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Loyle Carner: "People Are Caught Up in Certain Ideas of Masculinity" | VICE

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Loyle Carner: "People Are Caught Up in Certain Ideas of Masculinity" | VICE

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When was the last time you saw your best mate? Last night? Last month? Either way, you already know it's good to talk to them. But if you're a cis man too, the last conversation you had with your best male friend may have covered familiar ground. Music. New films. What so-and-so is up to now. And then... well, see you next time, mate, nice one. Because there's an unspoken connection between friends, isn't there, and all too often meeting up is about reinforcing that, rather than exploring new ground. That's why a best mate is a best mate; they know everything about you, and you about them. But if that's the case, why is was it reported last May that 11 percent of 1,200 men in Britain, surveyed as part of a Spotlight on Men month, said they felt lonely on a daily basis? And that 35 percent of the men surveyed said being lonely made them feel depressed?

CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) wants to change this. Over the past few years, the charity has been offering professional support for anyone going through a rough patch and trying to get people to open up in the process. Now they're upping the ante with a new campaign called the #BestManProject. Put simply, the idea is that you needn't wait until your mate's wedding to be their best man. Rather than finally telling them how much you appreciate them in your speech, then never touching on it again for the rest of your lives, we should all make an effort to talk openly more often, and in doing so we might help each other live with the ups and downs life sends our way. "Men are allowed to be honest and generous with their friendships once and only once in their lifetimes; when they're somebody's best man," Simon Gunning, CALM CEO says to me. "But if we talk more often we might be able to head off those terrible statistics that we talk about all the time."

People like Prince William and Rio Ferdinand have joined the campaign, but for our purposes one of its most vocal advocates is 23-year-old south London rapper Loyle Carner. He sat down opposite his best mate, Tommo, to answer a few increasingly intimate questions on-camera about their friendship for the charity's 'Best Man project,' The pair are one of several took part, including British comedian Humza Arshad with his friend Dhanny and radio host Ronan Kemp with his friend Charlie. So we're premiering Loyle and Tommo's video now, to amplify the conversations men - and straight cis men in particular - need to be having about their feelings with the people they trust.

When CALM asked if Loyle wanted to be part of the project, he didn't hesitate. "CALM is a charity I've known about for a long time," Loyle tells me over the phone. "They did something when I was at school. Boys in my class had all been through some bleak shit, and we sat down and started talking about it and wrote this short play. I thought that was really important." But while Loyle has been talking about his mental health since his school days, this isn't the case for a lot of others. It's well publicised that men don't talk as openly about their mental health as much as women do. The stats paint a pretty shocking picture: 25 percent of us in Britain will suffer a mental health problem at sometime in our life, and in 2016 men were more than three times more likely than women to die as a result of suicide. Though everyone's case is different and unique, you could conclude that we often struggle to open up, even when at crisis point. And by then, in many cases, it's already gotten too much.

"Loads of things stop guys talking," says Loyle. "People are caught up in certain ideas of masculinity. In the parts of London where I grew up, there weren't many male role models doing something positive. So as a teenager, you might have a lot of responsibility; you might be the man of the house, looking after your family. And when you have to be strong for everyone else, it's seen as a weakness to be upset."

The takeaway, he says, is letting men know that being able to talk to someone and feeling comfortable doing so may not be an easy thing, but it is half the battle. And once you do start talking, it's hard to stop. Naturally, rap music offered some guidance for Loyle. "Common is my favourite rapper of all time. He says that when you're being weak you're really being strong because you're opening yourself up to real pain."

Sounds simple, right? But the reality, of course, is that not everyone has a best friend, parent, neighbour, colleague they can speak to. For the most part, we're living more solitary lives than ever. As well as that, a symptom of depression can be a sense of worthlessness, which can in turn discourage a person from approaching others. You may have mates, but why would they want to hang out with you? And so you retreat, and as a result it becomes harder and harder to talk. But it's important to try and brush that aside: do it anyway. It could be as simple as a text to whoever your closest friend might be - even if you wouldn't class them as a best pal - saying "Hey mate, how's it going. I feel a bit weird today. Have you got a minute?" Loyle advises the same thing: "Talk whenever you feel comfortable. You don't want to feel like you're under scrutiny. Go to the pub, go to their house, talk while you're watching the football. Get a coffee. Go where there's something else to do if you get embarrassed."

And, always remember that while you might be strong enough to open up, your friend might not have experienced this themselves or have the same emotional strength to offer constructive support. All this means is that you've just spoken to the wrong person. "It's very discouraging if you pluck up the courage to say 'I'm feeling like this ' and the person says 'Sorry mate, I don't understand,'" says Loyle. "What's important there is finding someone else to talk to, you don't have to find just one person to talk to! Everyone's been through different things. If you have a father then chat to them. Speak to a teacher at school who you look up to."

Basically, as daunting as it sounds, it's important to get that first conversation out the way, then keep talking and talking. And CALM is there to help with that. "If people sign up to the #BestManProject, we'll enter into a relationship and give on-going support," explains Simon. "We want to normalise conversations about how you're feeling, and the campaign should never end. We don't want to dwell on the horror of male suicide, we want to offer a solution. Depression affects men and women, so let's start shining light into darkness and start celebrating being a bloke whether you're Loyle Carner, Grayson Perry or the bloke that comes to fix the fridge."

"We need to accept that every man cries," Loyle adds. "We get our hearts broken, these things do happen, and they do affect you. Accept that over time bad shit will happen and it's OK to be upset about it." So next time you see your friends, know you can talk about something real for a bit, before turning to the usual topics. You might just save your life, and theirs. And that's not only worth talking about, but shouting about too.
CALM is a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, the single biggest killer of men in the UK. The charity's free, confidential and anonymous UK helpline (0800 58 58 58) and webchat are open every day, from 5PM to midnight. If you need support, or know someone that might, more information is available here. You can sign up to the Best Man project here. You can find Tom on Twitter.

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Loyle Carner: "People Are Caught Up in Certain Ideas of Masculinity"

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When was the last time you saw your best mate? Last night? Last month? Either way, you already know it's good to talk to them. But if you're a cis man too, the last conversation you had with your best male friend may have covered familiar ground. Music.

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Sustainability Bulletin: December 2019  

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Sustainability Bulletin: December 2019  

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Loyle Carner interview: 'I'd rather have a real life than lots of girls and drugs'

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Loyle Carner interview: 'I'd rather have a real life than lots of girls and drugs'

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Intense emotion," grins Loyle Carner, is "never far beneath the surface of my weird, froggy face." Though that freckled face is so strikingly handsome GQ chose it for the cover of their first digital issue in December, it does warp and wobble into a wonderful range of heartfelt and wacky expressions as he talks. And there's a swell of tears in the frog prince's eyes as we discuss the opening track from his second album: Not Waving, But Drowning.

"Dear Jean, I hope this doesn't come as a surprise / But I've fallen for a woman from the skies..." the song begins, in a twinkling of electric piano. Carner takes the pace at a careful lope, but fans will feel the emotional jolt. The "Dear Jean" of the title is the 24-year-old rapper's mum: a special needs teacher, widowed when Carner's beloved stepdad died suddenly (of an epilepsy-related seizure) in 2014.

The family story lay at the tender heart of Carner's 2017 Mercury-nominated debut album, Yesterday's Gone, on which Jean read a poem in praise of her "scribble of a boy" against the glow of his jazzy, Nineties boom-bap grooves and an original piano melody written and recorded by her late husband. Videos - starring Jean, Carner's younger brother, Ryan, and their giant poodle, Ringo - were shot in the family's cosy Croydon terrace.

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Two years on, Carner wrote a song to tell Jean he would be moving "Out of the house / Out of the South / Never out of touch". He had met a woman, he jokes is "truer than the [Mercury] prize" (which he lost to fellow South Londoner, Sampha) with "Eyes deep blue like the flicker of a flame 'fore it dies / But this aint dyin' it's risin' / Like that big round orange on horizon..."

Carner says the "woman from the skies" is "a teacher like my mum". "So I guess Freud would have something to say about it. But, yeah, I wanted my mum to be proud. I mean, it's what she wants for me, but moving on is always going to be hard. Mum listened to the song on her own in the car," he tells me. "She says she sat there, crying in the car, for a long time afterwards."

I tell him I cried when I first heard it too, and we have a hug. Because my nine-year-old son has ADHD, like Loyle Carner. I related to all the lyrics about it on his first album: all that stuff about watching TV upside down, while bouncing a ball. My own "scribble of a boy" does that. I know, first hand, how uniquely inventive, exhausting, fearless and emotionally vulnerable ADHDers are. How they struggle to regulate their feelings, maintain friendships and achieve their academic potential.

ADHD mums don't get much sleep - if we're not lying awake worrying about our children's futures, we're making them a fourth dinner at 2am while they're bouncing off the walls, unable to locate that day's off-switch. Through Carner's work, I've felt a comradeship with Jean and hoped that my little son will, one day, turn into a human with as much self-awareness and compassion as her big one. I find it impossible to choke back tears at the bittersweet mix of loss, pride, love and relief Jean must feel at the thought of her son flying the nest, with a successful career and a loving partner.

I want to raise a glass to her in the new video to "You Don't Know", in which she's seen on a series of dates in the same restaurant, while her son sizes up potential candidates from the sidelines in a series of roles as waiter, chef, security guard and taxi driver. The track is built up from a crackle-glazed soul sample of Little Ann's 1967 single: "Deep Shadows".

It occurs to me that hip hop - creating new melodies while fidgeting with familiar bits of old ones and bouncing beats off of both - is ADHD made sound?

"You're right," nods Carner. "Like I say on the album, 'ADHD is the best and the worst of me,'" he says. "It means I can make this music, but I'm also incredibly sensitive to the criticism. I try not to look at social media because if people tell me a song about my mum is shit I take that personally. I still feel like quitting when somebody attacks me."

"It's like a superpower - it's hard to handle. Think of Cyclops in X-Men - the one with the laser vision? He can't walk around normally without his glasses. Even his girlfriend can't look in his eyes and that sucks. But, when you need him to do it then he can zap a building in half so... that's cool."

Today Carner has found that tidying up helps steady his chaotic brain. "I started at home, but now I'll also tidy the venues after gigs," he says. "I have good fans, so most of the rubbish goes in the right bins. But I look at anything left over and think: that plastic cup wouldn't be on the floor if I hadn't done a show. It's my responsibility to clean up my own mess. The next tour, we're trying to ban disposable plastics completely. Just like every part of the CD is recyclable. Even the shrink wrap."

Carner also runs cooking courses for 14-16-year-olds with ADHD. "I trust them with knives and fire," he says. "Because nothing keeps the focus like danger. And giving kids responsibility helps them behave responsibly. We do simple things, make tortellini and learn to respect the ingredients, relish the flavours. It can be a meditation." The course has also featured guest chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi: one of two chefs to get a shout out on the new record. The other is the late Antonio Carluccio, who gives his name to a song on which Carner rhymes a line about "pouring sparkling pressé" with one about his mum "marking essays".

Carner laughs when I tell him my son didn't initially believe that a man who made such mellow music could possibly have ADHD. "Yeah! I know. It's about the only place I can be relaxed... and considered. I think fast, I talk fast. But getting words down, finding a beat, gives me the space to say what I really mean."

