Fashion leadership is the act of being influential on fashion. Dimensions that arise from fashion leadership include innovativeness in fashion, as well as the leadership opinion. The leaders of fashion basically show interest in the way they dress and not trying to set trends for others in whatever they wear. The fashion leaders, most of the times, also do not follow other trends that are conventional.
Fashion leadership involves an individual being interested in unique items, as well as group identifications. Brands are important in expressing fashion leadership but are not really considered to be a factor of motivation in fashion leaders. Swapping is used to facilitate fashion leadership. It is also important in the sense that it broadens the long used exchange concepts, as well as the cycle of consumption. In the study of fashion leadership, there is need to find the membership consumer group of fashion, consumer behavior and the brands that revolve around the swapping clothing environment.
Fashion leadership needs innovativeness for one to be a good leader in fashion. Innovativeness involves the idea of one buying fashion before any other person acquiring. Most celebrities are fashion leaders who tend to set the pace for the public. A number of times the fashion designers use the celebrities to wear their designs as a way of advertising to the public. The methodology of advertising designs using celebrities who showcase unique designs, leads to setting of trends in fashion.
Past research indicate that some brands are more preferred to some groups of consumers than others (Liu & Wang, 2008). Furthermore, the various groups of fashion leadership have the urge to provide high uniqueness levels in their products, which will further give them a sense of motivation, which will give them a chance to choose on a variety of different offerings, within the product category apparel. For these consumer types, some brands may represent precise denotations that may be imperative to the membership of the group, as well as the identity.
Consumers make use of clothing when identifying with specific groups of fashion consumers. Through this process, brands play a big role. Fashion leaders would thus come in to provide the necessary need for these types of consumers. Strong associations may be exhibited to certain brands by these types of consumers, as a result of their fashion interest. There is the need to understand the fashion leadership thoughts that relates to brands. The theory of clothe swapping provides some information on this.
The theory of clothe swapping refers to two or more consumers exchanging clothes without any money exchange (Straaten, 2010). The swapping can either be done in person or websites. The fashion leaders who do the swapping in person may gather at someone’s home to do the collection of all clothes that are no longer worn or in need. The items are then gathered and valued basing on categories that are key concern in fashion, thus, the expensive and the less expensive ones (Straaten, 2010). It is not necessary for all items that are swapped to be taken, since everyone has a right to choose. An explanation by these fashion leaders is made as to why certain choices are made, since the selection of the items is done on a one by one basis (Straaten, 2010).
Aside from the meeting to do the swapping, online choice is another way of swapping. Basing on the respective posts online, two fashion leaders may exchange their items. The posts that are placed online include photos and the description of items needed and those that are to be exchanged. The most common swapping sites include social networking, as well as blogging. The online platforms enable the fashion leaders to engage in brands and fashion talks. The swapping through online, as well as that of in person is important to the fashion leaders since they are able to exercise their persuasion skills of considering new fashion in town (Workman & Caldwell, 2007).
Another theory that arises from fashion leadership is the fashion consumer groups. The knowledge behind the fashion consumers enables the fashion leaders to identify the specific target groups, the exact items that are needed which have a gap in the market and the age and population structures of the areas. When the behaviors and motivations of fashion consumer groups are well understood, then there will be a smooth prediction of the wants and needs, which will be satisfied better than before.
The theory of fashion consumer groups, as narrated by Rogers (1962), suggested that every consumer has a unique pattern of behavior when a new item is presented to him or her. There are some basic categories that are important in consumer adoption. They include early adopters, innovators, early majority, laggards and late majority. Each of these categories has a different percentage in the population. The knowledge of these categories is important to the fashion leaders in identifying the specific groups for identifying new products thus they get busy in designing the desired products. Furthermore, the earlier an adoption of a product is done, the faster it runs through other consumers who intend to like it and the fashion leader engages himself or herself in redesigning of different fits of the product. The redesigning and acceptance of the products leads to a greater percentage of the population gaining interest on the product (Rogers, 1962).
