American Apparel | www.americanapparel.com
s little as 10 years ago to the outside world, the activewear market, was largely stereotyped as the A domain of the male athlete, blokes who crushed cans on their forehead after smashing goals, tracksuits, trainers and apparel designed to soak up sweat. Apart from notable collaborations such as Yohji Yamaoto and Stella Mccartney with adidas, the industry was tarred with functional polyester How can the active and an over excessive use of neon accents.
However fast forward to the present day and the rise of industry lead and play Athleisure has suitably changed all of that. Whatever your a role in the progressive opinion may be of the ‘all encompassing’ word banded about within the Active sector, Athleisure has spawned a multi billion representation of women dollar industry and with it the rise of a very powerful female consumer. With no signs of slowing (sales are expected to in fashion? double from 2016’s $46 billion to $92 billion in 2020, A.T. Kearney) athleisure has given way to new offshoot product areas led by the power spend of this new female consumer.
A market that was once the domain of the major sport brands, athleisure has given way to new power players and off shoot product areas driven by the power of the female spend. Ranging from pre and post recovery, haute-athletics after 5 and the 25 hour day, new and emerging activewear brands compete alongside the established powerhouses, and are intern joined by the high street and high end to vie for a position in a market that is steadily growing but increasingly close to saturation point.
Above all this noise how do brands attract and emotionally connect to a new female consumer that comes with it? In an EMOTIONALLY age where we have become increasingly obsessed with how we look and our bodies becoming one of our biggest assets we ‘invest’ in, how does this influence design? What is the balance of performance vs aesthetic? How do active brands that purport change through hard work and high performance Engaging the technical design compete alongside the quick fix solutions from the high street? And with the rise of new female subcultures within active, how do brands authentically connect with the WORDS | Veronica Hendry female psyche and their ritual of being active through both product and brand communication? Consumer PHVLO | phvlo.com With the rise of new female subcultures within active, how do brands authentically connect with the female psyche and their ritual of being active through both new design and brand communication? In an age where we are living longer and have become increasingly obsessed with how we look and our bodies becoming one of our biggest assets we ‘invest’ in, how does this influence design?
20 THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION SSACHS 21 Bella Hadid for Nike | www.nike.com Selena Gomez for Puma | eu.puma.com
Kylie as brand ambassador as she was (in)famous more for her artificially enhanced lips and dramatically changing body and face that suggested there was more going on than just work outs in the gym. Consumers and the industry questioned In such a hyper reality world where we feel the pressure the authenticity of the partnership and Kylie’s commitment to genuine exercise. Was this giving the brand credibility in to be constantly perfect, are these ambassadors aspirational active? or actually devaluing it? or detrimental in connecting with the female psyche and Bella Hadid was then to became infamous for all the wrong reasons, as Nike brand ambassador she raised both her own consumer? profile and Nikes somewhat debatably with her now infamous Complex interview. Interviewed while out sneaker shopping with the magazine, Bella’s over compensating to try and relate Kylie Jenner for Puma | eu.puma.com to her audience managed to do the opposite and expose her Cause Celeb and the importance lack of authentic credibility with her ‘Homeboy’s gonna get it’ of authentic collaboration comments. You could almost hear the unison of audible cringe as you were still watching the clip and indeed the audience In an age where we as a society have become increasingly balked and backed it up with the deluge of meme’s, tabloid obsessed with fame, the perfect social media account and the articles and comments sections that followed. perfect body, we ask the question what is the power of the celebrity within the active market? And as recent as New York fashion week, Adidas Originals ambassador Kendall Jenner declared “Tracksuits are very With a new generation of celebrity emerging thanks largely to happening right now,” then edifying it with “because Athleisure reality TV, social media, the tabloids and famous parents, a new is what’s trendy.” generation of entitled celebrity has emerged, and athleisure seems to be the uniform of choice. Rich with seemingly perfect Is this the disease of the bigger brands trying to find new lives, wardrobes and bodies, the celebrity trinity that is the relevance in an increasingly oversaturated market? Throwing Jenner’s, Hadid’s and Kardashian’s bring with them millions of money at high profile celebrities ensures column inches