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Gen Z Redefines Festive Fashion

Minimalism continues to be a driving force in the fashion world, and this festive season is no exception. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, there has been a 47% increase in searches related to minimalist fashion in the past year. Gen Z’s preference for simplicity is evident in their shopping habits…writes Revathy Kant

In the vibrant tapestry of ever-changing fashion trends, the upcoming festive season promises a unique blend of sophistication and simplicity, catering to the discerning tastes of Gen Z. As the new Gen continues to redefine elegance, this festive season embraces the essence of minimalism and functionality, creating a harmonious balance between tradition and modernity. Gen Z consumers are greatly influenced by social media and OTT platforms and this cohort’s fashion fragment is ever growing. In fact, industry data indicates that the demand for Gen Z fashion segment witnessed a 105% y-o-y increase in H1 2023.Let’s delve into the eminent design trends that will set the stage for this season’s celebrations.

Sustainable Glamour: More than just a trend

One of the most notable shifts in the upcoming festive season is the growing emphasis on sustainability. Gen Z, being environmentally conscious, is leading the charge towards eco-friendly fashion choices. According to a recent study, Gen Z Shoppers demand sustainable retail, the vast majority of Generation Z shoppers prefer to buy sustainable brands, and they are most willing to spend 10% more on sustainable products. Designers and consumers alike are opting for sustainable fabrics, recycled materials, and ethical practices. Festive wear now embodies not just opulence, but also a commitment towards a greener planet. This conscious choice echoes the generation’s ethos of being the change they want to see in the world.

The Rise of Minimalist Fashion

Minimalism continues to be a driving force in the fashion world, and this festive season is no exception. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, there has been a 47% increase in searches related to minimalist fashion in the past year. Gen Z’s preference for simplicity is evident in their shopping habits. Gen Z, known for its love of simplicity and functionality, is championing minimalist fashion. Clean lines, neutral tones, and timeless silhouettes are the order of the day. Think flowing dresses in solid hues, tailored suits in muted shades, and accessories that are elegant in their simplicity. The focus has shifted from excess to essence, allowing the wearer’s personality to shine through effortlessly.

Mixing Tradition with Modernity

While minimalism takes centre stage, there’s also a delightful trend of blending traditional elements with contemporary styles. A study by The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company states that 65% of Gen Z consumers find cultural diversity important, influencing their fashion choices. Gen Z is redefining cultural fashion by incorporating classic motifs and traditional craftsmanship into modern designs. This fusion of heritage and innovation results in garments that are both culturally rich and fashion-forward. For instance, a traditional embroidered jacket paired with sleek trousers or a classic saree with a contemporary blouse design can make a powerful style statement.

Digital Fashion Takes the Spotlight

In the digital age, technology is seamlessly integrating with fashion, giving rise to the concept of digital fashion. The online fashion and lifestyle industry in India is now worth $11 billion and is slated to grow at a 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $35 billion by 2028, according to a joint report by consultancy Bain & Company and Aditya Birla Group-owned house of brands firm TMRW. Gen Z, being digitally savvy, is embracing this trend with open arms. Virtual fashion shows, digital clothing, and augmented reality shopping experiences are becoming increasingly popular. This festive season, expect to see a blend of physical and digital fashion, where real-world garments coexist with their virtual counterparts, allowing for endless creativity and expression.

Fashion as a Form of Identity

For Gen Z, fashion isn’t just about following trends; it’s a means of self-expression. They are radically accepting different shapes and shades of beauty. This festive season, individuality takes precedence. Customization, DIY fashion, and upcycling are gaining traction. From hand-painted denim jackets to personalised accessories, Gen Z is finding innovative ways to infuse their unique personalities into their festive wardrobes. This trend not only promotes creativity but also emphasises the importance of embracing one’s identity in the world of fashion. A study by Pinterest reported a 70% increase in searches for “DIY fashion” ideas. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are flooded with tutorials showcasing how to personalise garments, encouraging individuality and creativity among young consumers.

In conclusion, the eminent design trends of this upcoming festive season, as seen through the eyes of Gen Z, are a beautiful amalgamation of sustainability, minimalism, tradition, technology, and personal expression. There are more than 116 million Gen Z consumers in India who continue to champion these design trends as fashion becomes a canvas for self-expression, social awareness, and celebration. So, with the approaching festive season, let’s adorn ourselves with the elegance of minimalism, the conscience of sustainability, and the richness of cultural diversity, making a stylish statement that resonates far beyond the realm of fashion.