Because he is also dyslexic, Carner's writing was often so jumbled he muddled his own name on schoolwork. To be fair, Ben Coyle Larner is a bit of a mouthful. And he got the last laugh when, at Jean's suggestion, he spoonerised his surnames into a stage name.

Although he tried medication as a kid, Carner felt it turned him into "a zombie", so he used cooking and music as a way to find focus. "I've always had a thing about being underwater," he says, "just floating into the antigravity and shutting out all the white noise. And music can be like that." He grew up loving rappers who told stories: Roots Manuva, Common, Nas.

A former scholarship pupil at Whitgift, the south London-based public school, Carner also studied at the BRIT school of performing arts (whose graduates include Amy Winehouse and Adele) and was aiming for a career in acting (taking a small role as Young Hunter in Roland Emmerich's 2008 flop 10,000 BC) before the death of his stepfather saw him drop out of drama school.

In the absence of both his biological father (who split up with his mother when he was young and with whom he has little contact) and stepdad, Carner cast about for male role models and found a musical brotherhood with artists like jazz guitarist Tom Misch and hip-hop producer Rebel Clef. Together they appeared to promote a new kind of male experience, speaking more openly about their feelings and taking the time to listen.

Campaigning for Calm (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) Carner has said that: "We need to accept that every man cries," Loyle adds. "We get our hearts broken, these things do happen, and they do affect you. Accept that over time bad s**t will happen and it's OK to be upset about it."

But he says he's still not as confident as he'd like to be when it comes to expressing himself directly. Which is why most of the songs on the new album were written as messages for friends, family and his girlfriend.

"Krispy" is the painful tale of a friendship torn apart by money. "I still remember your mum buying me a flat-pack mattress... we'd lie awake dreaming of an encore / And laugh at all the things we'd say when we won awards / Now two best friends who shared the torch barely talk / And when we do it's money not remorse... But the beats stopped / So now what? / Give a f*** about the money or the E-track / I just want my G back."

"'Krispy' is Rebel Clef," nods Carner, fiddling with his notebook. "We've worked together since my first EP. I'm the youngest out of the friends I started making music with so it's weird for me to become the boss and we all struggled with it. I think I'm emotionally advanced for a young man of my age, but I couldn't talk to him. I had to write him a song just so I understood how I felt. I hope it would spark a conversation and it has. But it's still a slow process."

Another track - "Looking Back" - finds him interrogating his mixed-race heritage. "Being black and white / I grabbed it with both hands," he raps. "I'm thinking that my great-grandfather could have owned my other one / I'm lost/ Wondering my cost." Discussing the track, Carner says he's interested in learning more about his Guyanese roots and hints that future releases will take him "more in that direction. I'm interested in looking into black expression. Well, I'm mixed raced so what do I call it? Colourless expression? Colourful expression?"

But most tracks find Carner rhapsodising about how love is nourishing him through the challenges of life in a "vacuous" industry. "Making music - working in this machine - can kill your love for it," he says. "But my missus is a massive hip-hop fan. She was playing me old skool stuff I'd let drift. But sharing songs reignites them."

That said, Carner was surprised to realise how many of their favourite tracks found rappers boasting about "the need to have more than one girlfriend. We both love J Dilla's 'Won't Do'. But: really? One won't do? I mean, why are all these guys cheating? It doesn't make you happy. It's great when somebody like Jay-Z apologises for that behaviour but it's still heartbreaking that it happened."

Carner shakes his head: "I mean, I've been on tour. If your music starts to take off there will be a lot of girls who want to sleep with you and a lot of boys who want to hang out and give you drugs. There will be a lot of boys who want to sleep with you and girls who give you drugs. So you can do that. Or you can take that little bit of cash you've made and invest in having a real life. I focus on the fact I've managed to help my family, I've got a girlfriend who loves me, I'm thinking about getting a dog. These things are so wicked to me. These things have been my dreams since I was a kid. Why would I mess that up?"

As I leave, Carner writes an inspirational message for my son and asks if I can bring him to the album launch. "Are you sure?" I ask. "He'll be upside down in the corner!" The frog prince grins wide. "That's fine. I'll be the rapper upside down in the other corner."
Not Waving, But Drowning is out on 19 April

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Loyle Carner: 'I'd rather have a real life than lots of girls and drugs'

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Intense emotion," grins Loyle Carner, is "never far beneath the surface of my weird, froggy face." Though that freckled face is so strikingly handsome GQ chose it for the cover of their first digital issue in December, it does warp and wobble into a wonderful range of heartfelt and wacky expressions as he talks.

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Loyle Carner: ‘I was raised by women – they talked about feelings every day'

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Loyle Carner: ‘I was raised by women – they talked about feelings every day'

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ello, I'm Ben," says Ben Coyle-Larner, a 24-year-old British rapper better known as Loyle Carner. He's slumped in a photographic studio in east London, wearing a vivid orange gilet: "I look like I'm signalling a plane down." He carefully studies the small print on an impressive array of cold and flu remedies, wondering whether you can combine, say, Strepsils with Beechams All in One. "The only good thing about feeling like this," he muses, "is you can play PlayStation and not feel guilty."

Sadly for Coyle-Larner, there's an interview to do before he can "ride around on a horse and shoot things". He seems sanguine about this though, mainly because his girlfriend is a secondary school teacher and he feels a bit ashamed if she comes home from work and he's hunkered down on the sofa playing games. "So yeah, I have to make sure everything's put away," he says, and just about manages a laugh.

I'd been wondering before meeting Coyle-Larner how much "Loyle Carner" is an artistic creation, like Stephen Colbert or, obviously, Lorraine Kelly. But it doesn't take long to realise that Coyle-Larner isn't the type to hide behind an alter ego. (His stage name, a spoonerism, is a nod to his own dyslexia.) In our conversation, he talks with winning openness and intelligence about anything and everything: bereavement, his ADHD, why all young adults should be offered free counselling, funded by the taxpayer. The only time he clams up is when I ask where his girlfriend teaches. "Who knows?" he replies, airily, which is fair enough.

Instagram lets people show everything, but nothing that's real

This honesty will be familiar if you know Loyle Carner's music. He arrived for many of us in 2017 with his debut album Yesterday's Gone. While hip-hop lyrics are often obsessed with money, status and women, Coyle-Larner gravitated to subjects that were more personal and vulnerable: the dominant female presence on the record was, in fact, his mum, Jean. He wrote instead about his father leaving their family when he was young and his stepfather coming into his life, only to die in his 40s from an epilepsy-related seizure. The material was atypical, but his knack for storytelling, with lines delivered mellifluously to laid-back beats, struck a chord: Loyle Carner was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2017, and two Brit awards.

Now he's back with a new album, Not Waving, But Drowning. It finds Coyle-Larner in a different stage of his life - happier, broadly speaking; more financially secure, certainly - but still keen to acknowledge that the transition into adulthood is rarely straightforward. "It's the only way I know how," he says of the confessional nature of his lyrics. "I was raised by women, by my mother and my grandmother, and they would talk about how they felt every day. And because I was with them I'd go, 'I'll talk about how I feel!' It was great, it was liberating, it helped me a lot. But back then, women were the ones who communicated and men didn't communicate, right? It was seen to be weak. That's changing a bit now, incredibly, but we're still in the early stages of the evolution of man."

The album's title comes from Stevie Smith's 1957 poem Not Waving But Drowning, about a man who dies because bystanders are sure that he's just thrashing around, having a great time in the water. When Coyle-Larner read it again recently, he found a strong personal resonance. "I see myself in it," he says. "Because I've had some small success, moderate, tiny success on the grand scale of success, but enough that people think I'm going, 'Look at me in my new house with my beautiful girlfriend'. And, sometimes, especially when the album process was beginning, I was drowning! And everyone thought I was hanging out."

'I grew up in an all-white house with brown skin. If you're raised by a pack of wolves, you're a pack of wolves': Ben Coyle-Larner wears jacket by fredperry.com. Photograph: Dean Chalkley/The Observer

Being upfront about these insecurities is especially important, Coyle-Larner thinks, in the social media age. "People show everything and nothing because they are not showing anything that has real meaning," he says. "If you looked at my Instagram, you'd go, 'Wow, things are really kicking off for this guy'. But yeah, my little brother wants to go to uni, I've got to figure out how to pay for that. I've got to sort my mum's house out. I've got my mortgage to pay. My missus has to mark essays, so we're trying to navigate a better way of how I can not be annoying when she comes home!"

He breaks into a grin. "It's life! Life is the thing. We don't see that. It's probably to do with my ADHD: I say a lot of things that I shouldn't say just because I like to hear my own voice."

Most things youmight want to know about Coyle-Larner can be found in his songs. He was born in south London, grew up in Croydon. His biological father was of Guyanese descent; his mother, a teacher specialising in learning difficulties, had family links to Scotland. When they separated, Nik - a music obsessive who performed as Steven Vengeance - came into his life and Coyle-Larner got a stepbrother, Ryan. "I'm mixed race," he says, "but I grew up in an all-white house with brown skin. And so, if you're raised by a pack of wolves, you're a pack of wolves."

At secondary school - first at Whitgift, a private school for boys, then the Brit School for performing arts - Coyle-Larner often felt like an outsider. When he played football, he tended to find himself on teams with the black kids, but then when friends talked about their African heritage, he'd have to ask what a dashiki was. He remembers: "So I'm with the white guys again." A line from the Earl Sweatshirt song, Chum, sums it up: "Too black for the white kids, and too white for the black." Coyle-Larner felt the difference particularly keenly in the music he listened to. He loved rap, especially Common and Mos Def, but his stepfather also put him on to "stuff that people were saying I shouldn't listen to, I can't listen to: Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Roy Ayers, the Cure. Loved the Cure," he says.

At this time, though, Coyle-Larner was more interested in acting than making music. He auditioned for Drama Centre London, a prestigious part of Central St Martins whose alumni include Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender. "Something crazy like 7,000 people apply every year and 20 people get in," he says. "But yeah, I applied because everyone from my school was doing it - and I got in. I'd always wanted to do acting, because it was something I didn't have to study, there was no written work for it, and I was half decent at it."

'You've got to have at least one person you can chat to who doesn't have an ulterior motive.': Coyle-Larner talks for the first time about seeing a counsellor. He wears jacket by Ami and trousers by Levi's vintage, both libertylondon.com and trainers by Nike, office.co.uk. Photograph: Dean Chalkley/The Observer

Coyle-Larner's plans changed in 2014, when his stepfather died. He decided to drop out to look after his mum and stepbrother: "I was, like, 'I can either keep spending £9,000 a year and go into debt or I can make some money, which would make more sense.'" He considered becoming a chef - he started cooking aged six, when he was first diagnosed with ADHD, and it had always been a passion - but he figured that rapping might pay the bills faster. The songs came quickly, propelled by grief ("Everybody says I'm fuckin' sad/Of course I'm fuckin' sad, I miss my fuckin' dad.") Within seven months he had an EP, A Little Late. He also began to appreciate that his broad music tastes growing up might help him stand out in a crowded field.

"When you're mixed race, you can feel like you're nothing," says Coyle-Larner. "But what I started thinking was, 'If I'm nothing, I can be anything. And I can be everything.' People don't know where I'm from - people think I'm Mexican, people think I'm Pakistani, people think I'm Brazilian. African, Scottish, Irish. I can be from anywhere. It's like being a shape-shifter."