in niche social media followers who aspire to be just like them. With and popular publications and wider access, however what does far-reaching appeal, this makes them attractive to big sport it do long-term for the brand and it’s authenticity? How does it brands with cash who want their audience and bring them in shape it’s female consumer going forward and what does this as brand ambassadors to endorse the brand. But does this mean for authentic collaborations with female athletes? give brands kudos or do the complete opposite? In such a Furthermore, how can smaller emerging active brands engage hyper reality world where we feel the pressure to be constantly better with the female consumer with relatable ambassadors? perfect, are these ambassadors aspirational or detrimental in connecting with the female psyche and consumer? And Ultimately do these girls really work out? Or is what we are seeing the result of surgical enhancement? What is the real value, if any, One of the biggest partnerships to turn heads, was that of Kylie Jenner in 2016 with Puma. Leaving aside Kanye’s tirade of the celebrity ambassador? about the deal, Puma faced criticism with it’s appointment of
22 THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION SSACHS 23 for new campaigns. Social media influencers may bring large Quiet Dissidence, a new audiences in their millions, but new bloggers with 100,00 less disruptive thinking are seen as more engaged with their followers and the product Working in the active industry we are all too aware of the the they choose to endorse, which makes them stronger advertisers buzz word ‘disruptive thinking’, we are constantly competing in for both the brand and the connection to the consumer. New today’s fast-changing world to create a steady stream of new emerging brands particularly benefiting from this. ways of thinking that will have maximum impact on the market. What does quiet dissent and the rise of the micro blogger But how about approaching if from another angle, with ‘quiet mean for new emerging active brands? How can a band quietly dissidence’, that makes a stronger impact because of the lack disrupt and create maximum impact? How can this help make of noise, letting the campaign or user experience speak for itself. the niche appeal to a broader market?, and how can you give In stark contrast to the big budget, hyper fuelled marketing renewed interest to something that has become over saturated campaigns of Nike and adidas, ASOS recently revealed their for the consumer? latest active campaign with as little fanfare as possible, despite the fact they launched an innovative campaign that embraced all genders, diversities, abilities and disabilities, something long overdue in industry . A louder release may have garnered more publicity still, however the silence and lack of fanfare from the brand lent even more gravitas to the campaign, with the company declining to comment about the launch and instead How can a brand quietly letting the campaign speak for itself, connecting with the consumer through its own authenticity. disrupt and create
Quiet dissidence is about causing disruption by going quietly maximum impact? against accepted expectations and creating the biggest stir through an authentic connection between consumer, brand, experience and product. No longer is it about the over the top PR stunt and making as much noise as possible. This also influences how we use social media and attract followers and consumers
American Apparel | www.americanapparel.com ASOS | www.asos.com/women/ Sexy, not sexualised In contrast to the celebrity ambassador, comes the aspirational model and the question of ‘real life vs constructed reality’ and ’sexy vs sexualised”.
Known for its inaugural catwalk show and scantily clad models, Victoria’s Secret has made a conscious effort in recent years to promote the workout regimes of their models to give credence to their active line. In an attempt to reposition the brand away from it’s overtly sexual reputation, the brand celebrates the workout routines of its ambassadors for an authentic connection within the fitness market. While American Apparel, has recognised its dubious history and has brought in an all female executive team to shake up the brand’s image. In an attempt to make it more relatable to its every day consumer, it’s new ad campaigns only use real people who represent the brand, each one with an interesting story, and the same aesthetic and ideals imposed on both the male and female models. Choosing to still be sexy but not sexualised, models determine the pose stance and look, seeing being sexy as a positive and a choice, as opposed to being sexualised.
With sexy as a word often frowned upon, how can industry celebrate the term and move it away from preconceived stereotyping? Making it empowering and in tern empowering women who work out because they want to look good.
24 THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION SSACHS 25 Ivy park | www.ivypark.com Ivy park | www.ivypark.com Nike | www.nike.com
How do brands authentically communicate with emerging active subcultures and their respective female consumer?
