Special report “A radical shift in consumer desires and behaviors” 2/3: Géraldine Dormoy The 27 October 2020 - Fabrics - Première Vision Paris

Géraldine Dormoy
Journalist, columnist and blogger
@geraldinedormoy

“For many years I was editor-in-chief of the
Styles website for L’Express, and I’m a columnist
for Marie Claire. I created my Café Mode
blog in 2005 and I did that till 2017, when I
started devoting more time to Instagram and
my newsletter. Over the years, my audience
has grown, but the spirit has stayed the same.
It brings together a largely female community,
of all ages, about a third of whom live in Paris
and the broader Ile de France region. The
discussions I’ve had with them over the past 15
years have really demonstrated how much their
desires have changed. Women are extremely
enlightened consumers. The collapse of the Rana
Plaza in Bangladesh (Editor’s note: causing
the deaths of 1,100 textile-industry workers)
sparked a growing trend, and climate change
now makes the issue a top priority. Women
have an enormous appetite for sustainable
fashion. There’s a lot of talk about the digital
revolution, but the sustainable revolution is
just as fundamental, and in any case is largely
driven by digital technology. Women consumers
are much more informed, you really can’t fool
them anymore. They insist on a relationship
of equality with brands, amplified by social
networks that give a voice to individuals. The
balance of power has changed, today brands
can’t just provide quality products; they also
have to convey a set of values.
If they aren’t perceived to be sincere or are
caught in wrongdoing, the punishment on
social media is swift and very harsh. On the
other hand, we see the idea of ‘love brands’
emerging, those brands “that we love with love”
and want to be part of. Gucci has succeeded
in this this very well, and so has Sézane. Their
strengths are rooted in a strong social media
presence, a universe spread over a multitude
of spheres (Instagram, TikTok, the site, the
stores). All this shows that a desire for loyalty
remains. But a zero tolerance for insincerity.”

1/3 : 1/3 : Discover the testimony of  Serge Carreira, Serge Carreira, Head of Emerging Brands Initiative at the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode and lecturer at Sciences-Po Paris here

3/3 : Read the testimony of Katell Pouliquen, Editorial director of Marie-Claire here