Not long afterhis stepfather died, Coyle-Larner began seeing a counsellor. He hasn't talked about it in interviews before, but he hopes his experience can help others. "My mum was, like, 'You should do it,'" he recalls. "But I was 18 and I was, like, 'Fuck that, it's ridiculous, I'm not crazy, there's nothing wrong with me, I'm not weird.' But my mum and my brother did it and I was just holding all of their stuff. They'd come home and tell me, and I was just dealing with all of this pressure and I couldn't take it. I was having quite a bad time, having panic attacks. I was in a really low place. So I went to see this woman and ever since then my life has just got better and better and better. So why would I stop?"

He now goes whenever he has time, maybe once a month, because he finds it stops him downloading on his mother and his girlfriend. "It's essential, especially in a high-octane, stressy, angry, fake, bullshit world like the music industry," he says. "You've got to have at least one person you can chat to who doesn't have an ulterior motive."

'People don't know where I'm from - people think I'm Mexican, people think I'm Pakistani, people think I'm Brazilian. African, Scottish, Irish': Coyle-Larner. Photograph: Lorne Thomson/Redferns

Coyle-Larner doesn't set out to be political, but he is thoughtful and opinionated, especially on subjects he has personal experience of, whether it is the importance of not stigmatising therapy to the dangers of medicalising ADHD. One of his sidelines is a cooking school, which has a jokey name - Chilli Con Carner - but a serious remit: to teach young adults with ADHD the joys of preparing food.

On Not Waving, But Drowning, too, he takes on serious issues. One song, Looking Back, is an investigation into his Guyanese heritage and includes the line: "My great grandfather could have owned my other one." The poet Benjamin Zephaniah wrote the liner notes for the new record and describes the track as Coyle-Larner's "own personal black consciousness movement". The rapper likes the description: "I didn't feel like I was justified to talk about race, but as I started to chat to my biological father a bit more, I felt more allowed to go, 'Actually, yeah, I do have a black history and I need to talk about it'."

Don't go out with a pop star. We're weirdos, not heroes

Elsewhere, he writes unblushingly about meeting the woman he wants to settle down with. Coyle-Larner admits there's something Freudian about him falling in love with a teacher, but he likes that she's not involved - or much interested - in the music business. "There's no point going out with a pop star," he says, smiling. "We're not heroes, we're weirdos."

Not Waving, But Drowning is accomplished, mature work: an album that develops the sound and ambition of his debut. Coyle-Larner can't understand why artists get criticised for changing after they become successful, because for him, evolution is the point. "You're doing all this stuff, and why?" he asks. "You're not doing it all to stay the same! I wasn't working this hard so I could be the same 16-year-old who couldn't chat to girls and nobody liked. And wanted everyone to like him all the time. Why would I do that? Everyone's like, 'He's changed.' And it's like, 'Yeah, fucking hell I hope so. I was a loser!'"
Not Waving, But Drowning is out now

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Loyle Carner: 'I was raised by women - they talked about feelings every day'

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Loyle Carner's disarmingly honest lyrics stand out in the macho world of hip-hop. Here, he talks about ADHD, counselling and speaking his mind. By Tim Lewis

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Tommy Hilfiger | About Us | Sustainability

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Tommy Hilfiger | About Us | Sustainability

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Giving leftovers new life, our repurposed denim

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Giving leftovers new life, our repurposed denim

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We're taking the responsibility to use more sustainable

cotton seriously. In 2013, we joined the Better Cotton

Initiative, which invests in better farming practices that

minimize negative environmental, economic and social

impact, and last year we produced our first range of

100% recycled cotton products.

In 2018 approximately 70% of our cotton supply

globally was procured from more sustainable sources

and our aim is to reach 100% by 2020.

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We're taking the responsibility to use more sustainable cotton seriously. In 2013, we joined the Better Cotton Initiative, which invests in better farming practices that minimize negative environmental, economic and social impact, and last year we produced our first range of 100% recycled cotton products.

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PVH CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2018

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PVH CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2018

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PVH CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2018

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PVH CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2018

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Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996, according to the definition by Pew Research Center. They follow hot on the heels of "generation X" and the "baby boomers" - and the "millennial moment" marks their arrival as the dominant generation of the post-financial crisis era.

Millennials are big news - and with good reason: it is an exclusive club of 1.8bn people, which accounts for about a quarter of the world's population. But who are the millennials, and what does data tell us about their similarities, or otherwise, to previous generations?

Arriving at the millennial moment

While millennials are only now becoming the largest generation in the US, globally they first outnumbered baby boomers 26 years ago, and became the world's most populous generation two years later, overtaking generation X.

Where do millennials live?

Based on sheer numbers alone, the "millennial moment" is more a story of developing countries and global progress than the advertising stereotypes of affluent urban youth prevalent in western media and marketing. Nearly nine in every 10 millennials live in emerging economies. Chinese millennials alone outnumber the entire population of the US.

The proportion of millennials in country populations varies considerably. Iran has the highest proportion at 32.2 per cent. In China, it is 25.2 per cent. In advanced economies, the proportion of millennials is much lower, because of the combined effect of low birth and death rates.

While millennials are on the cusp of outnumbering both boomers and gen X in the US, this is not the case in many other advanced economies. Millennials comprise 17.2 per cent of the population in Japan, and 17.8 per cent in Spain. Italy, with just 16.9 per cent, has the smallest share of millennials of any major economy.

Millennials are city dwellers

Millennials are the most urbanised cohort of young adults ever - although the same is also true of every other current age group. Young people have always had a propensity to live in cities, and given that more people of all ages now live in cities than ever before, millennials are part of a broader trend.

This effect is most noticeable in developing countries, where levels of urbanisation are generally lower - just over half of millennials live in urban areas - but have increased rapidly over the past 30 years.

The UK and China illustrate the divergence in urbanisation between various economies. From 1990 to 2010, more than 250m people moved from the countryside to China's cities. This mass migration had a large effect on the lives of China's millennial generation: by their early 20s Chinese millennials are now nearly three times more likely to live in cities than their counterparts from 30 years ago. Over the same period in the UK, levels of urban living among the young have increased just three percentage points.

Living arrangements

In the US, millennials are more likely to live at home than previous generations. But this is not the case elsewhere and may reflect US-specific factors such as high levels of student indebtedness, which rose from $0.3tn in 2004 to $1.4tn in 2018.

The average age of leaving home in the 28 EU countries has barely changed since 2002 and now stands at 26 years. The figure crept up in the UK slightly from 23.3 to 24.4 during the same period, according to official figures.

Millennials are less interested in marriage or having children

Changing attitudes towards marriage, along with increased economic insecurity, have resulted in a drop in marriage rates among young people in the US. Compared with baby boomers in 1984, marriage rates among millennials have decreased two-thirds for those aged 20 to 24 and halved for 24 to 29-year-olds.

However, in China the drop is far less pronounced. Among those in their 20s, the proportion of the population married at least once fell by just over a third between 1982 and 2010.

Women in the US, China, and the UK may be having children later, but globally the mean age of childbearing has barely changed, and now stands at 27.85 years. In countries where the mean age has increased, it is not just that women are having children later - many are choosing not to have them at all.

As marriage and raising children tend to increase household expenditure, these trends could be pushing down total consumption among millennials compared with previous generations.

Millennials and work

By 2020 millennials are forecast to make up 35 per cent of the global workforce. They reached the same figure in the US two years ago, at the same time becoming the largest generation in the workforce.

While young people are more likely to participate in the precarious work of the gig economy, they also prioritise job security above almost all else. Research by the Resolution Foundation shows that, overall, UK millennials are moving jobs less frequently than generation X at the same age.

The same is true in the US, where the length of job tenures have just slightly increased when compared with generation X.

Why the 'millennial moment' matters

While it is difficult to estimate the total income of millennials compared with other generations, using income and demographic modelling, the World Data Lab forecasts that the global spending power of millennials will soon be greater than any other generation. As the principal consumer generation, they are set to shape the direction of the world's economy in the years ahead.
The FT is looking to hear from young readers: how do you spend your money, and how financially stable do you feel? Contribute to our reporting here. Are you interested in news and analysis about the markets? Click on this link on your phone to sign up to the FT Markets WhatsApp group. Whether you are a subscriber or not, the stories will always be free (outside of the FT's subscription paywall).

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Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996, according to the definition by Pew Research Center. They follow hot on the heels of "generation X" and the "baby boomers" - and the "millennial moment" marks their arrival as the dominant generation of the post-financial crisis era.

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Millennial population of the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018, by age 

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Millennial population of the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018, by age 

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There were approximately 14.39 million millennials in the United Kingdom in 2021. This generation, sometimes called Generation Y came after Generation X and are mainly the children of the post-war baby-boomer generation. Although sometimes portrayed negatively in the media, millennials are also seen as an inclusive and confident, with a genuine concern for equal rights.

Boomerang generation

The first cohort of millennials came of age at the turn of the century and have almost certainly been heavily influenced by the growth of internet accessibility during this time. The economic challenges faced by this generation may have a relation to the increasing share of young adults who live with their parents in the UK. This had led to the, perhaps unfair, characterization of millennials as the boomerang or peter-pan generation, who have failed to grow-up and mature.

Generation Remain

One of the main challenges that British millennials currently face are their prospects after Brexit. Although the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in June of 2016, there were clear divisions between regions, classes and age-groups. Most millennials voted to remain in the Brexit referendum with 51 percent females voting to stay in the E.U.

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UK millennial population 2021 | Statista

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There were approximately 14.39 million millennials in the United Kingdom in 2021.

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Statistics on consumer mobile usage and adoption to inform your mobile marketing strategy mobile site design and app development

" Mobile to overtake fixed Internet access by 2014" was the huge headline summarising the bold prediction from 2008 by Mary Meeker, an analyst at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers who reviews technology trends annually in May. Today, we're long past this tipping point, but we're still seeing rapid uptake of smartphones which we show in this article by answering 7 questions about consumer smartphone adoption and usage.

The mobile statistics that the team at Smart Insights curate in the regular updates to this article are grouped under these headings for key questions marketers need to answer about mobile to help them compete:

Q1. Time spent using mobile media

Q2. Percentage of consumers using mobile devices

Q3. How many website visits are on mobile vs desktop devices?

Q4. Mobile conversion rates vs desktop and visit share for Ecommerce sites?

Q5. Mobile app vs mobile site usage?

Q6. How important are mobile ads

Q7. What percentage of Google Searches are on mobile?

Countries covered in this compilation?

The United States and United Kingdom are the main countries covered for which there are many reports. In the Ofcom international benchmark we also cover the main European markets, i.e. France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Australia and Japan are also covered.

We start with one of the most useful recent reports from comScore: Mobile's Hierarchy of Needs covering 9 global markets (USA, Canada, UK, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, China and Indonesia). It clearly shows the growth in share of mobile minutes

So that's the intro showing the importance of mobile, let's dig into the details to prove it.

Q1. How much time do consumers spend using mobile media?

Mobile media use varies through the day. This is important to understand for dayparting, i.e. buying AdWords and display media. This daypart media use from comScore Global Digital Future in Focus shows how desktop is still important for daytime at work audiences, but Tablet and smartphone dominate in the evening.

The latest figures, also from comScore Mobile Metrix presented in the OfCom Communications Market report show the total browse time per month is much higher on smartphones - these figures compare to 34 hours and 29 hourse for the United States and United Kingdom on desktop.

