company which was founded in 1991 in Tokyo, Japan and is currently based in London. The mission of the brand is to be 100% Fairtrade throughout their supply chain and support producers in the developing world. The brand is certified by many associations and NGOs such as GOTS, WFTO, FLO and Fair Trade Foundation. Their website provides useful information about the supply chain as well as stories of the garment workers.

The brand uses high quality, sustainably sourced and low impact materials within their production such as Tencel, organic cotton and wool. The designs are down to earth with various patterns and colors. The Spring Summer/18 collection features variety of patterns such as geometrical and floral in very trendy colorways. The prices are similar to the other competitors with few pieces which could be considered as affordable.

The People Tree: prints and graphics of SS18

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reformation

Reformation is a brand founded in 2009 which designs and manufactures the majority of their limited-edition collections in their factory headquarters in Los Angeles. All other garments are produced by responsible manufacturing partners in the U.S. or abroad while taking in consideration both sustainable practices of the production and sustainable materials. Their main shopping channel is their website which offers information about the aftercare of individual garments as well as their carbon footprint.

Over half of their garments is made from quality and low impact materials such as Tencel, Viscose and recycled materials. The Spring Summer/18 collection consists of many colorful pieces of different patterns such as floral, dotted, tartan and striped. The prices are comparable with the prices of Arket, making it a high-end brand.

Reformation: prints and graphics of SS18

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research conclusion

After analysing all three retailers based on their Spring Summer/18, it is apparent that sustainably focused high end brands don’t follow the same trends as fast fashion brands. Their main focus is on producing high quality clothing which will be purchased as an investment, will last and will be wearable for many years no matter which trends are in fashion. Materials play a big role for these brands as well as sustainability and ethical supply chain. The prices correspond to the choice of materials as well as the quality and timeless designs. ASOS could achieve success if they offered their own line of timeless ethical garments because there is definitely still a place on the market.

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TRENDS

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wgsn ss19 prints

The forecast for the S/S 19 prints and graphics trends features patterns of very vivid and playful colours, embracing trends from the past decades like the 80’s and 60’s. The influence of the 60’s is visible in the print trends for young women, as it features hippies inspired graphics; peace symbols, flower patterns and words like “hope”, “love” and “unity”. The 80’s are reflected in the bright colours featured mostly in floral and geometric patterns. These two decades are known for significant social changes and the empowerment of females, therefore bringing back these trends goes hand in hand with what is currently happening in the world where feminism and equality play a big role.

love revolution

Love Revolution is a 60’s inspired trend which is part of the “Creative Manifesto” forecast on WGSN. As mentioned before this trend takes inspiration from the 1960’s flower children, protests against wars and inequality, celebration of love and a wide range of colours. As described by WGSN, this trend will be perfect for the festival season for its wide colour spectrum and the demand for graphic tees with expressive prints and slogans which will draw inspiration from the hippy spirit of the 1960’s. It is expected for garments to feature hand-stitched statements, doodle prints of inspirational motives as well as patches with the same theme. This trend will be suitable for the younger target market under the age of 25 who want to express their opinions through their clothing as well as simply celebrate love and happiness during summer festivals.

WGSN Love Revolution: inspirational prints and graphics 19

artful authenticity

Artful Authenticity is a S/S 19 trend which draws inspiration from art influenced by Fauvism and is part of the “Creative Manifesto� forecast on WGSN. This trend features very colourful scheme, prints of robust brushstrokes and mostly abstract floral and geometric patterns. Vivid colours are very important to this trend as they breathe life into the otherwise very abstract patterns. According to WGSN, this trend will be suitable for both women and young women, depending on the choice of material on which these prints and graphics will be used. The recommendation for the older target customer group is to use these patterns on natural linens and cottons and for the younger target to use materials such as jersey as it gives a more casual look and drapes differently than the natural fabrics mentioned above.

WGSN Artful Authenticity: inspirational prints and graphics The forecasted trend Artful Authenticity will be selected as the main inspiration alongside with the patterns from the NESCol students for the upcoming ASOS collection for the green consumer target group.

As mentioned before, the prints from this future trend are recommended by WGSN to be used on natural materials. Therefore using organic cotton, linen or hemp which are currently the most used materials on the ethical/green fashion market will work perfectly with these patterns.

As the consumer segment consist mostly of females who have higher educational degrees and mostly work in white collar professional and managerial occupations, creating a collection of casual/formal wear which will be suitable for both office environment as well as leisure activities such as going to a dinner with friends and attending events.

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As the prints are quite bold, yet elegant and tasteful, they could easily brighten up any trouser-suit outfit without disturbing the formal aspect of the overall look. The selected materials and fabrics which will be featured in this collection should be comfortable, of a high quality and most-importantly ethically sourced with sustainability in consideration since those are the most influential purchase decision factors for the green consumer group.

Looking back at the potential competitors of the upcoming collection for ASOS, brands like ARKET and The People Tree are already using alongside with the more classic work-wear, blouses, dresses and trouser-suits with interesting floral patterns and are breaking the stereotype that the white-collar workwear should only consist of traditional black trouser/skirt-suit and dull monochromatic shirts or blouses.

Therefore using this rather artistic and colourful trend within the collection would be a good step towards a successful collection for the selected target group.