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Business Finance Lite Blogs

From paychecks to prosperity, a millennial guide

Millennials love experimenting with their investing habits without taking advice from others, they rather depend on the internet for it. This has resulted in huge losses for many people….writes Arun Singh Tanwar

Millennials have been living on a fault line. They have learned how to earn but lack how to retain their hard-earned money. In today’s era, we can see millennials doing great in their careers, but internally they struggle to pay their bills. Even after earning a decent amount to lead a good life, their happiness lasts for a week after getting a paycheck. The reason behind this is no knowledge of money management. Millennials are still in the process of learning how to save money and make money from the saved money.

Job security is necessary for millennials, but in the process of getting a job, they often forget to save money while paying off their debts. In the current era, there is no life without debt. People are bound to take a loan, may it be a housing loan, educational loan, or corporate loan. Managing money between paying debts and handling responsibilities is turning out to be difficult for millennials. But, the catch here is, saving money and having smart earning habits is not difficult, it’s just a bit tricky. Here are some smart earning habits that might help millennials:

Mindset on saving: Unlike the old generation, who prioritized long-term savings, millennials do not aim for long-term savings. It can be seen that as much as millennials earn, they tend to spend more than required. According to various surveys, it can be said that:

Millennials tend to spend almost 10% of their earnings on eating out.

Millennials love experimenting with their investing habits without taking advice from others, they rather depend on the internet for it. This has resulted in huge losses for many people.

The more they earn, the more they want to spend, this results in zero growth overall.

To overcome this situation, millennials need to take advice from experts and start believing the facts and theories of financial freedom. A shift in mindset is needed, they need to start thinking about making more money from saved money and additional income rather than spending on lifestyle or other things that currently should not be the priority.

Avoiding debts and fulfilling the current one as soon as possible: As mentioned earlier, debt is unavoidable in the current situation, especially when you are doing the job and feeding a household. But, if we look closely, many things are encouraging the current generation to take on debt for the sake of lifestyle. For example, mobile phones, millennials are enchanted by buying expensive phones. Companies now are offering to buy mobile phones on EMI, these EMI last around 6-18 months. This can be counted as an unnecessary debt.

Millennials should know what debt is necessary for them, and try avoiding the debts aforementioned. Also, after getting their paychecks, millennials should aim to clear off debts as soon as possible by holding all unnecessary spending like too many clothes, eating outside in fancy restaurants, and spending on items that they do not need but just want. This can help them in clearing off debts at a faster pace.

Having a skillset: An expert once said, one source of income is never enough to gain financial freedom. Millennials need to learn this, having job security is necessary as it gives them a fixed income. Whereas one can also try to learn unique skills that they can sell for additional income. In the current era of digitalization, one can work for foreign organizations by sitting at any place. Various platforms offer gigs at competitive prices for budding writers, graphics designers, animators, web developers, and various professionals. Having a side income can help millennials to clear their debts fasters and increase their disposable income. Further, to take advantage of increased disposable income, they can start investing it in good stocks or mutual funds to get good returns.

Learn the art of investing from experts: As we can see inflation is rising day by day, and keeping the money spare in our bank accounts or our lockers won’t increase its value. The only way to increase the value of our saved money is by investing it in the right place. Several experts out there can teach and guide people on how to invest their money. May it be through trading, buying stocks, or simply investing in mutual funds. Investing the money at the right palace can give a good amount of returns, this adds as another source of income.

From the above analysis it can be said that having a secure job is not enough, one needs to learn the art of investing, saving, and spending to prosper in life. The path for Paychecks to Prosperity via Smart Earning Habits for Millennials requires a disciplined lifestyle in terms of budgeting. The first goal to gain financial freedom should be to get rid of debts, followed by saving and investing a bit and fulfilling needs, and then spending on wants. The smart earning habits followed by smart investing habits can streamline the process of financial freedom of millennials in a quick way.