Mary Meeker's annual spring updates on mobile are a must-read if you follow consumer adoption of technology platforms, so we have used some of the key findings from the latest KPCB mobile technology trends by Mary Meeker. Her deck is nearly 200 slides, so we have selected the statistics which best summarise the importance of mobile devices today.

The latest data shows that we are now well past the tipping point mentioned at the top of this post. Mobile digital media time in the US is now significantly higher at 51% compared to desktop (42%).

The implications are clear - if you're not able to reach your audience through mobile search or display, or you're not providing a satisfactory mobile experience you will miss out compared to competitors who are. Mobile only

Mobile-only social Networks like Snapchat are also growing rapidly in popularity, and this is driving increases in time spent on mobile devices. For more information, see our article on Snapchat Marketing Statistics.

Q2. Percentage of consumers using mobile devices?

This end 2017 Ofcom international benchmark shows the global popularity of using different digital devices in representative countries.

This interesting visual from comScore also part of their digital future in focus shows the picture that marketers need to build up. This panel data shows that the majority of consumers are multiplatform and will often be multi-screening, accessing sites on mobile or desktop, so consistent experiences across device need to be deployed.

Here's another visualisation from a more recent 2017 comScore report on Mobile's Hierarchy of Needs . Here you can see that in most countries multiplatform ownership dominates, so we switch between mobile and desktop, particularly when selecting products and services.

We recommend you understand this multichannel switching behaviour for your own brand. As Rob Thurner explained in his post on KPIs to review m-commerce effectiveness, it's important to keep track of the split between users of mobile and desktop devices visiting your site(s). Using segments in Google Analytics is the best way to do this.

Q3. How many website visits are on mobile vs desktop devices?

However, we need to be careful with interpreting data on hours spent, since we spend most of our time on smartphones checking email and using social media. This has led to the common mantra of 'Mobile-First' design which I think is dangerous, or at least oversimplistic! Eric Schmidt, then Chairman of Google talked about a Mobile-First approach. The reality is that while smartphone use is overwhelmingly popular for some activities such as social media, messaging and catching up with news and gossip, the majority of consumers in western markets also have desktop (and tablet) devices which they tend to use for more detailed review and purchasing. So we need to think about strategies to engage what comScore call the Multichannel Majority not simply 'mobile first' or 'smartphone adoption'. This explains why mobile conversion rates are much lower in retail and why the breakdown between traffic for retail sites is broadly equal between smartphone and desktop. Audience measurement platform comScore has talked for some time about strategies to engage and measure the multiplatform majority across devices and I think there will, or should be more focus on that in the years ahead.

This UK data also shows the importance of the multichannel majority in sectors like Retail and to a lesser extent banking, but that for some niches like weather 'mobile first' is more accurate.

Their latest data for the US is striking in shows how the multi-device majority dominate, particularly amongst millenials.

Although mobile is growing in importance, this older data from Adobe's latest Digital Index (not updated yet) shows that in all industries the majority of visits are still on desktop.

So with so many site visits still on desktop, it's important when designing using a responsive web design that the desktop experience isn't degraded and this has led to many larger businesses using an adaptive web design where layout and content are tailored for desktop, tablet and smartphone screen dimensions.

Q4. Mobile device conversion rates and visit share for Ecommerce sites?

We have a separate compilation of Ecommerce conversion stats if you're creating a business case for mobile optimised sites as explained in our mobile marketing strategy guide, this data is also valuable since it shows the variation in conversion rate by mobile type. This is the latest data from Monetate for their retail clients showing conversion rates. It shows this rule of thumb:

Smartphone conversion is around one-half of desktop conversion rates.

Their latest quarterly update from 2017 shows conversion rates to add-to-basket or cart and below sale across the last 4 quarters, up to the Q3 2016:

The data clearly shows that Smartphone conversion rates are much lower than for desktop - important if you're making the business case for a mobile responsive site.

This report from the Adobe Digital Index retail report has a simple table comparing cart and visit (overall) conversion on smartphone vs tablet vs desktop. It shows that visit conversion is nearly 3 times higher on desktop vs smartphone.

Here are the tablulated figures:

Location: US Retail

Date: Published Autumn 2017 (2016 data)

Sample: Top 250 US retailers (so representative of common consumer behaviour)

Source: Adobe Retail Industry report

Q5. Mobile media time - app vs mobile site usage? App usage (90% of time) dominates browsers in mobile usage

Consumer preference for mobile apps vs mobile sites should also be thought through as part of mobile strategy.

We have seen at the start of this article that mobile dominates, digital minutes, but where are these mobile minutes happening. In all these countries the percentage of mobile minutes spent on apps is 80-90%:

More than 80% of mobile minutes in all markets are spent in apps.

The latest comScore global mobile report 2017 hows how important apps are across differnt countries.

Flurry is a great source for details of app usage. Its 2018 State of app usage report shows that mobile app usage is growing 6% Year-on-year and shows the growth of apps in some categories like ecommerce which is useful insight for retailers.

Today, the latest data from Yahoo's Flurry analytics shows that in the US 90 percent of consumer's mobile time is spent in apps. As they put it: It's an App World. The Web Just Lives in It. This is a key insight as companies decide whether to develop mobile apps or create mobile device specific apps.

This 90%+ figure is a key insight as companies decide whether to develop mobile apps or restrict themselves to mobile optimised sites. You do have to be careful about interpreting this since, as the chart below shows, Facebook, messaging, games and utility apps will naturally have the greatest time spent and browser use is still significant by volume if not proportion. But this has implications for advertising on mobile to reach consumers using apps like Facebook and Gmail.

Q6. Mobile Ad Spend still lags behind Mobile Media Consumption

So, how have advertisers responded to the change in mobile media time? The next chart from the last full year report from comScore reported on MarketingLand shows that despite the growth in media time above, some advertisers are missing out since the right-most bar shows that there is a huge missing opportunity on mobile advertising

This research sourced from a 2015 study by eMarketer into mobile ad budgets shows a different view. In 2015 mobile ad spending accounts for 49% of digital ad spending, which is only slightly behind the trends of how people are using their devices. These stats also show projections for future growth, which is important as it shows where the market is going. It is clear that mobile is the future, and within 3 years it will come to dominate digital ad spending.

Q7. How consumers research products using mobile search and review sites

The Hitwise Mobile Search: Topics and Themes reports shows how much mobile search depends on product sector and the category of device:

In many categories, including retail and Automotive, it is now above 50%, but some higher involvement purchase decisions such as banking and real estate are lower.

Google's mobile path to purchase report surveyed 950 US consumers across 9 diﬀerent verticals (Restaurants, Food & Cooking, Finance, Travel, Home & Garden, Apparel & Beauty, Automotive, Electronics, Health & Nutrition) to assess how they researched purchases via mobile. A key finding is the starting point for mobile research. As might be expected search was the most common starting point, but it's lower than desktop showing the importance of branded apps and mobile sites.

The 5 best sources for reviewing mobile marketing statistics in 2018?

This update to this post features some of the latest updates on mobile statistics and we will continue to update them through the year. But more recent data can be sourced. To conclude we highlight some of the best sources to make the business case for investment in mobile marketing in your presentations and business cases to colleagues or clients.

1. Google Consumer Barometer. A regular survey for different countries starting in 2011, this enabled you to prepare your own reports. Google's Consumer barometer enables you to create similar reports.

2. ITU. The International Telecoms Union data reports mobile usage including mobile broadband subscriptions to show growth in use of mobile. This reported at country, continent and overall levels, so is the best overall source for mobile penetration worldwide. Much of the information is free - see their free mobile statistics section.

3. Flurry Mobile Analytics. This is a great source for showing the overall level of app usage across the four major mobile app platforms by country and drilling down into the popularity of individual apps for different sectors like retail, banking and travel. For example, the latest mobile app growth figures from Flurry show growth of category use by more than 50% in many categories.

4. Comscore Digital Future Series. Comscore is one of the key worldwide sources useful for marketers to help us find out about the changes in use of mobile media by consumers. You will see we have referenced this a lot. This graph shows the pattern across Europe - follow the link above for US and other country breakdowns.

5. Ofcom Internet usage report. Ofcom's most recent International Communications Market Report was published last December, this examines take-up, availability, price and use of broadband, landlines, mobiles, TV, radio and post across 17 major countries.

We hope this compilation of statistics about mobile usage and effectiveness continues to be useful - please share if it is and we'll continue to update it in 2017.

If you want a single source of the latest stats across the whole of digital marketing, for Expert members, we compile a regularly updated set of usage statistics to use in presentations - it's updated each quarter so all the latest stats are categorised in a single place for including in presentations. Our Expert member resources also include templates and guides to help create digital strategy and plans.

Our "one-stop" download includes the latest stats to include in presentations to make the case for digital investment.

Download our Online marketing statistics compilation.

International mobile use in Europe

This Nielsen Online media usage research report covers audience use (and for the UK)

France mobile vs desktop usage

Germany mobile vs desktop usage

Italy

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" Mobile to overtake fixed Internet access by 2014" was the huge headline summarising the bold prediction from 2008 by Mary Meeker, an analyst at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers who reviews technology trends annually in May.

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101 Mobile Marketing Statistics And Trends For 2020

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101 Mobile Marketing Statistics And Trends For 2020

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How Younger Generations Consume News Differently

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How Younger Generations Consume News Differently

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Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

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Gen Z is leading an evolution in shopping that could kill brands as we know them

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Gen Z is leading an evolution in shopping that could kill brands as we know them

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By Mary Hanbury

Generation Z's approach to brands is part of what sets it apart from previous generations.

When deciding where to shop, their primary motivator is price, according to a Business Insider survey of more than 1,800 Gen Zers.

Since they frequently document their life on social media, they feel a pressure to always have new clothes. That is fueling growth in unconventional forms of shopping, like rental and resale.

Being unique - and balancing that with saving money - is a defining trait of this generation.

Amanda Chernin, age 20, from Delray Beach, Florida, says she shops online almost every day.

She is not loyal to any one brand or store. Instead, she shops wherever is most affordable. She rarely goes to a physical store to try clothes on, and if she ends up not liking a piece she buys, she resells it online.

"Older generations grew up without this technology and being able to shop online," she said. "I literally order something online every day."

While Chernin's approach to shopping might still be alien to some consumers, she is an example of a Generation Z consumer. She is part of the first truly digital generation, which has grown up cradling a smartphone and has never known a time without the internet and social media.

For the past decade, brands have scrambled to serve millennials, the first internet-obsessed generation that's been blamed for killing dozens of industries and forcing retailers to rethink their online-selling strategies.

Now, brands are bracing themselves for the next wave of shoppers, between the ages of 13 and 21, who are gearing up to enter the workforce and become a formidable force in the economy.

Experts say that Gen Z will not be an extension of the previous generation and should not be thought of as millennials 2.0, but instead as a distinct set of people with unique experiences, beliefs, and behaviors. This generation, they say, will fuel a massive change in how people shop.

They don't want to pay full price for anything

Gen Z is thrifty above all, experts say.

"They are very fiscally pragmatic and practical with their money. They are looking for value," Jason Dorsey, a Gen Z consultant and researcher who delivered a TEDx Talk about this generation, told Business Insider.

Dorsey said that value can be achieved in two ways: by shopping for clothing from brands that already have low prices, or by buying more expensive things that last longer.

