Isabella Boyd
20 Words
These are 20 words that stood out to me or relate to the breif:
• Fast Fashion
• Social media
• Alpha
• Cultural
• AI
• Adolesence
• Trends
• Influences
• Sustainability
• Technology
• Future
• Media
• Imagination
• Brands
• Digital
• Storytelling
• Media
• Gaming
• Reels
• Personalization
From these 20 words I picked out 10 that stood out to me the most and created a mood board of 20 images for each word. I think that my moodboards show a more indepth visual of each word, I created them using photoshop.
Initial ideas from 20 X 20:
- Research into fast fashion brands
- How do brands keep up with trends
- Who are the influences to Gen A?
- Environmental impact of fashion
- Sustainable brands
- Virtual fashion
- Artificial intelligence
- Interview my Gen A little cousins
From my 20 X 20, the moodboard that stood out to me and interested me the most was the sustainability moodboard. I want to zoom more into sustainability as I think this is a big part of fashion in the future, and a big trend for Generation Alpha, therefore this may be an option to incorporate in my final message.
I also think that vinted is very popular at the minute and is the way forward for sustainable fashion, I was very inspired by the vinted logo which is ‘Less waste, more style’ which I want to explore further because I love styling and I think I could use it in my final message.
An idea I had was buying less but finding a away to style more. For example styling 1 clothing item many different ways.
Starting from my 20x20, I explored each word in more depth, beginning with Gen Alpha. I have two younger cousins who are part of this generation, so they provided a useful point of reference. I compared how they are growing up to my own experience as part of Gen Z. While I noticed some similarities, there are also quite a few differences. I also observed how parenting styles vary, my auntie, a millennial, has different rules for them compared to the ones my mum had for me, especially regarding social media and online safety. She’s much more aware of what they’re exposed to online and doesn’t want them to have social media accounts until they’re in Year 9.
I explored Generation Alpha in more detail by looking into their interests, behaviors, fashion choices, purchasing power, social media habits, and gaming trends. I think Gen Alpha is growing up in a completely digital world, which makes them more familiar with tech from a young age. They have a strong influence on trends and buying decisions, even though they’re still quite young. Their exposure to online content, influencers, and gaming shapes their preferences and personalities in ways that are very different from previous generations. In my opinion, Gen Alpha is confident, creative, and highly connected, but this also means it’s important for them to be guided carefully, especially when it comes to social media and screen time.
A new way that brands are marketing to Generation Alpha is through gaming, eg Roblox. Gen A love personalizing and creating their own characters. I have created my own Roblox character and croquis of me: I created my Roblox character on chat GPT by sending it an image of me and telling it to add accessories. I created my croquis on photoshop.
Trend forecasting lecture with Catherine:
Impcating trends:
Society - demographics, lifestyles
Technology - AI
Environment - climate
Politics - elections
Industry - supply chain shifts, retail models
Creativity/culture - art, music
Trending hashtags on my instagram feed:
Next, I wanted to explore the impact of fast fashion brands on the environment. I started by researching Shein, as I was curious about how such a massive company, with thousands of cheap products constantly being added to its website affects the planet. I also looked into Edikted, a smaller fast fashion brand that frequently appears on my Instagram feed. Additionally, I looked into Revolve, which markets itself as a more luxury brand, but still has a significant environmental impact. In my opinion, while these brands make fashion more affordable and accessible, they contribute heavily to overconsumption and waste. New coming trends encourage a disposable attitude toward clothing, which is harmful to both the environment and the long-term mindset around sustainable fashion.
After looking into fast fashion, I wanted to explore which brands are addressing environmental issues and promoting sustainability. I began by researching sustainable practices and came across Vinted as a great example. Personally, I really like Vinted, I regularly use it to sell clothes I no longer wear, and I’ve also bought several items through the app. I believe platforms like this are the way forward, as they help reduce waste and encourage people to give clothes a second life instead of throwing them away.
I also researchedhow these brands use influencer marketing to boost their visibility and sales. For example, they rely on hauls, sponsored content, and influencer trips to create hype around their products. While this strategy is effective in driving consumer interest and purchases, it also contributes to increased consumption and waste, further harming the environment.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I’m considering incorporating sustainability into my final message, as it’s an important and growing trend among Gen Alpha. I want to highlight this by showing how a single piece of clothing can be styled in multiple ways, inspired by Vinted’s campaign slogan. My message is: “Buy less, find more ways to style.” To bring this idea to life, I plan to create my own video as part of my research, demonstrating how one item can be worn in a variety of different ways.
While researching retro-futurism fashion, I found the whole aesthetic really fascinating. I love the use of bright colors, metallics, and bold shapes, it’s all so eye-catching. I think this style would especially appeal to Gen Alpha because of its vibrant visuals and futuristic feel. One of the retro-futuristic films I looked at was Clueless, which I’ve seen before and loved. The scene where Cher uses her computer to choose an outfit from her digital wardrobe stood out to me. I think Gen Alpha would love this concept, as they’re very tech-savvy and often interested in anything that makes their lives easier, including having technology help them decide what to wear.
This idea could work really well in my message video, as it ties into the future and reflects how fashion and technology are merging. There are already apps like Whering that offer a similar experience to the Clueless wardrobe. I actually use Whering for my styling Instagram account, it lets you upload your clothes, create outfits, and even has a feature that randomly selects an outfit for you. It’s a fun, practical tool that I think captures the kind of futuristic fashion experience Gen Alpha would be excited about.
This is a croquis I created on photoshop on retro futurism using pictures I found on pinterest. I love all the bright, virbrant colours and retro futurism objects.
Interview questions to ask my Gen A little cousins:
• What is your name?
• How old are you?
• What is your favourite thing to do on the weekend or after school?
Fahion
• What kind of clothes do you like wearing the most?
• Do you know what fast fashion is?
• Do you care about weather things you wear are good for the planet?
Brands
• What is your favourite brand or shop for you clothes? Why?
• Have you ever seen something online or in a video and wanted to buy it?
Social media
• What apps do you use the most?
• Who are your favourite influences?
• What do you think about italian brainrot?
• Do you ever talk to your friends about what you have seen online?
• Are their any trends in your school? what are they?
Future
• What do you want to be when your older?
• What do you think the world will be like then?
• What do you think fashion and clothes will be like in the future?
Gaming
• What games do you play the most? what is your favourite?
• What do you play on?
• Do you like customizing your avatar? why?
• What do they wear? does it reflect your own style?
• Have you ever seen a brand in a game?
I really enjoyed hearing their responses to my questions—it was fascinating to learn about their thoughts on the future and fashion. I also liked hearing about the games they play. However, I think they were a bit young for the questions I asked. It was still interesting to see how younger members of Gen Alpha responded, but next time, I’d like to ask these questions to an older Gen Alpha to compare their answers.
Going forward
To develop on my research, I plan to incorporate more visuals and create dedicated moodboards for each subject I have explored. This will help communicate my ideas more effectively and provide a stronger visual direction. I also intend to further develop the concepts I’ve been considering for my final message, particularly by diving deeper into related research. I really like the direction this is heading, I’m especially excited about focusing on sustainability and retrofuturism, as I think the combination offers a compelling contrast between past visions of the future and today’s urgent environmental challenges. It feels like a fresh and meaningful way to engage the Gen A audience.
I also did a interview with the same questions with my step-brother Joe, who is an older Gen A. It was interesting to see his answers compared to my little cousins. I eidted both interviews on premier pro and added subtitles using Tiktok.