The future of the fashion system, but like many other manufacturing and production sectors, is in the hands of Gen Alphaor those born after the first decade of 2000. Demographic studies conducted by Mark McCrindle have shown that Gen Alpha will go beyond that 2 billion new consumersand which are likely to have good purchasing power.
Those born after 2010 will define the future. It doesn’t matter who has an income now. We don’t look at it that way. We look at who will define the future.
John Donahoe
Nike Chief Executive Officer
According to a study by Deloittethe new generations already at the tender age of 3 would be able to recognize the maisons and brands, therefore, in this perspective, it becomes essential to create a highly attractive brand identity for Gen Alpha so that it can develop in the wake of identification with the maison itself.
Defining a generation is more important than ever
Distinguish Gen Alpha from Gen Z or from Baby Boomers it may seem like an unnecessary quirk, but if you look beyond that, that’s all that matters. Both in reality and on the web, human beings have an almost primary and at times pressing need to feel identified and recognized in a group of people. To do this, various factors can be taken into consideration, and one of these from birth is certainly age. The nomadism 2.0 expressed on the web needs tribes with whom to share both memories and future expectations.
There are people who nostalgically remember MTV, and people who attended the concert of Achille Lauro and Justin Bieber in the Metaverse, how could these two generations not be distinguished?
Change your skin, buy a look: fashion in gaming
According to the sociology of fashion, it is what drives more and more mid and high fashion brands to focus on greater awareness and environmental sustainability, as well as an expansion into the web and web 2.0. The need is clear: that of intercept the habits of the very young on the web, and to do this more and more fashion houses are expanding their collaborative portfolio with video games and platforms of sorts. The case of Gucci, Moncler And Balenciaga in collaboration with Fortnite it is an example, in this sense, of a perfectly successful association between gaming And high fashion.
There is a strong assonance of thought behind the purchase of a new garment or a new skin in a video game, and actually what drives both actions is the desire to differentiate or to conform in the group of peers, or in the environment dating, so what better than a video game to influence purchasing habits and position yourself in favor of a growing Gen Alpha?
Famous skins are not just cool clothes for digital avatars. Now they are part of social construction of the visual version of the players themselves. This process of identification between avatar and player makes the person behind the joystick want to be, virtually, authentically represented.
Even social events attract both the person and the player, as is the case with the first British Fashion Awards held on the Roblox platform, where the public can experience the shows, the awarding of online prizes with the entire community, up to engaging in a real role-playing game that offers relevance to your avatar.
Gen Alpha and luxury
According to the KKB platform, there is a great desire among the youngest to own high-end brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel or Prada, and this is because they are being worn more and more by stars and celebrities. Also thanks to a renewed purchasing power, Gen Alpha is the youngest to approach the world of luxury, above all thanks to sources of entertainment such as TikTok And Instagramwhich have in all respects become a real way to keep up with trends.
Here a new concept of celebrity is also triggered, which began with Gen Z and consolidated with Gen Alpha, namely that of influencers, and in particular of #getreadywithme, a tag that never loses its virality. But why would anyone actually share the decision-making process behind choosing an outfit with you? Well, here is the keystone, feeling part of a virtual community even during ritual and sometimes obvious actions.
In this sense, luxury has never aimed at a young audience, above all because it lacked stable purchasing power, a trend that is facing an incontrovertible route change. If it is true that attention to fashion has led to the emergence of numerous fast-fashion realities, it must be reiterated that the Millennials, Gen Z and certainly also Gen Alpha are strongly reorienting purchasing interests towards a more responsible and sustainable perspective.
Based on this push, even luxury brands are trying to adapt, exemplary is the case of King Nylon by Pradaobtained from plastic waste recovered directly from the oceans, regenerated through a process of depolymerization, purification and transformation.
The need to be actors, not spectators
If there is a common thread among the aspects just analysed, it is that the Gen Alpha feels the pressing need to act as aware actors of consumerism rather than spectators. Numerous psychological and sociological researches have shown that since childhood, this generation has felt the weight of past choices upon itself. More and more kids don’t want to be astronauts or vets, but inventors, maybe for clean the oceansor reduce the pollution poisoning, and without being fully aware of it, they are already changing the world. As? Giving ideas to those who manage to grasp them, as in the case of Prada.
Precisely this drive to action of Gen Alpha has determined the success of platforms such as Roblox, TikTok And Minecraft, where the avatar can actually contribute, in some way, to the event or change. And it is the understanding that high fashion brands are also having, not only in their collections, but also through the numerous initiatives that make the very young part of a community, but also of a collective action, an event, a pop-upsan initiative and so on.