Roger’s model was built upon by Hirschman and Adcock (1978), who differentiated the fashion consumer groups through the use of a scale. The developed scale points out the four groups that are fashion oriented. The groups include fashion opinion leaders, fashion followers, fashion innovators and innovative communicators (Hirschman & Adcock, 1978). The four groups have unique characteristics that depend on their way of interaction with clothing, as well as trends on fashion. Each group has a different motivation when making decisions on whatever they are in need of. Several researchers have greatly assessed the diverse behavioral patterns of various fashion consumers. The research has it that the fashion opinion leaders, as well as innovators are the most conscious on fashion among all other groups of consumers because their fashion interest and trends is the strongest. Moreover, the two are driven by the high need for being unique when making their daily decisions. Contradicting to that, innovative communicators, as well as the fashion followers do not do their shopping on fashionable items at frequent rates. They are also not often driven by shopping motivations that are hedonic (Workman & Caldwell, 2007).
When these fundamental characteristics are taken into consideration, it is clearly seen that the most appropriate group to examine, are the opinion leaders, as well as the fashion innovators, who will help in the knowledge of further understanding the connection formed with apparel, as well as how they use that apparel in expressing themselves. Fashion leaders on the other hand, with knowledge given to them on the fashion industry, are likely to be aware of the diversity of brands that are apparel, as well as the benefits that the brands offer.
Another theory of fashion leadership is the brands. Brand is the symbol, name or design that a particular company or seller or fashion designer is identified with. The brand enables the fashion leader to distinguish himself from other designers, whereby, he also shows his consumers and followers a certain degree of worthiness. In precise, brands protect both the fashion leader and his followers. The fashion leader is protected through avoiding imitation of his works while the follower is protected through acquiring imitations of the fashion he wants (Aaker, 1991).
Fashion followers judge brands on an emotional and cognitive way. It implies that the perceptions of brands are thus created by the consumers (Keller, 2001). The brand perceptions brought about by emotional values, increases the intentions of purchase. Also, the fashion leaders who device various strategies that assist in the promotion of connections that are with their brands that are apparel, have an impact of value creation in their follower’s mind.
There are factors that enable a brand to be notable and further expedite a perception that is favorable to the fashion consumers. In most cases, some aspects of the fashion of the product, that include attribute of the design, innovative features of the design and the design of package, mostly create the popularity of the brand (Franzen & Moriarty, 2009). Nevertheless, the most vital thing about a brand is the intangible nature it contains, the brand equity. Brand equity refers to the attached value to a functional service or product through associating the brand name with it (Aaker & Biel, 1993). Brand equity can be seen as a way of capitalizing on the brand name value. In the event where a brand creates a strong equity, loyalty of the brand consumers remains and even grows stronger. When there is a high regard of the brand, most consumers turn to the brand despite any changes of its prices in the market place.
Identification is another useful theory in the fashion leadership. The theory revolves around four components that affect fashion. They include social categorization, social identity, group distinctiveness and social comparison (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). The theory explains the process of individuals ordering their social environment into various groups; how they heighten their self- concept through membership gain of social groups; make comparisons with the other people in their groups; and lastly make distinction of their group common likes from the other groups. This brings out the distinction of the different categories of the fashion consumers.
Another theory in fashion leadership is the trickle- down theory. It involves the distribution of fashion to individuals. It functions where the societies depends on hierarchy and strive for upward mobility among the several social strata. The fashion is first offered to the higher hierarchy within the society then gradually moves to the lower within the same strata. It assumes a social model, whereby, the people at the higher side of the strata seek distinction of style from those at the socially lower side of the strata.
There are trends in the fashion leadership. Such include the distribution of fashion. The society today consists of various cultures living together. Different cultures have different taste of fashion and designs. The fashion leaders need to identify what different cultures can comfortably accept within the rules of their societies. Fashion depends at times on the type of climate within an area. The fashion leaders must be aware of the climate of the areas they intend to unleash their fashion. It may include further study of climatic changes and patterns of different regions so as to present their fashion in appropriate seasons. Higher levels of technologies are used to come up with trendy fashions due to the multicultural society.
In conclusion, fashion leadership entails several attributes to enable an increased number of followers. One has to be trendy, age specific, cost effective and also sensitive to climatic changes. Most people look up to celebrities for fashion adoption since they believe they have the best trendy fashion. Decisions made to the type of fashion to be worn mostly depend on how the fashion leader would portray his items.
Reference
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