"I can't afford nicer brands of clothes," Chernin said. "I like to save and would rather have money in the bank than be broke."

"Older generations grew up without this technology and being able to shop online. I literally order something online every day."
Amanda Chernin

Tanner Frick, 21, majors in business at the University of Sioux Falls, in South Dakota. He's a self-described "brand freak" and says he shops at Nike, Lululemon, and Patagonia. "I trust them more," he said, referring to these brands and the warranties they offer.

Patagonia, for example, has an unlimited returns policy on unworn items and offers a repair service for worn clothing.

"In the end it's worth it," he said, referring to Patagonia's relatively high prices. The outdoors retailer sells men's vests that range from $80 to $200 and jackets that cost up to $280.

For others, low prices are more important. This was evident in Business Insider's recent survey of 1,884 Americans between the ages of 13 and 21. This national poll was conducted with SurveyMonkey Audience partner Cint on behalf of Business Insider and ran January 11-14.

When asked what was the biggest factor when deciding whether to purchase items from a particular brand, 60% of respondents said price.

"They don't want to pay full price for anything," Dorsey said, adding that these spending habits were likely passed down to Gen Z by their parents and teachers, who were shaped by the recession.

The median-age Gen Z shopper, currently 17, would have been 6 when the financial crisis began, in 2008. While they were not in the workforce yet, they were old enough to remember it and see how their parents and older friends struggled, Dorsey said.

An obsession with price instantly makes them less loyal to brands.

"There really isn't loyalty like in the past," Marcie Merriman, the executive director for growth strategy and retail innovations at Ernst & Young, told Business Insider.

They "are highly informed and want to take charge of their lives and their futures," Merriman wrote in a recent EY report about Gen Z. "Getting these consumers to be loyal to your brick-and-mortar will be more challenging than ever."

Taryn Merari, 19, a design major at New York's School of Visual Arts, told Business Insider that she rarely shops by brand. She is almost always led by price.

She shops, she said, by the mantra "'What clothes do I need?'"

"If I need leggings, I look for leggings by color or by texture." This way she can get the best deal and the best quality.

Getting a Gen Zer to be loyal to a brand is nearly impossible. Brands need to work extra hard to earn their trust.

Members of Gen Z have largely been made skeptical by their ability to verify almost anything online.

For this reason, experts say that Gen Zers value transparency and authenticity in the brands that they shop from, and retailers are gradually responding to this idea.

Younger brands such as Everlane and Toms have led the charge, but increasingly legacy brands such as American Eagle Outfitters are shifting to offer greater transparency in their products and marketing.

Aerie, American Eagle's lifestyle and underwear brand, is a good example of this. It was applauded by customers for its decision to ban any photo retouching in its ads in 2014. And this has shown up in its financials: In early June, the company reported earnings for the first quarter of 2019. Same-store sales at Aerie were up 14% during the quarter, which marked its 18th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

Meanwhile, competitors such as Victoria's Secret, which has been more resistant to changes in branding, have suffered. Same-store sales of the Victoria's Secret brand were down 5% for the first quarter.

Anya Ortakales, 17, a high-school senior at Kearsarge Regional High School, in New Hampshire, compared Aerie and Victoria's Secret to show just how important the brand's message is in her decision to shop there.

"It's very important to show that anyone can buy stuff like that and look good in it," she said, referring to Aerie's undoctored images and the "real women" it features in its ad campaigns.

"It makes me feel better about buying from Aerie and supporting them," she said.

Chad Kessler, global brand president at American Eagle, recently expressed his excitement about Gen Z becoming Aerie's target shopper.

"Gen Z wants to support and participate in brands that they believe in and that reflect them," he told Business Insider. "They are loyal to brands that they feel understand them and reflect their values. We have always been a brand that stands for inclusivity, diversity, and youth empowerment, and I think that resonates with this customer."

But there is no guarantee that these shoppers will stay loyal, experts say. Gen Z is more fickle than previous generations, and if brands are slow to engage or if they break their promises, these young shoppers will move on.

They also do not use brands to define their identity like past generations may have done.

"The rules of dress when millennials were younger and the ways that they determined the appropriate things to wear were about the brand and what the brand was. As long as they were in the right brand, they felt confident," Merriman said. "That brand represented more of who they were, and it made them feel safer or more secure in their decisions."

Merriman said that the reverse is happening now. Gen Z is creating its own personal brand.

"It's not the brand leading the consumer; it's the consumer using the brand or the product in whatever ways they want," she said. This is partly driven by the influencer community, she added. Traditionally, a brand image was determined by the company and how it chose to market it.

Now, a brand image is increasingly about how it is perceived and marketed by the influencer who wears it.

Living life in pictures means you need a lot of outfits

Gen Z may be more sustainability-minded than previous generations, but they also face constant pressure to wear new items given that they are likely to be the most photographed generation.

In the past, this would have been easily remedied by fast fashion, and for many it likely still is. Fast fashion that is created cheaply and discarded quickly contributes to waste, however. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 billion pounds of textiles end up in a landfill each year. Shoppers with an eye on sustainability and who also want to wear unique clothes have given rise to nontraditional modes of shopping such as rental and resale or thrift.

Rent the Runway, which was recently valued at $1 billion in a $125 million round of new funding, is paving the way in clothing rental. Its core subscription service, targeted at an older demographic - women in the workforce - plays into the hands of customers who not only crave newness but are more conscious about sustainable living and preserving the environment. This positions it well to appeal to Gen Z shoppers in the future.

"There are kids at school who think it's stupid to shop at American Eagle because then you all end up with the same clothes. They go to the smallest stores they can find, that they know no one else is shopping at, so they know they have something different."
Anya Ortakales

"Gen Z lives their life in the cloud - their content, entertainment, and music all exist in the cloud with unlimited choice," Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman told Business Insider. "We are offering them the exact same thing for their physical lives."

Hyman said that Gen Z is one of the first groups to adopt this new style of shopping and to feel that it is the norm.

Legacy brands have adopted similar services. Express recently launched its Express Style Trial service, which allows consumers to rent up to three items at any given time for a monthly fee.

And in March, American Eagle launched a near-identical clothing-rental subscription model known as American Eagle Style Drop.

For $50 a month, members can rent up to three items at a time and make an unlimited number of exchanges. The shipping costs are covered each way, and dry cleaning is free. If customers decide they like a piece, they can purchase it at a discount of 25% or more.

"There is a trend toward clothes having a second life or being used again," Kessler said. "This is part of their focus on quality, value, and thoughtful purchasing, and I think these [rental services] are just different ways for them to participate."

Gen Z is thrift-shopping for the same reasons. Online resale site ThredUp recently estimated that one in three Gen Z consumers will buy used clothing in 2019.

"There is an obsession with freshness," Karen Clark, the vice president of marketing communications at ThredUp, told Business Insider, adding that the company posts 1,000 new items online every hour.

"They want to flip their wardrobe, but they want to do that without doing damage to the environment," she said.

Chernin, for her part, turns to Poshmark when she wants to sell a piece of clothing she no longer likes or has use for. Poshmark, which allows users to list and sell their own clothes, is said to be preparing to file for an IPO later this year, The Wall Street Journal reported in April.

Jessica Pruitt, an associate manager of marketing at Buffalo Exchange - a thrift store that buys and sells used clothing at 49 stores across the US - told Business Insider that the store has seen an uptick in Gen Z shoppers as the stigma around resale fades.

Secondhand shopping also affords Gen Z the chance to dress in unique ways. They use thrift to build their own identity and create their own story, Lennox Thomas, Goodwill NYNJ's executive vice president for retail operations, told Business Insider.

Ortakales has found that some of her classmates have become so "obsessed" with creating a look that "sets them apart" that being unique has become a trend in and of itself.

"There are kids at school who think it's stupid to shop at American Eagle because then you all end up with the same clothes. They go to the smallest stores they can find, that they know no one else is shopping at, so they know they have something different," she said.

Ortakales said she believes that this desire to be unique stems from the important societal and cultural changes that have occurred during this generation's upbringing, which has made them more accepting of diversity.

"My generation is so focused on accepting people that are different that there's this mindset that if you do want to follow what other people are doing, it's frowned upon," she said. "We are trying so hard to make sure everyone feels included and accept everyone, so you have to be different to be involved in that."

Reporting by Mary Hanbury
Editing by Madeline Stone, Cadie Thompson, Matt Turner, and Alyson Shontell
Design by Samantha Lee and Skye Gould
Photography by Hollis Johnson
Graphics by Shayanne Gal

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Gen Z is leading an evolution in shopping that could kill brands as we know them

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Generation Z's approach to brands is part of what sets it apart from other generations. When deciding where to shop, their primary motivator is price.

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Why Millennial Men Don’t Shop Like Previous Generations

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Why Millennial Men Don’t Shop Like Previous Generations

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The men's industry is experiencing exponential growth, and sales are set to eclipse those of womenswear by 2021, according to a survey by Euromonitor.

FN spoke to fashion directors, buyers and designers across the industry to examine how men's shopping habits have changed - and what impact that is having on the market at large.

They told us that thanks largely to Instagram, the male shopper is more informed, proactive and adventurous than ever before. He is also increasingly embracing e-commerce and more concerned with sustainability. Here are the three main drivers behind the way men shop now.

1. Social Shopping

"Social media has democratized fashion," said Bruce Pask, men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. What he means is that men can scroll through their Instagram feed until their hearts' content, immediately accessing information they'd once have waited months to see in a magazine.

"This easy availability of visual information and style references has absolutely affected the market and informed the shopper," he continued. "You make more interesting and adventurous choices if you are more informed."

Perhaps this has, in turn, encouraged big houses to take more risks. Take, for instance, the men's spring '20 presentations: With transparent "naked" boots at Dior Men, gold sandals at Celine (both leather and rubber jelly versions, for the record) and floral wellies at Louis Vuitton, the season's footwear certainly looked adventurous.

Additionally, Browns senior buyer Thom Scherdel pointed to the growing power of the influencer. "The pool of 'influence' Instagram accounts [male shoppers] can source from is now huge, and it's become totally normal for guys to follow these people - whereas before, it was less of a thing," he said.

Level Shoes senior buyer Stephanie Moor noted that thanks to social media platforms, men are now much more trend driven and shopping faster and more frequently. "They are looking to peer groups, influencers and celebrities for inspiration and direction on what brands and styles to be seen in," she said, "especially when it comes to sneakers."

They are also more proactive, according to Mr Porter senior buyer David Morris. "Customers visit [our] site already equipped with the information they need to make a purchase," he said. "In some cases, they will reach out to us ahead of key launches to register their interest."

2. Online Uptick

Of course, men aren't just drawing inspiration from the digital realm, they're also shopping there as well in increasing numbers. A January report from First Insight Inc. found that male shoppers made about 41% of their purchases online, up from 38% the previous year.

No surprise, then, that women's retail platforms Mytheresa and LVMH's 24S will both launch menswear divisions for spring '20. Mytheresa has tapped Sneakerboy founder Chris Kyvetos as its new buying director for men's. And 24S has snagged a deal as the exclusive retailer for Dior Men and Celine.

Ugg menswear designer Enrique Corbi pointed out that guys today are much more willing to trust online shopping. "Men used to have to touch and feel their prospective purchases, myself included," he said. "Now, they're happy to order things from Mr Porter and the like, try them at home and either keep them or send them back."

