How can we encourage people to buy better?
Craftsmanship is a key tool utilised in luxury fashion marketing. But can showing the work behind how all products are made and educating customers on what goes into their creation, help people to appreciate them more?
Find out how highlighting craftsmanship may encourage people to buy better, backed by psychological research.
Craftsmanship and fashion marketing
How we can encourage consumers to make more sustainable fashion choices, whilst taking heed of the issues of overconsumption and overproduction, is a challenge that the industry has yet to fully solve.
One idea might be to take a leaf out of the luxury playbook.
It’s a strategy that is the backbone of luxury fashion. Tailors, artisans and seamstresses of luxury fashion houses and brands detail the meticulous work that goes into bringing their products to life. Not only can this help educate potential customers but gives them a better understanding of why their products cost so much.
In the wider fashion landscape, there is a desire for this focus on high-quality, personalised and hand-made products. Artisanal food products are now a mainstay of popular culture, and arts and crafts techniques, such as crocheting and embroidery, DIY, upcycling, and clothing repair, have all been trending.
For example, Angelina Jolie recently launched a fashion brand - Atelier Jolie, which “focuses on the hard work of tailors, pattern makers, textile designers and various other artisans around the world”, allowing customers to commission designs and garments from them. Doubling down on these efforts, she is also partnering with Chloe to launch a womenswear collection that highlights the work of the artisans involved in its making.
With a declining artisanal workforce in luxury fashion now being experienced, the need for craftsmanship is even more pertinent.
Could showing the process behind how all clothing is made, not just luxury fashion, help consumers to better appreciate the work that goes into making a garment, encouraging their decision-making to be more sustainable?
Let’s explore some psychological research suggesting how this could be an effective technique.
Pulling on Emotional Threads
Craftsmanship may deepen the emotional bond between consumers and those making their products. Emotional ties have been found to be a key element in fostering a sustainable relationship between us and our clothing.
For example, research has underlined the importance of conveying the extent and amount of physical and mental effort that goes into high-luxury items to create emotional bonds between consumers and luxury brands. Moreover, it has been shown that the direct and vicarious experiences of young consumers with luxury items can create the first emotional bonds with luxury brands. And that the vicarious experiences of consumers with luxury craftsmanship contribute to such bonds.
Therefore, fostering a strong emotional tie between consumers and brands, through experiences such as showcasing the craftsmanship involved in the making of the products, could be a way to facilitate a more sustainable relationship with our clothes.
Gen-Z might be particularly amenable to the positive effects of brands highlighting tradition and craftsmanship. Playing on their nostalgia and love for the past whilst addressing social and environmental issues, has been shown to be very appealing to this generation.
Back-to-school Fashion
Digital technologies could facilitate this appreciation of craftsmanship, helping brands to connect globally and quickly with people, meeting them where they're at to educate (and entertain) on the benefits of craft and the work that goes into creating the fashions we know and love. AI might create even more appreciation for the physical craft of fashion.
There’s a growing trend of learning through social media. With the explosion of TikTok, people are more likely to get their news, information and insights from apps than they are from traditional media sources.
Further, there is a rise in the appreciation of long-form content, such as video essays which have become popular among Gen-Z on YouTube. It seems like people want to be educated when browsing online.
In addition, the democratising nature of the internet has meant consumers all around the world are better able to access information about brands, their products, and values.
Online, GEN-Z fashion educators and creators are skyrocketing in popularity on social networking apps, showcasing their unique knowledge about the industry, building their own platforms and amassing cult-like followings. Those who can educate and entertain are the tastemakers and new influencers of this world.
Therefore, not only does digital community building seem to be a mainstay of Internet culture but can also be an effective marketing tool. Brands that can educate, as well as entertain their consumers will likely be better positioned in an increasingly online world. For example, Luxe Collective’s founders have built a growing business using educational fashion content on #TikTok, and are expected to hit £7.2 million in sales soon.
Showcasing how and why products are being made, in an entertaining manner could be what the industry needs to do to change consumption patterns for the better.
Think Global, Act Local
Since the pandemic, we have been reckoning more with the future of our planet, as well as more clearly realising the benefits of community and connection.
We altered our shopping habits to be more local, focusing on what’s nearby, seasonable and readily available and accessible. Once the world opened up and we shifted to being back “outside”, this desire for localism still remained.
Craftsmanship can help promote a more local way of shopping and living, focused on demand, tradition and consciousness - it can help us slow down and take care of the Earth. The rise in conscious consumerism, as more people try to make ethical purchasing choices, speaks to the desire for a better way of doing things.
Some suggested actions could be for brands to team up with and highlight tailors near their consumers. For example, the Sojo app enables tailoring, repairs and alterations of your clothes, directly to your door.
Brands can also spotlight where and how their clothing is made, using social media to educate and inform consumers of the history, technique and inspiration behind the garment. For example, Dior’s behind-the-scenes documentaries have proved popular.
They could also work with and promote the local artisans using traditional techniques, materials and processes. As well as bringing attention when something is made locally, e.g. “made in Britain” labels.
How can we encourage people to buy better?
Utilising a strategy most synonymous with luxury fashion, showing people the process behind how their clothing is made, could help consumers to better appreciate the work that goes into making a garment, encouraging their decision-making to be more sustainable.
Changes in our behaviour to be more conscious and ethical, suggest a growing desire for a better way of doing things. Craftsmanship can promote a more local way of shopping and living, helping us to slow down and take better care of the Earth. Bringing attention to the craftsmanship inherent in our fashions may help deepen the emotional bond between people and those making their products. Digital technologies could facilitate this appreciation of craftsmanship, enabling brands to connect globally with consumers to educate (and entertain) on the work behind, and benefits of. craft.
Final thoughts:
Would showing how things are made encourage you to buy better? Why, or why not?
What other benefits do you think bringing attention to craftsmanship has on the industry?
I would love to hear from you! Leave me your responses in the comments below.
Key points - How highlighting craftsmanship in fashion can help sustainability efforts
•Showing people the process behind how their clothing is made could help them appreciate the work that goes into making a garment
•We want to make more ethical purchasing choices and craftsmanship can promote a more local way of shopping and living
•Bringing attention to craftsmanship may deepen the emotional bond between consumers and the people making their products, encouraging durability
•Consumers increasingly want to learn and be educated when they go online, digital technologies could facilitate this appreciation of craftsmanship
Further readings
The evolution of craftsmanship
Fashion’s foray into the digital world signifies the start of a new era in the industry. With the rise of AI models and digital couture, the definition of craftsmanship, marketing and fashion itself is evolving into something bigger. Find out how.
How arts and crafts influenced fashion
What did the Arts and Crafts movement offer the world of fashion? Not only craft production, natural motifs and a new style of jewellery but also a more modern template for women's clothes. Read to find out more.
How craftsmanship is helping slow fashion down
Craftsmanship has a demonstrated history of using heritage techniques to create high-quality pieces with painstaking attention to detail. It is a process that’s consistent with what sustainability and conscious consumerism stand for. Find out how craftsmanship is helping a slow fashion label do away with disposability.
These designers believe traditional craftsmanship is the future of fashion
Meet the new names and established brands who are opting for a much slower form of production.
The ‘Ikea effect’
Explore why, just like furniture you’ve built yourself, people prefer to watch content they’ve played a role in creating.
Resources
The British Council - Crafting Futures Project
What Does It Mean To Have "Material Intelligence"?
If you have a comment about this article, or a tip for a future post, email me at: hellocandicewalker@gmail.com.
