Project outcomes and personal development
Blog post 3 – Fiona Chernavskaya FSP Yr1
Throughout this unit I have learnt a great deal about each of the themes and although at times struggled to come up with ways to develop them in my work due to the ‘stay home’ policy, I now have a clear understanding of the importance of the unit topics. Having this knowledge now, I can take the opportunity of this difficult time to think of ways I can apply the 3 themes in the future, as well as use the resources I have available at home to mock up impactful ideas and concepts.
In my group of ‘Messaging in Fashion’ we were put into groups and assigned a brand name. Our brand was Zaful; An online fast fashion ‘one stop shop’ for trendy, edgy and daring apparel. The brand is based in the UK but has over 128 suppliers worldwide, which may not be the most sustainable strategy but they claim to have built reliable partnerships with their providers which allows them to keep prices lower and quality higher. Zaful aims to reduce their footprint by using water based screen printing inks and encourage customers to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. These they are constantly working on for a more sustainable future. Right from the start we recognised Zaful’s marketing technique and audience demographic, labelling it as; low priced items for the younger generation of social media users.
Zaful’s strategy was to use influencers to promote their clothing on instagram, as well as advertise their website on pop up ads. Just by looking at their instagram page, the theme ‘diversity’ would be the last to come to mind. Their choice of models usually fit a clear mold; slim, fit, tanned and edited to ‘perfection’. There was little to no representation of plus size, darker complexion or other unique models/influencers. Therefore the message they were sending out to their followers and potential audiences was not a socially responsible one, their female models dressed in barely-there beachwear could even be seen as objectifying. Their website also didn’t have as wide of a range of plus size wear, many of the garments being less revealing and ‘sexy’ as the smaller sizes, linking back to lack of providing for a more diverse audience. We decided to use this as a focal point for our group project.
We chose a charity called Young Minds to collaborate with as we thought the target audiences were similar, in the sense of being younger and most likely to have some form of social media that can influence their daily life. Young Minds focuses on providing resources for their viewers such as helplines, updates in press releases and other mental health support, reminding all of us that even during this pandemic, various help is available. It urges their audience to become involved in any way they can, whether it’s to join discussions on their socials or become an activist for the charity.
Our group wanted to focus on improving Zaful’s messages about body image and positivity, which Young Mind’s also happens to have a section of their website dedicated to. A young Zaful shopper is bound to be exposed to images of ‘flawless’ bodies and faces on social media and this is where Young Minds can come in to help with the potential impression this could have made on a younger person. The charities wide range of resources creates a safe space for the affected and could help Zaful improve their brand image to be more socially responsible and diverse.
We concluded that this strategy in combination with continuing to advertise on instagram and collaborate with a wider range of influencers while sticking to their brand identity will help Zaful grow in an ethical way. The final presentation captures all of our ideas and individual contributions as we aimed to improve Zaful’s growth strategy and overall brand image.