Lhe repeated closures of clothing brands (Camaïeu, La Halle, Cop. Copine, Pimkie, Kookaï, etc.) in recent months undoubtedly reflect various difficulties, linked to the location of stores, debts contracted during the pandemic [due au Covid-19], inflation and the drop in the budget devoted to clothing. But most of the brands condemned to closure have in common the drop in their “desirability”.
Because clothing consumption constitutes a case of identity consumption: what a person wears represents them, communicates a bundle of information that concerns them. It is therefore not surprising that the relationship between consumers and clothing brands gives rise to almost metaphysical considerations: marketing researchers emphasize the importance of criteria of attachment, of identification of the brand with a social reference group. , or congruence between the values displayed and those of its audience. Luxury brands were the first to integrate this parameter and to produce speeches, images and shows (parades) of which clothing is only an element, sometimes an accessory. Their formula is based rather on the evocation of an attitude, a lifestyle, a taste and a culture in general.
Another characteristic of the clothing market is its subjection to fashion cycles. Clothes must express the spirit of the present, otherwise they lack appeal. This logic specific to fashion, that is to say a variation of outfits for no other reason than to “stick” to the era, is not new (it became systematized at the time of the industrial revolution), but it strengthened with the appearance of “fast fashion” in the 1990s. This model, considered unacceptable by many, is nevertheless experiencing exponential growth today with the players in “ultra fast fashion”, such as Chinese Shein or the British Boohoo, which market an offer that is renewed even more quickly – up to several thousand different new items every day! – and even less expensive to purchase.
Maintaining the “desire for fashion”
Two conditions contribute to making a brand desirable: first, that it is endorsed by reference figures, with whom consumers can identify; secondly, that its offer expresses contemporaneity. On these two parameters, and despite counter-examples of French successes (Kiabi, Promod, etc.), brands which had relied on a dense physical distribution network, classic communication, accessible prices and little consideration of “trends” » often fell behind and proved very difficult to catch up with.
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