Erasing the line between what is ‘old age’. The baby to be acknowledged. Informing new ways of working out and a boomers or The Elastic Generation, (JWT report 2015) are personalised tone of voice that resonates authentically with the a female consumer with a powerful spend who currently consumer rather than a ‘corporate soundbite’, an awareness feels misrepresented or completely overlooked within the of social issues and breaking through stereotypes is driving the Sukoon Active | www.sukoonactive.com active industry, seen as an ’old lady’ stereotype. Investing in development of new product. Accessible and inclusive social their bodies and appearance, and outspending the younger media influencers such as @blackgirlinom and Trap Yoga Bae, generation, this consumer is not the same as her counterpart promote wellness and yoga to women of colour and those With exercise being for many as a way to be physically fit, live of even 30 years ago, and will continue to evolve as the who lack acceptance. While alternatively religion gives way to Diversity and Inclusivity longer and slim down, ironically the debate around the term population ages. With the majority of social media and editorial new design solutions that enable women to work out at their In contrast to the celebrity brand ambassador, industry is also ‘plus size’ continues on, and a generation of Baby Boomers feel focusing on younger models as the active ideal, with the optimum while still being able to honour their faith. While Nike being challenged to include and consistently communicate forgotten about by the active industry. While the Paralympics exception of a few such as IVY PARK who led one campaign made headlines in 2017 with the release of its performance with its diverse female audience of beauty, strength, age, are revered, how many physically impaired athletes do we see with 60 year old cheographer Karen McDonald, the older hijab, smaller brands such as Sukoon and Veil have catered for colour, ethnicity and religion. Something long overdue. front campaigns or editorial? And of course while it should be consumer consequently feels alienated. As we live longer and the needs of the muslim women well before this time, delivering the norm, all of industry, including fashion, is being challenged Moving away from over glossed, over idealised social media invest in how we look, ageing generations bring with them both function and form in performance hijab’s and modest to represent women of all colour, ethnicity and religion, who in feeds, campaigns and editorials, this is about no longer new cultural influences and thinking that inform both a new performance clothing, with advocates such as @runlikeahijabi. turn are driving new developments in performance product as designing to a ‘stereotype’, but instead authentically engaging aesthetic and way of working out. well new active subcultures. How can brands be inclusive without over promoting and with the active ritual, lifestyle, wants and needs of a female And while the active industry may fear slightly better than the making it look like a gimmick? How do brands authentically consumer that has been misrepresented or ignored completely When ASOS recently released their latest ‘More reasons to fashion industry with an international role call of athletes from communicate with emerging active subcultures and their for so long. move’ activewear campaign it not only challenged industry around the globe, it is still fair to say that overall women of respective female consumer? What is the definition of plus and society attitudes to disability with amputee model Mama For an age, look books, editorial and campaigns have focused colour and ethnicity are still severely under represented within size? What is the ritual of the baby boomer vs her younger Cax, but proudly represented varying body shape, strengths on a small percentage of the population, otherwise known active campaigns and editorial. Yet at a grass roots level, a counterpart and how does this influence design and and ethnicity with its cast of athletes. Slickly put together, with as ‘the skinny white girl’, relatable to a tiny few but not the strong shift is emerging with new influencers, leaders and active communication? Aside from the hijab, how can brands better little fanfare on its release, it’s somewhat perplexing that this majority. subcultures changing the landscape of industry and demanding design for the muslim women? campaign stands on its own as being one of few to represent With multiple tribes of new active women emerging, this the diversity of society is about embracing and connecting with a modern female Another issue for industry that continues, is the erasing of the consumer who works out, whatever her size, her athletic invisible line between when a size changes from ‘normal to capability, age, ethnicity, colour or even socio-economic ‘plus size’ and the case for all inclusive sizing. Catering to a standing. Whether using exercise to build muscle or slim, or As athleisure evolves to inform new subcategories such as changeable female body; be it genetics, period bloat, weight recover from physical or mental trauma, this is about engaging gain, or pregnancy, as well as removing the stigma of size pre and post recovery and the 25 hour day, what future with an active female consumer that has been ignored for too and the psychology of only committing to cheaper ‘temporary long. Understanding why she works out, where she does it purchases’ that potentially don’t perform as well. Recognising categories will evolve from engaging with new emerging and how she does it, what is her active ritual? Her needs and an existing consumer can vary in size over the course of a year wants? And how can brands authentically engage and erase subcultures? and removing ‘plus size by incorporating graded sizes as an the invisible line between reality and stereotype? extension of the existing main range.
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