According to Browns menswear buying manager Dean Cook, the rise of online shopping, for both sexes, is about convenience. "It comes down to the fact that people are becoming more and more busy and have less time to go to stores," he said.

However, he maintained that there is still a generational split among consumers: "Younger men tend to mostly shop online, whereas an older customer will shop both online and in-store."

3. Lifestyle & the Environment

Another factor impacting men's fashion choices is changing lifestyles - particularly a more-casual lifestyle. "The three-piece suit and occasion dressing are dying out," said Cottweiler co-designer Matthew Dainty, who founded the label with Ben Cottrell in 2012.

Cottweiler, which partnered again with Reebok for its spring '20 sneakers and apparel, has always fused tailoring with sportswear. For instance, one look from their spring collection - a tailored suit in technical fabric - was a cheeky take on commuter-wear with sports-style vents exposing flashes of skin.

But streetwear isn't just one aspect of men's evolving lifestyles. Among other changes, Dainty cited an increasing concern with health and wellbeing, alongside less-traditional working practices and environments. "I read an article recently that dubbed 'wellness' the new luxury," he said.

Ami's Alexandre Mattiussi picked up on the same holistic approach with his spring collection, which featured tiny tinkling bells decorating garments and shoes. He told FN he chose them because the sound was calming, like meditation.

In a similar vein, an interest in sustainably produced product and transparency within the production chain is becoming as prevalent among men as it is women. While it's been in Cottweiler's DNA from its inception, Dainty said he's noticed that men are becoming more aware and appreciative of their environmental impact and are purchasing accordingly.

And more brands are responding. For spring, Rick Owens collaborated with Veja for his second season, Byredo launched sneakers made with byproduct leather from the label's bags and Nanushka, which started as a women's label and is known for its vegan leathers, staged its first coed presentation.

Additionally, Chitose Abe's Sacai collection featured T-shirts made from a newly developed Brewed Protein Blended sustainable fabric. On one T-shirt, the Fabien Baron graphic reading "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" said it all.
Want More?
The 7 Shoes From Paris Fashion Week Men's That Will Be Trending for 2020

Why Online Shopping Is More Eco-Friendly Than Traditional Retail - Or at Least It Was

How Brands Should Sell Sustainability to Consumers
Watch a behind-the-scenes look at Meek Mill's FN cover shoot:

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Why Millennial Men Don't Shop Like Previous Generations

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The men's industry is experiencing exponential growth, and sales are set to eclipse those of womenswear by 2021, according to a survey by Euromonitor. FN spoke to fashion directors, buyers and designers across the industry to examine how men's shopping habits have changed - and what impact that is having on the market at large.

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How To Engage The Millennial Market? Engage Young Men

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How To Engage The Millennial Market? Engage Young Men

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What's the best way to build influence among the Millennial generation? Engage young men. In a surprising twist, Millennial men are 50% more likely than the women of their generation to drive brand conversations, and not just in a few select categories. They're emerging as key consumer influencers across the board, from sports and auto to travel and children's products.

Most surprisingly, young men are now more influential in several categories that women have long dominated. In our new research, we uncovered some unexpected facts that illustrate just how much Millennial men are breaking away from gender stereotypes.

Millennial men have 12 brand conversations a day - 20% more than their female peers.

At 14%, more of them qualified as key influencers, which we define as people with large real-world social networks and who frequently give advice about dozens of leading products and services, than any other age group of men, and they are nearly tied with teenage and early 20s women for social influence. Another indicator of Millennial men's influence is that they discuss brands in 12 conversations each day, compared to their female peers, who have 10 brand conversations during an average day. It's also more than older men, who average seven brand-related conversations a day.

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Millennial women no longer prevail over beauty and apparel.

Unlike earlier generations, young men put less emphasis on the traditional masculine image and more on grooming and individuality. They're 69% more likely than all men in our studies to be influencers in the beauty category, and 47% more likely to be influencers in the retail and apparel category. This is consistent with a finding by GlobalData that 72% of Millennial men believe their looks and appearance are important. As a result, Millennial men are now almost as likely as their female peers to discuss beauty and apparel brands.

Young men are far more influential than their fathers in "domestic" categories.

Millennial men also defy expectations about the categories they talk about compared to older men. Partly because of the stage of life, Millennial men are much more likely than men as a whole to recommend children and household products, in addition to travel, retail and apparel-reflecting their new well-rounded perspective. Indeed, their influence is far greater than that of other men in every consumer category measured.

Millennial men stand in stark contrast because they're defining themselves differently than previous generations. "Masculinity today is going through seismic changes. More than ever, guys are rejecting rigid male stereotypes," said Matthew McCarthy , senior marketing director for Unilever's Axe. This new view of men is clear in Axe's "Find Your Magic" campaign, which has picked up perfectly on this new mindset among Millennial men.

This has major implications for marketers. For some categories, such as household products or travel, this will mean creating entirely new strategies targeted at this lucrative segment. Our research underscores how important it is for brands to deliberately enlist these younger men in their efforts to introduce or re-introduce products and services of all kinds.

Beyond acknowledging this new and evolving male identity, marketers need to understand the conversations young men are having about their brands - and their competitors'- as well as the channels they're using to make recommendations to family, friends and colleagues.

Brands also should design advertising that reflects how Millennial men view themselves. Show them making educated decisions at a supermarket or in an apparel store. Or, create a campaign in which young couples are engaging together in consumer decision making.

Most importantly, embrace the image of younger males as "smart shoppers" across a wider variety of categories, especially those that seem counterintuitive. Those brands willing to break gender stereotypes are the ones most likely to drive social influence among the men and women of this generation.

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what's the best way to build influence among the millennial generation? engage young men. in a surprising twist

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millennial men are 50% more likely than the women of their generation to drive brand conversations

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and not just in a few select categories. they're emerging as key consumer influencers across the ... 09/26/2017

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How To Engage The Millennial Market? Engage Young Men

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What's the best way to build influence among the Millennial generation? Engage young men. In a surprising twist, Millennial men are 50% more likely than the women of their generation to drive brand conversations, and not just in a few select categories.

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The remarkable influence of millennial men

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The remarkable influence of millennial men

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Millennials have forced brands to innovate and recreate marketing strategies. However, there's an unexpected generational twist that marketers need to heed. Millennial men are remarkably influential and powerful brand advocates, more so than other men, more so than in the past, and even more than millennial women.

Millennial men have emerged as key catalysts of consumer conversations about brands-a role that women have long dominated. In fact, data shows that millennial men are 50 percent more likely than their female peers to be everyday influencers. These are the word-of-mouth leaders-the friends, colleagues or even family members we turn to when we need advice on things such as what type of car to buy, where to eat, best places for a vacation, or any other product-related advice. They're only 10 percent of the population, but they carry disproportionate sway.

What's more, young men today are recommending beauty, apparel and household products-categories in which older generations of men typically don't exercise much influence. They defy stereotyping.

This trend reveals that millennial men are enthused about becoming expert consumers and sharing what they know with people around them. They have 11.7 brand-related conversations each day, compared to only 6.5 brand-related conversations that older men have. That's also more than their female peers, with 9.9 brand conversations a day.

This is especially important for brands because peer-to-peer influence is a key driver of sales. But to capture a significant share of the lucrative millennial wallet, brands must develop marketing strategies that capture the attention of young men-especially the everyday influencers among them.

With a social value four times higher than the average consumer according to our latest report, everyday influencers are one of the most persuasive segments for marketers to understand and engage. They're also more likely to be among the first to try and evaluate new products and services.

Marketers should also understand that, for millennial men, brands are conversation currency, and they've developed more ways of connecting with their network of family and friends than other groups. As one might expect, they're more digitally-minded than older men, with 14 percent using social media and other digital channels for brand conversations each day, versus just 6 percent of older men. However, they also make more brand recommendations during real-life social interactions, such as watching sports with friends.

Thus, brands can reach young men and seed them with information and brand messages more easily than most. Here's how marketers can connect with this lucrative audience.

Break away from the stereotypes
As gender roles break down, brand marketing should acknowledge the evolving male identity. Millennial men are rejecting rigid male stereotypes, a trend that Unilever's Axe, a brand known for its masculine image, used to its advantage. Its successful "Find Your Magic" campaign celebrates individuality and focuses on young men's self-image.

Align campaign messages with the millennial male mindset
While young men are known for their interest in beer, the Heineken brand stands out for aligning its marketing with millennial interests. For example, last year it launched a campaign carefully calibrated to the attitude of drinking responsibly, in response to research that showed 75 percent of millennials limit their alcohol consumption during their nights out.

Know what millennial men are saying about your brand so you can earn the right to be part of those discussions
Understand what millennial men are saying about your brand and its competitors, as well as the channels used to make recommendations to family, friends and colleagues. Don't ignore for a moment the importance of real-world conversations and the need to create ways for your brand to become a part of those discussions.

Only with this knowledge can brands identify and shape the messages and actions needed to engage this lucrative segment.
Ed Keller is CEO at Engagement Labs.

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The remarkable influence of millennial men

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Millennials have forced brands to innovate and recreate marketing strategies. However, there's an unexpected generational twist that marketers need to heed. Millennial men are remarkably influential and powerful brand advocates, more so than other men, more so than in the past, and even more than millennial women.

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Every Gen Z stat you could ever ask for, right at your fingertips | Gen Z Insights

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Every Gen Z stat you could ever ask for, right at your fingertips | Gen Z Insights

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You asked for it - so here it is.

We've compiled key stats that we think speak to Gen Zers' needs, behaviors, quirks, attitudes, likes, dislikes and preferences as a cohort - consumer and/or otherwise.

By putting all the number-crunching under one roof, it's our hope you'll gain convenient, global insight into what members of Gen Z are looking for in terms of brands, advertising, technology, shopping, content consumption, finances, leisure time and social causes.

Without further ado, let's do the numbers!

What does Gen Z want from brands?

How does Gen Z feel about advertising?

What technologies does Gen Z use - and how?

How does Gen Z shop?

How does Gen Z consume content?

How does Gen Z manage its finances?

How does Gen Z spend its free time?

What are the issues Gen Z cares about the most?

Roughly 53 percent of Gen Zers agree that "personal success" is the most important thing in life. ¹¹

63 percent of Gen Zs are concerned about jobs and unemployment. ⁷

35 percent of Gen Zs perceive terrorism as an important issue of its time. ⁷

70 percent of Gen Zers believe racial equality is a defining issue of their generation.

61 percent of Gen Zs believe brands are better positioned than governments to solve social problems ¹⁴

64 percent believe one key issue of their time is addressing gender inequality.

62 percent think tackling poverty is a driving issue.

Roughly 57 percent of Gen Zers are concerned about income inequality.

Over half of Gen Z believes that same-sex marriage makes society better. 12

53 percent of Gen Zers believe interracial marriage is good for society. 12

Sources cited

2 UNiDAYS and Ad Age: "Gen Z: Decoding the digital generation"

³Kantar Millward Brown: "Ad reaction: Gen Z, Y and X"

⁶Millennial Marketing: The real figure of direct Gen Z spending

⁸Wibbitz: "How to reach audiences with social video: from Millennials to Generation Z"

Barkley and FutureCast study: "Getting to know Gen Z: How the pivotal generation is different than Millennials"

¹³VisionCritical: Unlike Millennials: 5 ways Gen Z differs from Gen Y

¹⁴ UNiDAYS: "Gen Z and belief-driven buying survey" (coming soon)

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Every Gen Z stat you could ever ask for, right at your fingertips

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You asked for it - so here it is. We've compiled key stats that we think speak to Gen Zers' needs, behaviors, quirks, attitudes, likes, dislikes and preferences as a cohort - consumer and/or otherwise.

