Collaborations Create Community

Fashion Consort News Bytes

Since early 2020, customers have been forced to rethink how they engage and buy from brands. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, not only has shopping shifted to online, but customers needs and wants have changed.

This shift has meant that fashion brands have also had to rethink how they engage and sell to consumers. Dealing with a global pandemic, put fashion consumption in stark reality to more important issues. What’s more, customers were now working from home and were focused less on new trends and more on comfort. But they also desired relief from the constant stream of pandemic news and the monotony of being cooped up at home. This made the marketplace ripe for fashion brands to try new ways to engage their customers--outside of their normal, “tried and true” marketing strategies. And for many, this meant seeking partnerships and collaborations with other brands to create new narratives, and an element of surprise.

Caryn Pang, an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, and retail technology consultant, also believes that collaboration provided an opportunity for brands to energize their employees, especially when racial issues added another layer to pandemic anxiety. She explains:

“At the core of collaboration is teamwork, which is an important part of the inclusivity and accessibility conversation that began in earnest in the spring of 2020.” And she adds that a sense of inclusivity and accessibility that can be engendered through teamwork can also lead to a much-needed sense of community. “In turn, community creates a sense of belonging and optimism. This real need for belonging, coupled with a sense of shared hope, can be attributed to the pandemic and being home for so long, disconnected from others. It’s human nature for people to want to come together and collaborate--to create a future together.”

Read the full transcript: FCNewsBytes.com

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