As the academic year draws to a close, the halls of London College of Fashion buzz with the anticipation of another graduating class ready to make their mark on the industry. Among them is BBA (Hons) Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding student Charlie Quiney. Charlie's final major project, "Grailed," has captivated attention with its innovative approach to exploring cultural currency, nostalgia, and consumer behaviour within the Gen-Z market.
In a field often overshadowed by other facets of the fashion industry, Charlie's work underscores the vital role of visual merchandising in connecting brands with their audience. Today, we delve into the inspirations, research, and unexpected findings of "Grailed," offering a glimpse into the future of fashion through Charlie's insightful eyes.
The field of visual merchandising and is full of constant moving parts and theories. The execution of branding in different forms such as pop-ups, window displays and permanent sites represent the message and connection to the consumer. This is what excites and inspires my creativity.
Visual merchandising can almost be forgotten by the wider industry. However, I believe it is one of the most important facets to get right. My final major project at LCF was underpinned by the modern cultural currency employed by the Gen - Z market, and now this has become one of the most pivotal changes in the industry, and specifically in the field of visual merchandising and branding.
The act of shopping vintage and sustainable isn’t anything new. But what is, is the consumption of luxury archive fashion. My final major project delved into the motivations of this through the act of feeling nostalgic. I believe this is the key trend within this specific generation, fuelled by the rise in Jellycats and cultural figures to name a few. This intersection reveals much about how cultural currency and nostalgia influence Gen-Z's consumer behaviour, making it a significant area of study.
These themes were identified through a wide market research, captured by trend analysis, structured and semi-structured interviews with industry professionals, and a survey targeted at specific groups in within Generation Z.
Themes identified were the lust for individuality, to set those apart from the growing saturated industry. This has been caused by fast TikTok trends and the quick turnaround fast-fashion brands can achieve with these trending luxury items.
A notable response through the questionnaire taken by Gen-Z was that they aren’t shopping luxury items regularly and if they do, it is timeless rare classics that hold value. Motivated by individuality previously mentioned, and to be able to resell these items in the future through applications such as Grailed.
After capturing and analysing the data through the variety of outputs mentioned, the creative output of this project was to ‘answer’ the data findings. A physical space was created for the online retail platform 'Grailed,' featuring an exhibition that showcased selected pieces as art. This space clearly conveyed the concept of an e-commerce platform 'popping up' in a physical location. A VR auction was included both in the app and the physical space to highlight the products' high rarity, ensuring the brand maintained its image as a dominant e-commerce reselling platform.
An unexpected finding in my research was found through an interview with a professional from Dior, they mentioned that permanent sites are the most influential part of visual merchandising. However, due to post covid wants and needs from the market, it was believed that immersive storytelling sites that act as also participation culture (social media posts) was the most influential new way of presenting a brands ideas and thoughts.
This project has shaped my career aspirations widely, this project has made me realise that the strategic planning and research is both important and exciting, and is a more successful approach to a brands marketing plans rather than artistic directions.