Kiss and Tell

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY 24 July 2008

Signs of new fashion spend trend among Kiss listeners

Our July interviews with the Kiss audience panel revealed signs of a potential new fashion spend trend, one that has listeners opting for fewer, (relatively) more expensive clothes purchases, over quick turnover fashion. It’s a pattern that corresponds with other research studies in the last six months and, quite possibly, is a reaction to the credit crunch.

Most visible at present among our female Conscious Consumers typology (though some Modern Mainstreamers and Progressive Youth aired similar views), there are indications of frustration at keeping up with ‘fast-fashion’, a desire not to look like everyone else and a growing interest in “investment buys” that will stand the test of time.

Jane Shepherdson, celebrated former brand director of Topshop and now of Whistles, has made similar predictions of late from a business perspective. "I think fashion is in an interesting position at the moment. It has become very polarised,” she said. “There is an awful lot at the discount end of the market and it has become cheaper and cheaper, while the designer end has become more and more expensive. There is a gap for people who want to buy beautiful quality clothes but can't afford designer prices."

Based on our interviews, Conscious Consumers are currently 75% more likely to opt for quality over quantity in fashion, but we forecast that the Modern Mainstreamer and Progressive Youth typologies will also show significantly more interest in more enduring fashion items over the next 12 months.

Over to a few of the panel…

“It feels like time to get off that fashion conveyor belt. I want stuff that’s going to last and stay in my wardrobe for a couple of years now, rather than fall apart in four weeks. It’s just a lot more ethical to buy things that will last as well.” (Jody, 27, Streatham)

“I think the excitement’s going out of that idea of trendy, trashy stuff that tries to be really current. It’s been a fun trend for about five years but I definitely think a lot of my friends are now looking at fashion in a different way and re-thinking what’s important.” (Kaya, 27, Pinner)

“At first you might think it makes sense and it’s exciting to buy lots of cheap things that are very, very on-trend. But no, come on, you’ve got to think beyond that. You just end up binning most of that stuff after a few months. I’d rather buy things which mean I can then buy other things to work with them. You build up a good wardrobe that way. (Ruby, 32, Bromley)