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9 ways college is different for millennials than it was for previous generations

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9 ways college is different for millennials than it was for previous generations

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Millennials' lives are a lot different than their parents' lives were at the same age.

Exhibit A: College - higher education has evolved over time, creating a different environment for millennials compared to previous generations.

Most significantly, college today is more expensive for millennials - but it has also experienced an increase in technological advancements and opportunities, diversity, and stress and competition.

Millennials face a lot of differences compared to their parents - they carry bigger financial burdens; deal with a different dating pool; always have to be "on" at work, but have more flexible working options; and have access to social media.

They also have a different college experience than baby boomers and Gen X did. Most notoriously so, the cost of college tuition has significantly increased since the 1980s, but there are a few other contrasts as well, both good and bad - think technological advancements, increased diversity, and more stress and competition.

In fact, more millennials are attending college than any previous generation. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of college-educated young adults with a bachelor's degree is at its highest point yet - 40% of millennial workers aged 25 to 29 had a bachelor's degree in 2016, compared to 32% of Gen Xers in 2000 and 26% of baby boomers in 1985.

But they're attending college in a different environment. From the price of college textbooks to online learning opportunities, here's how college differs for millennials.

More students are going to college.

"The demand for higher education has risen dramatically since 1985," Richard Vedder, author and distinguished professor of economics emeritus at Ohio University, previously told Business Insider.

NBC News previously reported that undergraduate enrollment in the US had duplicated from 1970 to 2009. And, according to the Department of Education, US colleges expected a total of 20.4 million students in fall 2017, about 5.1 million more than in fall 2000.

"The rewards for college have expanded and grown from 1985 to a little after 2000 and sort of leveled off in the past decade," Vedder said.

College is more competitive.

With more students applying to colleges, it's harder to get in. In 1988, the acceptance rate for Columbia University was 65%; as of 2014, it's 7%, according to US News & World Report. Likewise, the University of Michigan's acceptance rate dropped from 52% to 33% in the same time period.

But Jacoba Urist of The Atlantic says that there is truth and untruth to the myth of college admissions getting harder each year. "As it turns out, getting into college actually isn't any harder than it was a decade ago," she wrote. "It's just that the odds of admission to your particular college may have decreased."

Whatever the case, the facts show that acceptance rates are on the decline.

College is more expensive.

College tuition has more than doubled since the 1980s. From the late 1980s to the 2017-18 school year, the cost of an undergraduate degree rose by 213% at public schools, adjusting for inflation.

Back then, the average annual tuition for public college was just $1,490, or $3,190 in today's dollars, compared with today's price tag of $9,970, according to Student Loan Hero.

Private college tuitions witnessed a cost increase in the period of 129% when adjusted for inflation. In the late 1980s, it cost $7,050, or $15,160 in today's dollars, for a private undergraduate degree. Today, the average cost is $34,740.

College textbooks are also pricier.

Along with tuition, the price of college textbooks has increased, reports The Huffington Post, citing the Government Accountability Office. Compared to 30 years ago, they're 812% costlier. A single textbook can cost up to $300, and the average college student is expected to spend more than $1,200 on textbooks annually.

As a result, electronic textbooks are on the rise - and they could save students as much as $1.42 billion collectively a year, according to Huffington Post. That's not an option parents had back in the day.

College today is more technologically advanced.

College millennials have greater technology benefits than their parents did before the advent of the Internet. Mobile devices and laptops dominate classrooms, but they can also distract students from lessons.

Students can now receive lectures via PowerPoint if they miss a class, and many universities offer access to recorded faculty lectures, according to NBC News.

Instead of typewriters or desktops, students now have laptops - which they can bring to class to take notes instead of handwriting lectures. They can also rate their professors online and use social media to stay in touch with classmates.

More students are learning online.

With such technological advancements, more and more students are enrolling in online courses - options that weren't quite available for their parents.

Online course enrollment increased between the fall 2015 and 2016 school years more than it had in the past three years, reported US News & World Report, citing the Babson Survey Research Group. Public colleges and universities, specifically, saw a 7% increase in growth.

Business Insider previously reported on a survey that revealed 69% of millennials thought they learned better from technology than from people - only 50% of respondents older than 45 felt the same.

The student population is more diverse.

Student populations at colleges has evolved demographically since 1970. According to the 2018 State of the Student research project conducted by education technology company Chegg, which sampled more than 1,000 college students in the US, current minority enrollment is 42% - a sharp contrast from 15% in 1970.

Currently, females make up more than half of the student population; in 1970, they made up less than half. Students are also older - 40% of college students are older than 25 years old, compared to 28% in years prior.

College students aren't as religious as they used to be.

The number of freshmen who don't identify with a religion increased from around 16% to 25% from 2005 to 2014, according to The Huffington Post, citing UCLA's Cooperative Institutional Research program, which surveyed more than 150,000 full-time freshmen students across more than 200 colleges and universities.

Students at Catholic colleges who don't identify with a religion increased by more than 4% in the same time span. The percentage of students not identifying with a religion at other religious colleges also increased.

College students are more stressed today.

From 2005 to 2015, the proportion of freshmen saying they "occasionally or frequently feel overwhelmed" increased by 10%, according to the Huffington Post. Denise Hayes, president of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors in 2011, told the publication that this could be linked to financial pressures and stress to succeed.

Perhaps this is because millennials are balancing more in addition to their school work. According to a study by the Center for Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, 70% to 80% of students have a job while attending school - 40% of them work more than 30 hours a week, exceeding the 15 hours a week cap they should maintain without hurting their academics.

More: Features College Millennials College Tuition

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9 ways college is different for millennials than it was for previous generations

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Millennials' lives are a lot different than their parents' lives were at the same age, especially when it comes to college. College today is more expensive for millennials, and there's been an increase in technological advancements and opportunities, diversity, and stress and competition.

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Op-Ed | Millennials Say They Care About Sustainability. So, Why Don't They Shop This Way?

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Op-Ed | Millennials Say They Care About Sustainability. So, Why Don't They Shop This Way?

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Illustration by Jan-Nico Meyer for BoF

NEW YORK, United States - These days, it's hard to open your favourite news app without being bombarded with headlines about millennials, the demographic that every brand wants to charm.

Why? Just look at the numbers. In 2017, millennials in the US alone spent about $200 billion and it is estimated that, by the end of 2018, they will have more spending power than any other generation.

There is little doubt that millennials have distinct values and consumer behaviours. This appears to include an interest in sustainability.

Sixty six percent of global millennials are willing to spend more on brands that are sustainable, according to the State of Fashion 2018 report by BoF & McKinsey. Nearly 90 percent believe they will help create more sustainable products by convincing businesses and governments to change existing practices, according to research by LIM College, a school dedicated to the business of fashion in New York. In the same study, an equal percentage of respondents said they would be willing to boycott a fashion brand if it was not sustainable.

Millennials are also more aware of the textile industry's environmental and social shortcomings than older generations, believed Oeko-Tex Association, a group of 16 independent textile research and test institutes in Europe and Japan. They are also more inclined to see the textile industry as a major polluter and are more concerned than previous generations about harmful substances in their clothing. What's more, Oeko-Tex found that 60 percent of millennials are interested in certified sustainable clothing, while 69 percent of millennials check claims like "eco-friendly" or "sustainable" when buying clothes.

The message seems clear: millennials care about sustainable fashion. But do they buy it?

While actual sales data is hard to come by, only 34 percent of millennials say they are driven to make a fashion purchase because a product was sustainable, according to LIM College. What's more, Oeko-Tex reports that while 60 percent are interested in certified clothing, only 37 percent say they have actually purchased them.

Sustainability will be the next major battlefield where brands will compete for millennial spend

Why the gap? Do millennials simply say they care about sustainable fashion but lack the genuine conviction to follow through in what they buy? Or is there something more nuanced at play here?

Product availability and lack of clear marketing seem to be the main issues.

First, the fashion industry is not providing millennials with sufficient sustainable fashion choices that also meet their most important criteria for making a purchase: ease of purchase, price and value. For 95 percent of millennials, these are the key drivers for making purchases, finds LIM College.

Indeed, sustainable fashion brands are so few they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Of course, there are labels such as , Patagonia or Reformation which are actively pushing sustainability as a core attribute of their brands. Yet, the vast majority of brands do not offer the scale or variety of sustainable fashion items to meet millennial expectations and tastes.

In addition, brands could play a more active role in effectively marketing sustainability. Few consumers will actually take the time to visit a brand's corporate sustainability page or read a sustainability report. Sustainability information needs to be clear, visible and easily accessible - both in-store and online - to cater to the short attention span millennials are so famous for.

This includes putting details on environmental and ethical credentials in e-commerce product descriptions and on physical product labels and banners in retail stores. Specifically, integrating consumer facing sustainability labels such as the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) or the certified Leather Working Group (LWG) could help. Some brands have even created their own labels for sustainable products. For example, when ASOS created Eco Edit, a curated destination where customers can buy sustainable fashion, beauty and jewellery goods, the retailer also created an Eco Edit symbol to help customers identify and learn more about the sustainable product ranges they sell.

Similarly, giving e-commerce consumers the ability to filter products by sustainable attributes like "fair trade" or "100% organic cotton" - much like they filter products based on price, brand or colour - could sync with millennials' desire for ease of use. On REI's website, shoppers can filter by attributes like "biodegradable," "vegan" and "organic."

Why should executives bother? Surely, solving the millennial sustainability gap is a major commercial opportunity waiting to be exploited. Indeed, there is every reason to believe that sustainability will be the next major battlefield where brands will compete for millennial spend.
Luna Atamian Hahn-Petersen is a sustainability consultant, working at Salterbaxter in New York, specialising in helping apparel and luxury companies to develop sustainable brands. How to submit an Op-Ed: The Business of Fashion accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. The suggested length is 800 words, but submissions of any length will be considered. Submissions may be sent to contributors@businessoffashion.com. Please include 'Op-Ed' in the subject line. Given the volume of submissions we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond in the event that an article is not selected for publication.

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Op-Ed | Millennials Say They Care About Sustainability. So, Why Don't They Shop This Way?

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Illustration by Jan-Nico Meyer for BoF NEW YORK, United States - These days, it's hard to open your favourite news app without being bombarded with headlines about millennials, the demographic that every brand wants to charm. Why? Just look at the numbers.

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PVH Corp. Response to COVID-19 Outbreak | Press Release

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PVH Corp. Response to COVID-19 Outbreak | Press Release

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We are PVH. One of the largest global apparel companies with over $8 billion in revenues.

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Beginning March 17th we'll be temporarily closing all TOMMY HILFIGER & TOMMY JEANS stores across Europe and North America through March 29th. Our top priority is the wellbeing of our colleagues, partners, families and friends around the world.

We're here to support, inspire and share how to make the best of the situation, day in and day out.

