On this past season of “Project Runway,”one budding designer was booted for creating a “bad cliché of the working girl”with a pocket square, wrap blouse and tailored jacket that made his model look 55, not 25.
“The rules have changed for women who work today,”judge Michael Kors said on his blog after the show. “It’s about being current and up-to-date and knowing what’s going on. Joe’s outfit shows he’s not plugged into modern life.”
Some retailers have also struggled to “plug in”– to connect with this young woman, age 18 to 30, who’s somewhere between the junior and misses departments. She’s a college student or just started her first job. Maybe, she’s recently moved into her first apartment. In any case, she’s on a budget. Having grown up with the Internet and social networking, she’s simultaneously connected to her laptop, PDA and iPod, deluged with updates on the latest designers and fashion trends. She shops H&M, Forever 21 and Zara, while carrying a Coach bag. Her college or entry-level job lifestyle may not support her clothing desires but that doesn’t mean she’s out of the fashion loop.
“I’ve never known a group to be so aware of designers,”says Mindi Trank, director, brand strategy, at design firm Chute Gerdeman Retail (Columbus, Ohio).
This generation also seeks social engagement and opportunities to linger, regardless of what activity they’re doing. “Shopping has again become a social event for them,”says John Von Mohr, vp and creative director at RYA Design Consultancy (Dallas). So retailers must respond with store environments that appeal to this nature, such as playing music and video presentations, mimicking an Urban Outfitters store, or installing accessories bars, like at Forever 21.
Retailers must also learn to speak to this generation’s independent spirit. As children, these women were told they could be anything thing they wanted to be, leading to an individuality that’s also reflected in their wardrobes. “She doesn’t want to be all matchy-matchy,”says Jay Highland, director, brand communications, at Chute Gerdeman. “She wants a more individualistic look.”
So a wide array of retailers – like Bloomingdale’s, Kohl’s, H&M, Target and Neiman Marcus – are experimenting with new designers. “There’s lots of emphasis on fashion and celebrities and the pop culture world,”says Von Mohr. “These women have been exposed to all of this and their fashion expectations are pretty high.”
Early this year, Macy’s acknowledged there was a void in its stores for this woman. “She was going elsewhere to shop,”says Macy’s senior store designer Nadine King. “But investing in this younger customer is investing in our future because eventually we want her to shop our misses department, housewares and then children’s, for her growing family. So it’s important to get her in the store now.”
To cultivate that relationship, Macy’s added a new contemporary apparel area in over 100 stores, anchored by a BCBGeneration zone (designed by Fitch New York) and surrounded by similar vendors, including Kensie, Ben Sherman, Kitson, LA Made, Miss Sixty and Re:revolve. This new contemporary zone is mannequin intensive, “so we’re showing the customer how to assemble the pieces,”says King. The zone also frequently rotates merchandise to inspire the customer to return to the shop often to grab what’s hot.
Other retailers are using decorative accessories and lounge-like environments to make a statement. RYA worked with Bloomingdale’s and its Y.E.S. Contemporary Department to present merchandise from parent departments, such as shoes, handbags and cosmetics, with apparel. “It’s about bringing amenities into that department that speak to that lifestyle and invite her to stay longer,”says Von Mohr.
Visual merchandising also plays a big role as retailers are showing entire outfits, from hats to shoes and all the jewelry, handbags and jackets in between, in a coordinated offering. And many retailers are installing runway presentations at the store entrances to play up the fashion-forward emphasis.
It all has to be fun, trendy and cool. But the reward for doing it right is that you have her for life. “If you tell the right story,”says Highland, “you’ll keep her coming back.”