The fashion industry can no longer ignore it – the call for diversity and inclusion is louder than ever. “Normally trends in fashion come from above, from designers and CEOs. The desire for diversity and inclusion comes from below, from consumers,” said a presentation by the analysis and trend agency Peclers Paris during the CIFF fashion fair. This demand for more inclusivity and diversity is affecting fashion in a number of ways, not just among fashion designers but also in retail. Consequently, the lecture attracted many interested people.
The topic of diversity and inclusion is so complex and far-reaching that it is impossible to fit it into a thirty-minute presentation. Pecler’s Paris lecture therefore focused on movement in relation to the body. Add to that the inset that comes with almost every trend forecast: think about how those trends align with your company’s values. Everyone can work with the presented trends in their own way. Even when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
Peclers Paris focused on two areas in its presentation: gender and size inclusivity, i.e. people with different gender identities and clothing sizes.
The call for inclusion and diversity is getting louder
First of all, Peclers Paris addresses the movement in fashion, with menswear increasingly turning to traditionally feminine codes: soft silhouettes, flowing fabrics and translucent materials. Men’s fashion shows its softer side. At the same time, the classic ‘male codes’ of tailoring and accentuated shoulders are implemented in women’s fashion, and suits play an important role. So there is less and less talk of traditional ‘male’ or ‘female’ attributes – fashion is becoming more and more fluid, which also corresponds to social change.
For example, a Vice survey cited by Peclers (‘The Vice Guide to 2030’) shows that four out of ten Gen Z respondents feel neutral on the male/female spectrum. The same number of respondents expect that race and gender will become less important when it comes to identity over the next decade. Different labels are also perceived as restrictive by seven out of ten participants. They increasingly need the freedom to have a fluid identity.
However, diversity and inclusion encompasses much more than just gender – it is also fashion for all body shapes and sizes. Also, or especially when fashion is no longer gender-specific, the fit of the garments must be checked carefully, since every body is different. However, the lecture shows that large parts of society have limited options when it comes to suitable fashion and clothing. Peclers cites a study by the Institut Français de la Mode showing that the relatively small group of French men and women who wear size 32 have access to 14 percent of the total range of clothing on the French market. On the other hand, those over 42, who make up more than 9% of the French population, only have access to 0.7% of the total supply. A failure of fashion that gives you a real indictment.
If you want to pay more attention to size but don’t yet know where to start, you can count on a few tips from Peclers in the presentation. Knitwear, for example, is better suited to multiple sizes because it conforms to the body and is more forgiving. Peclers also points out children’s fashion and the techniques used there. kids fashion? Yes, exactly. In fact, Peclers points out that there are already several innovations in terms of size in children’s fashion, as brands in this segment adapt to fast-growing children. This adaptability is a strategy that can also be applied to many adult clothing items.
Again, the topic of diversity and inclusion is too vast to cover in its entirety in a short presentation at a fashion fair. However, it should be positively emphasized that the traditional trade fairs are now taking up the topic and the trend more strongly. Now it’s up to brands, creatives and retailers to expand their target audience by finally no longer excluding large parts of the population.
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This article was similarly published on FashionUnited.nl. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