Brands wants to collab with activist influencers – people with a loyal following due to their social profile. It adds value to a brand as young consumers are much more aware of wanting brands that represents same values as themselves. For indie designers making personal statements have proved to be valuable and on-trend, but the big corporations have been slower to follow.
Well all that is changing. A a fresh example of change is ELLOS, the Scandinavian net shop who has taken steps to focus more on body positivism and equality with their campaign “For women by women” (photo below).
Activism is hot stuff. We saw it last year with several big fashion magazines using their covers and feature articles to document the trend. In September VOGUE Italia picked the New York based vegan chef Tara Thomas as one of their cover models (photo below), while British VOGUE dedicated cover and 16-pages to document the Black Lives Matter-movement’s impact on the world.
Perhaps the numerous scandals revealing slavery, racism, agism, sexism, animal cruelty, child labor and wasteful practices within the fashion industry has finally served as the wakeup call we need. Because according to voices in international fashion young consumers demands brands that reflects their own values. This was confirmed by Michael Rotimi, founder of the influencer agency Offshore in an article on Business of Fashion recently. Offshore represents a diverse group of influencers with strong personalities and vocal platforms on issues ranging from sustainability to social justice, was well positioned to service the trend. And they confirm the demand for a new type of influencers is in demand and regularly book between 15 to 20 campaigns a month. And their client list has expanded from brands with a streetwear focus, like Nike or Converse, to include companies like Sephora, Jacquemus and H&M.
Fashion reflects the zeitgeist. Like British VOGUE wrote in their activism-article last year: “There is no shortage of ideas on where to go from here, but all agree that post-pandemic, it isn’t about going back to normal. It’s about forging a path to a better, brighter future. Be the change.”
Perhaps we get the fashion we need? And what we need now is not more clothes, bags, and shoes – but hope.
