Transcript - Prachi Gor
Joshua Williams: Welcome to our special Retail Revolution podcast summer series "Independent Thinkers: The Rise of Generation Z." Each short episode is produced and hosted by Parsons School of Design Fashion Management, graduate students, Miloni Kothari and Caitlin Forbes. Each interview features six key questions that will help fashion and retail brands understand the needs, wants and desires of the rising Gen-Z customer.
Listen to full episodes of Retail Revolution with host Christopher Lacy every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram @retailrevolutionpodcast and visit retailrevolutionpodcast.com for more information. Retail Revolution is produced by Joshua Williams.
Miloni Kothari: Hello, and welcome to Retail Revolution podcast and our special summer series, "Independent Thinkers: The Rise of Generation Z." I'm your host today, Miloni Kothari and today's guest is Prachi Gor. Hi Prachi, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Prachi Gor: Hi Miloni. Thank you so much for having me, I'm Prachi Gor and I'm a student at Parsons Fashion Management program right now. I'm a designer from Muscat and India, a little bit of both. And so now I'm here in New York to go to school at Parsons, and I'm really excited to be here. Thank you for having me.
Miloni Kothari: Yes. You have been an amazing classmate to me. I know you, but still I'm so curious to ask you these questions. So, the first question being that you have been a part of the target audience for brands over the last two to five years. What do you look for in a brand to meet or even exceed your expectations?
Prachi Gor: I feel like, A) It's really important for the brand to be freely communicative about what they stand for and what they believe. Communication is really key and to not just like, believe in the brand yourself, but also get it out to your customers and make your message clear across all platforms.
I also really look for digital presence, like in all the brands that I follow and believe in, because I feel like if they don't have a strong digital presence, then I don't know where to sort of look for them, you know, because we're not always shopping in person. And especially with COVID, I feel digital platforms are my new way to discover brands.
And I think personally I also look for curation in brands. There are way too many products out there. And so if a brand really knows how to curate their products according to my likes and dislikes, then I don't have to waste time really searching for things that I want.
Miloni Kothari: Yeah, that's an interesting point you made there when you talked about digital presence. And as you know, most of our generation is on social media and that is how we connect to brands.
So, this is a time where the topic of systematic changes are at the forefront of every brand's conversation, be it meet sustainability, transparency or racial equality to whatever is happening in the States, or even the world right now. Why do you think a brand stance on these topics influence your decision making?
Prachi Gor: Whether you're a person or you're a brand, it's really easy to say something, but it's another to actually do it and act on it. And so a lot of brands do put out these messages and like explain their stance on it. But I don't see a lot of it them following through with their actions. Nowadays, as part of the Gen Z, when we buy something from a brand, when we wear something, it's essentially how we express ourselves.
So, when we buy something from them, their values and what they stand for should resonate with what we are, as people, what I am as a person. That really matters when I'm buying product from a brand.
Miloni Kothari: That's basically all of us right now. So, do you think that brands are getting it right? Or is there another brand that holds that kind of a spot when you're shopping?
Prachi Gor: I actually did this study for one of the classes in Parsons and for me it is Glossier, because I feel so tied into the Glossier community. I'm a regular customer. I buy from them very frequently. I'm always looking at their website and their Pinterest, Instagram obviously, and not just in terms of how they have really made their digital presence so well known, but they've really built a brand image. They've built a community that is so strong that the minute you buy a product from them and really explore the brand with them, you feel like you're a part of them and you want to keep going back.
And it's not just that. They stand very, very strongly to their core values. And in light of current events, they have really raised their voice. They've taken actual actions to stand by what they say. That's why I feel even more embedded in that community.
Miloni Kothari: I think what Glossier is doing is crazy. I remember every time I pass by Canal Street; you cannot ignore the long queue outside the store, and the experience it gives and then bubble wrap thing coming from top, It's just so what our generation wants. And especially how they have curated their Instagram with so much of natural looking beauty, like dewy makeup, no makeup look. I think that is something that our generation also likes, it shouldn't be there, but it should be there.
Prachi Gor: I like to see that the brands are making an effort, but it also looks effortless in everything that they do and sell both, both the ways.
Miloni Kothari: So, we have been associated with so many brands over the past few years, but they have made mistakes, whether it is labor practices in the supply chain or even cultural insensitivity. Do you think that these brands get you back as a customer after what has been going on?
Prachi Gor: I'm coming from a third world country. And so a lot of things that I didn't even realize were actually happening in the Western world and how the process of the manufacturing, how the production; what are the rights and the wrongs that are happening. In this program, there has been so much that I've learned and read that I’ve definitely started realizing how hard I need to look at things and products before I actually buy. And I've sort of started understanding the importance of brand value, of brand messaging. And, you know, I've become more conscious as a shopper, definitely. But at the same time, we sort of compare brands to like humans , because they have a voice, they believe in something. And so, if brands are willing to step up and accept their mistakes and promise to make changes, it makes them more human. So yes, then maybe they could have me back as a customer.
Miloni Kothari: Yes. So, still there is a maybe, right?
Prachi Gor: Because everybody does make mistakes. I understand as brands, and it's a bigger corporation and they have certain responsibilities, but again, if you were willing to accept what you did and then promise and make changes, and then again, act on it, then yeah you can go back , because you understand that they have made up.
Miloni Kothari: Yeah. It's like they have apologized.
As you know, our shopping habits have completely flipped in past six months. In what ways will your shopping behavior change as a result of this pandemic?
I definitely
Prachi Gor: think because of COVID, it's been the last four months and I have only shopped online. I have shopped a lot, but it's only been online. I definitely think the in-store shopping experience has to really be an experience or something that is worth stepping out, touch products, try them on and buy them. I don't think the old ways are going to work anymore. I feel everybody's already getting there, but digital is really going forward. It is growing, e-commerce is really my go-to right now. And I don't see when I will be shopping in person anytime soon, especially fashion.
Miloni Kothari: I am so curious to see how the experience will be once we get out of this. Digital right now, it gets tiring up to some point, right? it's just the screen at the end of the day. So, when you look at the fashion retail landscape, which is that one brand you would contribute your talents and your skills to?
Prachi Gor: This is something that I had in mind, even before I came here and I stand even more strongly with that, even though they don't completely cater to our generation: Eileen Fisher or Patagonia, are these two brands that I really want to work with. It's something about how they prioritize; how they really balance the growth versus sustainability bit within their brand. It's about what I was saying before about them making an effort, their values just transpiring through effortlessly in their products, on their platforms, in their messaging. I just feel like I would really want to be part of that community only because it would really correlate to what I believe in as the person.
Miloni Kothari: Yeah, I think these two brands, what they are doing is absolutely remarkable and it feels right. It feels right to a very, very great extent. And the feeling it gives, makes me want to work for them. Thank you so much for being with us today.
Prachi Gor: Thank you so much for having me. This was a great conversation for sure.
Joshua Williams: Thank you for listening to this episode of Retail Revolution. A very special thank you to everyone who has helped make this podcast possible, our guests, our students and fellow faculty at Parsons School of Design, especially in such an extraordinary and unprecedented time. Our theme music was composed by Spencer Powell.
Be well and stay tuned for our next episode.
