In this tough economic time its all about value. The cost of experiences, going out and shopping is increasing and in many cases one’s income is not doing the same.
Which leaves the young consumer having to choose between a worthwhile experience or a new t-shirt for example. An experience offers so much value to the youth, often times it involves friends, music, enjoyment and beyond that leaves them with moments and memories that they can share on social media with friends. Which to them is worth every penny. They get so much for the price that they have paid for the experience.
It can be equally as satisfying for a consumer to buy a piece of clothing that they can wear in multiple ways. Which has a cool factor to it and it means that for a certain cost you are getting more than one product. It would then be worth a designer’s while to make hybrid pieces which basically means items that offer the benefit of wearing the item in different ways.
Let’s say you opt to wear your new item as a dungaree to this weekend’s music festival but on Monday it becomes a pair of work pants. It’s no longer seen as a singular piece of clothing but as a piece of clothing with true value because of its versatility.
Multi-wear items aren’t new, they have been done before but not on a grand scale. Considering the current economic climate many consumers are only buying as they need. So why not, as a brand, take the leap in making products that are truly worth spending on and where the consumer perceives greater value. You can command a higher price and because of the multi-wear element the price will be justified.
In some cases 3-faced clothing doesn’t mean product innovation but it can be applied through communication and styling. Kendall Jenner herself, the queen of the teens, was recently seen wearing a slip dress as a t-shirt with jeans. Which could even be worn as a skirt with a top over it. Talk about 3-faced.
Article by Gabrielle Mixon
TrendER Insights’ Fashion Researcher, Communicator & Trend Analyst
