BUY LESS, BUY BETTER: AS MILLENNIALS ARE MAKING MORE CONSIDERED PURCHASES, LDC IS HERE TO FILL THAT GAP

When it comes to fashion these days, consumers are spoilt for choice. Fast fashion has grown to mammoth proportions as retail giants offer the latest trends at bargain prices on almost every high street. With this comes an inevitable reduction in quality as clothing becomes more disposable than ever. But is this really what people want? Quantity over quality? Let’s set aside the obvious environmental and social impact of manufacturing and disposing of these items at lightening speeds for another time, and go back to the heart of consumer wants as a recent study has found that millennials actually prefer to buy less, buy better, buy authentic. YES!

KRC research in partnership with Diamond Producers Association (DPA) have undertaken research of American millennials to propose that they are spending less buy buying more considered, and in fact shunning the fast fashion fads of the high street megastores. Favouring quality over quantity, 94% of those questioned would choose to own only one original luxury product than many less valuable items put together. According to Deborah Marquardt from DPA, "Millennials are defining luxury beyond the price, when they evaluate the purchase of a luxury item they seek genuineness, uniqueness and a non mass production that has meaning and value". In this way they are becoming consumer activists, and exercising their purchasing power instead of flocking to the nearest Primark for a seasonal wardrobe overhaul.

This is good news. But if the high street is inundated with ever-changing fast fashion, sacrificing quality for sheer quantity then where are those seeking authentic items with transparent supply chains going? Let’s be honest, some of the high end designer labels can be just as bad despite their high price points. This is where independent designers come in and London Designers Collective as a platform not only for these designers to sell their quality products, but as a place for consumers to exercise their purchasing power and find one-of-a-kind, transparent and quality items right on their high street. Visitors to LDC concept stores can see the quality of the items, and speak to the designers behind the product to find out more about its story. Shopping quality fashion does not necessarily mean jumping from Primark to Harrods. There is a middle where independent designers live to fill that gap and cater to the unique wants of the changing consumer. That middle is LDC. Come have a look for yourselves this summer as we co-curate another central London space… keep an eye on our Instagram for more details to come

For more on this story, check out the full article on Fashion United

*Header Image credit, Fashion United.

** Below, Charlotte Turner, London Designers Collective