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Fashion Lite Blogs

Ranveer joins SUGAR cosmetics for Gen Z and Millennial

Sugar Cosmetics began as a direct-to-consumer brand in 2015, but quickly expanded into the offline market in 2017. Today, the brand generates annual sales of more than INR 550+ crores and has a physical presence with 45,000+ retail touch points in 550+ cities…reports Asian Lite News

Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh invest in SUGAR Cosmetics, a leading omnichannel beauty company among Gen Z and Millennial consumers. This collaboration expected to solidify Sugar’s fan favourite status and open up new channels for customer acquisition, particularly among Gen Z and millennial audiences in India.

Excited about this new partnership, Ranveer Singh added, “Defying the conventional has been embedded in my DNA and I take pride in partnering with a brand that believes in empowering women. I have admired Sugar’s ability to build a tremendous fan-following over the years and I’m excited to be a part of this journey and help the brand achieve its mission of providing Indian women access to premium & quality makeup products specially formulated for them.”

Commenting on the announcement, Vineeta Singh, Cofounder and CEO, Sugar Cosmetics said, “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Ranveer to the family. The brand is the makeup of choice for bold, independent women who refuse to be stereotyped into roles and if someone shares the same DNA as ours, it is Ranveer! His personality of being bold, quirky, and vibrant makes the partnership a natural fit.”

“We are delighted to have Ranveer on board as we look forward to reinforcing our brand connect with consumers. He is undoubtedly one of the most popular youth icons in the country and his unstoppable and clutter-breaking personality fits very well with the brand ethos of Sugar. This will help supercharge our growth trajectory as we continue scaling the brand aggressively to build it into a large and much-loved makeup & beauty brand” said Kaushik Mukherjee its Cofounder & COO.

Sugar Cosmetics began as a direct-to-consumer brand in 2015, but quickly expanded into the offline market in 2017. Today, the brand generates annual sales of more than INR 550+ crores and has a physical presence with 45,000+ retail touch points in 550+ cities.

Ranveer’s investment comes on the heels of a $50 million Series D fundraise led by L Catterton’s Asia fund, the world’s largest consumer-focused private equity firm. Multiple private equity funds expressed strong interest in the expanded round, with existing investors A91 Partners, Elevation Capital, and India Quotient continuing to participate.

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Lite Blogs Music

Gen Z into new music listening trends

As more songs become available online, more people are turning to platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, and others to listen to what is now known as “bedroom pop.”…reports Knox Artiste

The Indian music industry is undergoing a revolution, and Gen Z is driving the change. Gone are the days when people had to listen to a record, turn on the radio, or rely entirely on MTV to hear their favourite songs. Today, a slew of self-made superstars have risen to prominence with their own independent labels – written, produced, and streamed from the privacy of their own bedrooms.

The Impact of the Internet: Without a doubt, the Internet has had the greatest impact on the creation, distribution, and consumption of music content in India and around the world. In the last decade, terms like YouTuber, Tiktoker, and Social Media Influencer have become commonplace, as more and more people embrace the streaming era. As more songs become available online, more people are turning to platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, and others to listen to what is now known as “bedroom pop.”

Unconventional Genre: People were surprised that such a sound existed when I performed my first flashup in 2017. To be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to find those songs from all over the world if it hadn’t been for the shifting narratives in the global music space. I knew most people, especially the young, go to YouTube for music, so I had to launch the release there. I just released my second flashup, #MagicMomentsFlashup, and the response has been incredible, with 3.5 million views in just a week.

New ways of getting heard (and seen): Gone are the days when you had to wait in line with a slew of other aspiring artists for your big break. Today, there are many independent music producers who have risen to prominence simply by creating amazing covers of songs performed by well-known artists and posting them online. In the name of Gen Z, these singers do this because there is a ready audience online.

More Playlists, less albums: Playlists are made by combining a list of one’s favourite songs into a folder on a digital device, rather than having a CD with 10 or more songs by the same artist. This limitless list is created and best enjoyed with headphones using music apps and platforms.

Diversity is now the name of the game: This is due to the fact that you have unrestricted access to a wide range of sounds. According to Forbes’ 2018 Music Consumption Study, more than 90 per cent of Gen Z listen to more than five musical genres on a regular basis. And it doesn’t really matter where the song comes from; as long as it’s trendy, recommended in an online community, or shared by a “online” friend, it’s fine.

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