Selected pattern made by a NESCol student 21

THE LINE

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komorebi collection

Komorebi is a Japanese word which doesn’t have a direct translation to English but it captures the effect of sunlight streaming through the leaves of trees. The importance of these little things in life which just make us slow down a bit in our busy lives, that’s what komorebi means for us and why we decided to name this collection after this beautiful word. The Komorebi Collection features female office wear with a twist; colours to sophistically brighten up otherwise boring trouser or skirt suit outfits and using sustainable and comfortable materials like organic cotton, viscose and recycled materials. No toxic chemicals are used within the production because we believe that clothes shouldn’t be harmful to the environment as well as the biggest organ of our body; our skin. The collection is produced in garment factories in Spain and Portugal where workers are paid fair wages. Local production in Europe also ensures a high quality of the garments and sustainable practices during the production.

The collection is dedicated to women who lead busy city lives and don’t always have time to change outfits when they go from their office jobs straight to events or parties, therefore the designs are very versatile and comfortable and the pieces can be worn together to create outfits for different occasions.

Progress of creating a pattern for the Komorebi collection using the original pattern created by a NESCol student.

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Inspiration for the orange/blue colourway.

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Inspiration for the yellow/green colourway.

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KOM404A

KOM101A

KOM404B

KOM101B

KOM505A

KOM202A

KOM505B

KOM202B

KOM606A

KOM303A

KOM606B

KOM303B

design progress

The Komorebi Collection is a fusion of the forecasted SS19 trend Artful Authenticity and work of one NESCol student who used a combination of embroidery and layering fabrics to create a pattern. The NESCol pattern was later digitalised, coloured so that it would fit the mood of the collection and edited into a repeating print. For the final product, two colourways of the pattern were used on the garments. The two colourways include an orange fabric with dark blue print and a yellow fabric with green print. The collection features staples of office wear; a blouse, two dresses, a comfortable laidback suit and a skirt. The price range of the collection is from £89 to £129, with the average price being £112. All garments will be in UK sizes 8-16.

Detailed plan of the Komorebi collection.

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MARKETING

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marketing plan of the collection

The Komorebi collection will be accompanied by a marketing campaign which will be launched at least a month before the drop of the collection on ASOS’s website. The mood of this campaign is quite minimal, using models of different ethnicities posing on a colourful background which will work with each outfit and pieces from the collection. The message of the campaign should be effortlessness, almost as if the models woke up, put on a little make up, brushed through their hair, put on a statement piece from the collection and went straight to the office. The campaign should not only promote natural beauty and diversity but as well the fact that being a green consumer is the next big thing.

Since this campaign is quite visual, the main two social media platforms for promoting this campaign will be Instagram where ASOS has a wide following and uses different hashtags to create engagement with its followers and their YouTube channel where they post different content, from styling outfits to their advertisements etc.

The launch of the collection will be featured on the main page of their website, accompanied by small blogposts on sustainability, styling and sustainable lifestyle.

Moodboard for the marketing campaign of Komorebi 31

32 Placement of the Komorebi collection on the home page of ASOS

the launch of the collection

When the Komorebi collection on ASOS is launched on their website, it will be featured on the main page and invite shoppers to take a closer look to the individual items. The week of the drop of the collection will be accompanied by small blogposts with videos which will introduce sustainable lifestyle to the consumers, talk more about how to style the individual pieces together with look books and also recommend other products for the green consumer which are available on ASOS.

Blogposts which will accompany the launch of the Komorebi collection in the Style Feed section.

social media platforms

As mentioned before, the collection will be announced on social media few months before it will be dropped on the website of ASOS. The campaign will feature look books, a launch video and posts on Instagram which will start revealing different pieces of the collection as well as the whole concept. The launch video will be targeted at users on YouTube through ads before they want to play videos and Instagram users through Insta-stories and sponsored posts on Instagram. It will show models from the look books and motivational “quotes� for every girl-boss who cares about the impact she has on the environment.

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34 Launch video of the Komorebi collection on YouTube.

instagram

The content featured on social media will start appearing few weeks before the launch of the collection as a teaser to its followers. Since ASOS already uses many of their own hashtags to create engagement with their shoppers and followers, the Komorebi collection will be accompanied with hashtags like #asosKomorebi or #makeMondaysbetteragain. As the collection is of office wear, the expected engagement of the followers of ASOS should produce more content which can be featured on the main Instagram account of ASOS to inspire other shoppers on how to style the individual pieces into the true girl-boss outfits.

Instagram post featuring an outfit inspiration with the blouse from the Komorebi collection

Instagram post spread featuring the Komorebi collection 35

REFERENCES

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Acorn.caci.co.uk. (2018). Acorn - The smarter consumer classification | CACI. [online] Available at: http://acorn.caci.co.uk/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018].

ARKET. (2018). ARKET. [online] Available at: https://www.arket.com/en_gbp/index.html [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018].

Euromonitor International (2017). Analysis: Consumer Types UK. Euromonitor International.

Euromonitor International (2017). ETHICAL CONSUMER: MINDFUL CONSUMERISM. Euromonitor International.

Peopletree.co.uk. (2018). People Tree. [online] Available at: http://www.peopletree.co.uk/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018].

Thereformation.com. (2018). Reformation. [online] Available at: https://www.thereformation.com/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018].

WGSN (2018). Artful Authenticity. Prints & Graphics Forecast – Women & Young Women. WGSN. WGSN (2018). Love Revolution. Prints & Graphics Forecast — Young Women. WGSN.

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