| Popis: |
The present study examines the visual rhetoric of a small set of international fashion brands that cater for the clothing preferences of an ageing cohort of fashion-conscious consumers. The purpose of the examination is to show whether the digital branding of fashion garments showing aging models relies on the values that an older segment is expected to naturally adhere to. In contrast to early values theory, the study adopts the position that human values change with age. The study takes the form of a qualitative analysis, using a set of pictures that employs aging models of both sexes to address an international audience of fashion-savvy consumers. The analysis and discussion are intended to raise awareness in the industry of how values may ideally be configured in visual fashion communication to avoid a situation where significant consumer segments may feel misrepresented or alienated. The analysis suggests that fashion communication has adopted social and personal values that resonate with aging consumers, but warns against potential complacency as those who want to age in style are arguably “moving younger”, substituting their focus on social values with the personally-oriented values of their younger peers. However, to our knowledge, extant values theory does not account for how value configurations may alter once older individuals’ identities change and become more youthful and less predictable. |
