Is It Possible to Change Culture Through Fashion?
Companies Can Lead the Change Through Responsible and Purpose-Driven Branding and Practices
Since the founding of IMPT! in 2015, people have questioned why we chose to create a fashion brand focused on encouraging the young generation toward change and purpose. The answer is simple: Fashion has a huge power to inspire young people.
It was simple for me because I was a young person into streetwear effervesce at that moment. But I know that the vision of some — or maybe the majority of — people who do not care too much about fashion is the opposite. They believe “fashion is unnecessary,” “fashion is narcissistic,” “fashion is superficial,” and “fashion is pure consumerism.” And these opinions are right from a certain perspective, reflecting the urgent need for change in this industry.
But fashion isn’t going anywhere. At its heart, fashion is not about runaways, fancy and expensive clothes, or even just consumerism. Fashion is self-expression through clothes. Fashion is also art, and something that is directly related to what people feel, value, believe, and how want to be seen. Your clothes say a lot about you.
From my perspective, fashion is about the community and what the creative kids like to talk about. Like music, movies, games, anime, and sports, fans spend a lot of time and interest on their passions. And people in these industries are working hard to deliver excellence, creativity, storytelling, and performance to please and excite the fans. The creative industry has the power to move people.
The fashion industry has been evolving generation by generation and now is in an era of ready-to-wear clothes in mass production, allowing people to express themselves via their choices in the market. So brands started to position themselves as representatives of specific lifestyles. A particular sneaker or T-shirt can connect you with someone who has the same interests as you (it happens a lot with me on the streets).
The challenge is that fashion —with this emotional and subjective power —has become one of the main fronts of consumerism. And this is directly related to the marketing practices, as I explained before.
But what if fashion brands start to include in their brand ethos the change the industry needs? How powerful would it be if social and sustainable responsibility become a natural ethos in fashion branding?
Brands can maximize the power of their connection with their audience through their values and actions. When a company’s practices match their statements, they build trust and authenticity — a key value for the young generation.
The consumers are already looking for and expecting this. In recent streetwear market research, PWC and Hypebeast found that 70% of young people said social awareness and brand activism were important to them, while 29% of respondents said they buy brands that promote sustainable practices.
In 2015 when we created IMPT! we saw the lack of awareness, responsibility, and intentionality in the streetwear branding ethos, and we set out to build a brand as a contribution to push forward what we believe was lacking. Years later, it is a positive surprise to see research that reinforces our work. It gives a boost in confidence, but we can’t do this alone.
On a broader scale, fashion companies must consider their impact on society and the environment and realize that better practices will help them connect with consumers and create long-term business benefits. Driving consumers via desire and passion isn’t enough. It’s time to take action for the future of people and the planet by building responsible companies and inspiring consumers through excellence, storytelling, and example.
B The Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
