Fall 2021
Introduction
Market researchers Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Mintel suggest that health and wellness is a current societal trend that will affect consumer shopping habits and patterns. Applying this insight to the fashion industry, activewear will emerge as a popular product category, influencing fashion trends and styles across product lines. According to WGSN, the next Swim/Resort trend will draw inspiration from athletic silhouettes in fitness garments and integrate those components into functional swimwear. A surf-inspired Active Bikini combines these macro and micro trends, reflecting a high-performance swimwear garment that fulfills consumer needs.
Target Market Description
The surf line’s target market for the Spring/Summer 22 season can be defined through seven demographic dimensions: marital status, gender, region, age, education, occupation, and income bracket. The target consumer, Tyler, is an unmarried woman residing in a single-resident household in the small beach town of Guilford, Connecticut. She identifies as a Millennial at thirty years old, representing a transition period between young and mature which allows for a blend between experimentalism in fashion and stable spending power. By leveraging her Masters of Business Administration education, she owns a successful local coffee chain with operations across the coast of Connecticut and teaches yoga classes on the weekends. Her average annual income falls between $70,000 and $75,000; without the economic responsibility for supporting children, Tyler has the discretionary income to spend on ethically sourced clothing, products, and groceries. The market segmentation for an active swimwear line also depends on the individual’s lifestyle and values. The ideal personality-driven consumer type for this Swim/Resort line is “The Empowered Activist.” Defined by Euromonitor International (Shirdhar, 2021), this market makes up 15% of American consumers, who value personal well-being and global issues. Tyler demonstrates the qualities of the Empowered Activist by seeking a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. She pursues fitness through activities such as surfing and yoga which also creates a connection between her and the environment. The Empowered Activist has high brand loyalty and is willing to invest in sustainable, high-quality products from companies that align with their values.
Key Trends
Health Conscious
Pricewaterhouse Cooper’s June 2021 Global Insights Pulse Survey (PwC, 2021) follows trends in consumer behavior during life after the pandemic, identifying that consumers have evolved to become more health-conscious. The new “work from home” environment offers people more control over their schedule, which allows them to allocate time for physical health through good nutritional habits and exercising frequently. In order to pursue physical and mental wellness, the consumer’s fashion shopping trends will consequently adapt. Of the cohort surveyed that works from home, 43% say that they increased their money spent in grocery, 32% in health and beauty, and 27% in sports and fitness categories. These shifts in shopping patterns demonstrate that well-being is a major trend driver and indicates a demand for activewear in the retail space. Mintel’s June 2020 Survey (DeSalva, 2021) revealed that 42% of shoppers aged 18-35 with an income less than $75,000 shopped for activewear online or in-store over other retailers in the past 12 months, which represents the second-highest percentage among the cohorts that were surveyed. The target customer embraces the societal trend of healthy living, allowing it to influence her decisions when shopping for swimwear.
The Active Bikini
The demand for functionality and style will converge into the next swimwear trend: The Active Bikini (Saygi, 2021b). Its silhouette references typical activewear sets through a tight, long-sleeve cropped top paired with high-waisted mini shorts. Physical movement must dictate the design of the product, so including a raglan sleeve enables a greater range of dorsiflexion in the arm when engaging in activities such as surfing or other workouts. A raglan sleeve refers to the top of the sleeve that connects by a diagonal seam extending from the neckline to the underarm. Incorporating the long sleeve introduces a stylistic element, while also providing a functional purpose to protect the wearer from the sun and the ocean. This trend has been introduced but is not currently saturating the market yet. The surfwear brand Roxy worked with the UK design house, Liberty, to produce a staycation style collaboration that incorporated the Active Bikini (Saygi 2021a). Harnessing the Roxy brand’s swimwear knowledge and Liberty’s unique prints, they intersect fashionable styles with performance elements to create a successful line. The fitness brand Fabletics also experiments with swimwear; they market “gym-to-swim” garments that emphasize high-performance fabrics to support physical activity. Modern fabrications should integrate functional and sustainable properties to construct the Active Bikini. Brands should avoid using petroleum-based neoprenes and instead opt for neoprene alternatives, particularly limestone neoprene or Yulex rubbers, to lessen environmental impacts. Limestone neoprene has buoyant and warming qualities and Yulex offers a good stretch and strength for swimwear garments.
Interpretation
As consumer lifestyles begin to emphasize physical and emotional well-being amid the post-pandemic world, the market will embrace clothing that is functional and comfortable. Consequently, consumers are shifting their shopping habits by opting for activewear specialty retailers over traditional clothing stores. For the Swim/Resort 22 season, the surf wear-inspired Active Bikini trend caters to the active lifestyle of the evolving target consumer. With an emphasis on fitness from the Wellbeing Trend Driver, the athletic cut of the long raglan sleeve promotes physical motion for the wearer. The technical construction of the garment is essential to offer the consumer high-quality performance swimwear while remaining fashion-forward. Activewear is a critical market since the consumer will continue to prioritize their healthy lifestyles through their clothing choices, even during a time where money spent on the overall fashion category is limited. Since the health-conscious societal trend is continuing to expand, the Active Bikini will successfully diffuse to the market segment consisting of consumers that prioritize an active and healthy lifestyle.
References:
DeSalva, A. (2020, September). Men’s & Women’s Clothing: Incl Impact of Covid-19 - US. Mintel. Retrieved October 7, 2021 from https://store.mintel.com/report/mens-womens-clothing-incl-impact-of-covid-19-us-september-2020?utm_source=reports.mintel.com&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=301redir
PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2021, June). The global consumer: Changed for good. PwC. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/consumer-markets/consumer-insights-survey.html.
Saygi, R. (2021a, September 14). Design Capsule: Women’s Surf S/S. WGSN. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://www.wgsn.com/fashion/article/91799
Saygi, R. (2021b, August 27). Swimwear Forecast S/S 23: Design-Wise. WGSN. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://www.wgsn.com/fashion/article/91712
Shirdhar, A. (2021, August 18). Consumer Types in the US. Passport; Euromonitor International