During a time of social distancing - you can still shop on tommy.com and stay connected with us on social media. ❤

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Beginning March 17th we'll be temporarily closing all TOMMY HILFIGER & TOMMY JEANS stores across Europe and North America through March 29th. Our top priority is the wellbeing of our colleagues, partners, families and friends around the world. We're here to support, inspire and share how to make the best of the situation, day in and day out.

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Half of Millennials prefer to shop in physical stores

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Half of Millennials prefer to shop in physical stores

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Customer analytics company Adoreboard studied the emotional responses expressed by 10,000 millennial consumers in a survey about their clothing shopping habits and preferences, and which brands they rank most highly.

The study revealed that 49% of 18-to-34-year-olds prefer to shop for clothes in bricks-and-mortar stores, compared with 39% through websites and 11% via apps. The remaining 1% of respondents said 'elsewhere'.

One in three consumers said they feel less certain of their choices when they shop online.

Brand trust seems to be generated more by human rather than AI support, as 76% of millennials surveyed said they prefer online human assistance to a chatbot.

Adoreboard's Fashion Retail Barometer ranking measures the 10 high street fashion brands 18-to-34-year-olds rank most highly. Interestingly, the beleauguered New Look came out on top.

The report said: "Customers trust New Look clothing and recognise that this retailer provides affordable fashion and great value for money with the products they receive."

Asos came second. Those surveyed said they trusted the etailer to provide an efficient and effective delivery and free returns service.

One respondent said: "Unique designs and a company that gives small designers a chance. I often shop with ASOS, I usually spend a long time browsing and often end up buying more than I planned because of their free shipping and returns policy. Great service."

H&M came in fourth place, behind Primark in third. Respondents complained about the H&M's sizing being too small, and this ranked highest on the "anger" and "sadness" sections of the survey. The retailer announced it would address the issue earlier this month.

Sizing complaints also were at the heart of Topshop's score. It ranked sixth of the 10 brands analysed, and scored particular highly on "sadness" because of small sizing.

Overall, personalised customer service, value, affordability and ethics were the most important clothes shopping motivators for millennial consumers.

Nearly two-thirds (61%) said ethics and sustainability were important when shopping for clothes, compared with 26% who were undecided or had no preference and 12% who said ethics were not important to them.

More than eight in 10 (85%) of 18-to-34-year-olds said social media influenced their fashion buying decisions, and Instagram was the most popular influencer channel. A further 53% said they would rather get their information directly from the brand's app.

Chris Johnston, chief executive of Adoreboard, said: "There's been a lot of comment recently about the high street business model failing customers. But our report proves that millennials - those consumers whose spending power will drive retail and brand performance over the next generation - want, need and value that in-person, human, individualised experience."

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Half of Millennials prefer to shop in physical stores

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Customer analytics company Adoreboard studied the emotional responses expressed by 10,000 millennial consumers in a survey about their clothing shopping habits and preferences, and which brands they rank most highly. The study revealed that 49% of 18-to-34-year-olds prefer to shop for clothes in bricks-and-mortar stores, compared with 39% through websites and 11% via apps.

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Over 60% of Millennials are using ‘buy now, pay later’ services 

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Over 60% of Millennials are using ‘buy now, pay later’ services 

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Analysis from global consulting partnership Kearney has found a growing appetite for point of sale (PoS) credit finance - otherwise known as 'buy now, pay later' - among younger UK consumers, with over 60% (67%) of Millennials now using this service.

While 42% of Millennials have used a 'buy now, pay later' service more than once in recent years, they're not the only shoppers using these services. A majority of consumers in Generation X (57%) have also used this type of at-checkout finance, with over a third (34%) having done so more than once.

The report, 'Credit uncrunched: why banks and retailers must develop more PoS credit services', revealed that while adoption is low overall - 41% of UK shoppers have still never used these services - consumers would be more willing to use these credit options if they provide ease of use, value for money and transparency over any charges.

Point of sale credit finance has been used in different forms for a long time, but in recent years, this market has changed significantly with the introduction of new services including PayPal Credit, Klarna and Clearpay. As these services have become more available, consumers are becoming more open to this form of credit.

Nearly 60% (58%) of shoppers would use PoS credit for a purchase over £250, whether or not they could pay the full price up front - including 12% who would use the credit to trade-up and buy a more expensive product.

Over a quarter of shoppers (26%) would use 'buy now, pay later' options if they couldn't afford their purchase immediately, including 13% who would rather do this than save up for the item(s) they wanted to buy.

The report also showed that consumers are increasingly using it as a way to choose which retailers to shop with. Nearly 40% of shoppers (37%) said that if making a purchase costing £250 or more, they would prefer to buy from a retailer that offered a 'buy now, pay later' option. This is especially true for younger shoppers - over half (51%) of Millennials and 42% of Generation Z agreed.

Sameer Pethe, Principal at Kearney said "The findings outlined in this report reveal the potential opportunities for a service provider to be able to develop and market a genuinely easy to use, transparent PoS credit service. Today, this is a very fragmented market: a good proposition linked to a trusted brand could capture a substantial market share."

"Retailers who understand their role in responsible lending can stand to benefit from offering 'buy now, pay later' credit services. For some consumers, access to PoS credit is now a reason to use a particular retailer - and this trend will become more significant as the market for these services continues to grow."

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Over 60% of Millennials are using 'buy now, pay later' services - Credit Connect

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Analysis from global consulting partnership Kearney has found a growing appetite for point of sale (PoS) credit finance - otherwise known as 'buy now, pay later' - among younger UK consumers, with over 60% (67%) of Millennials now using this service. While 42% of Millennials have used a 'buy now, pay later' service more than...

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Why Millennials Have Higher Expectations For Customer Experience Than Older Generations

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Why Millennials Have Higher Expectations For Customer Experience Than Older Generations

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When it comes to customer expectations, it is no surprise that with all the latest tech-leaning us towards instant gratification that millennials have higher expectations for customer experience. This is mostly due to instant gratification with mobile and email notifications from brands.

A recent report from Adobe surveyed 1,500 U.S. adults regarding preferences and expectations for digital experiences in the retail, travel & hospitality, media & entertainment, and financial services industries and found that expectations for customer experience are much higher coming from the millennial age group than ever before.

Taylor Schreiner, Director, Adobe Digital Insights said, "You can see this expectation that technology will provide great experiences in some of their survey responses. For instance, about half of people under 35 would rather engage with a computer than a human when interacting with a brand. Older groups much more clearly want to talk to real people and expect interactions with people to give them better experiences."

Customers expect to have instant communication when interacting with a brand such as mobile text messages for coupons or email receipts right to their inbox after purchase. Now with Amazon 2-day shipping and notifications any time that the package is shipped or delivered, there is a sense of needing to always be in communication with brands. Therefore many brands have developed apps so that they can be as accessible as possible. We can now check our bank accounts, our interactions, our mail, and so much more all by the click of our smartphones.

Chatbots are now very popular amongst brands because it allows them to interact in real time for issues and questions. Millennials tend to be more self-efficient than older generations and want to figure out things for themselves and therefore this gives them the opportunity to do this quickly and efficiently. Even food chains, like Starbucks, have jumped on board the self-serving bandwagon by allowing customers to order ahead of time and pick up for faster and more accurate ordering.

This comes into play with more than just good customer experience though, this is also important when it comes to poor customer experiences. The study shows that nine in 10 people ages 18 to 34 said they will take an action after having a bad online customer experience, such as telling friends, stopping purchasing from the company, and posting reviews on a review site or social media.

"One thing that is clear in our data is that people under 35 feel they have a stronger voice in any relationship with a brand. For instance, while they are less likely than older consumers to actually complain to a company after a bad online experience, they twice as likely to write an online review or post to social media about the experience. They see those online channels as empowering them to respond when they have had a bad experience," said Schreiner

Consumers want to be heard and they expect a response. Among those who posted on social media about their experience, two in three heard back from the company. Brands should keep this in mind and can try and rectify bad experiences, not just to retain that person as a customer, but to show others that the company listened to the negative feedback and made a change. It can show transparency and make it so others are willing to give them another chance.

Travel is also a major one when it comes to customer expectations. According to the survey, four in 10 said they expect to receive a text message from an airline if their flights were delayed. Customers expect to be able to check in online for flights, hotels, car services and other travel related items before they arrive at their destination. There are even hotel apps now that let you pick your room temperature and make special requests before even arriving. This customer experience is personalized and convenient. Convenience is key when it comes to travel expectations and people do not like to wait for information, they expect to know what is happening the moment it is occurring. This could also be attributed to social media where news spreads quicker and is always at our fingertips.

"When it comes to their travel experiences, consumers want to be surprised and delighted," Schreiner told CMO.com. "Anything that can save them time and effort, and make their stay more pleasant, is going to be key, as are personalized and customizable services that enhance the travel experience."

Seeing as the trend has no signs of slowing down, it will be interesting to see what expectations are held from Generation Z when they reach the age of today's millennials. There could be some major shifts in how brands interact with their customers in the future.

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Why Millennials Have Higher Expectations for Customer Experience Than Older Generations

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When it comes to customer expectations, it is no surprise that with all the latest tech-leaning us towards instant gratification that millennials have higher expectations for customer experience. This is mostly due to instant gratification with mobile and email notifications from brands. A recent report from Adobe surveyed 1,500 U.S.

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I have chosen to create a video which explains my concept in an engaging way and through the use of language and a medium which my target audience will recognise; text.

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Introducing my concept

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I have included a video which I found on the Tommy Hilfiger website to break up the information about my concept.

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Introducing my concept

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Incentive for my sustainable concept

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A review of 200 of the biggest global fashion brands and retailers ranked according to how much they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and impact.

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This holiday season, I have an early New Year's resolution for the sake of Planet Earth: let's all become radical environmentalists.

This sounds like a big leap-but it's not. All you need is a sewing kit and a set of repair instructions.

As individual consumers, the single best thing we can do for the planet is to keep our stuff in use longer. This simple act of extending the life of our garments through proper care and repair reduces the need to buy more over time-thereby avoiding the CO ₂ emissions, waste output and water usage required to build it.

Why is repair such a radical act? Fixing something we might otherwise throw away is almost inconceivable to many in the heyday of fast fashion and rapidly advancing technology, but the impact is enormous. I tell you this as CEO of a clothing company that, despite a deep commitment to responsible manufacturing, still takes more from the earth than it returns.

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Worn Wear: Better Than New - Patagonia.com

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This holiday season, I have an early New Year's resolution for the sake of Planet Earth: let's all become radical environmentalists. This sounds like a big leap-but it's not. All you need is a sewing kit and a set of repair instructions.

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Patagonia Product Information - Materials & Technology

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Patagonia travels the globe in search of the best materials for our clothing, accessories and luggage. Find information on our fabrics and technology here.

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Recycled Denim | Tommy Hilfiger® Official Online Shop

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Discover our most sustainable range of jeans yet in the new Recycled Denim collection from Tommy Jeans, featuring items made of 100% recycled cotton.

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Recycled Denim | Tommy Hilfiger® Official Online Shop

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Discover our most sustainable range of jeans yet in the new Recycled Denim collection from Tommy Jeans, featuring items made of 100% recycled cotton.

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I cropped a photo of my ambassador (Loyle Carner), changed the colour of the T-shirt he is wearing and added a hand-sign to the pocket.

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I cropped a photo of my ambassador then changed the colour of his jacket and added 'Dear Jean' to the front pocket. Then edited a jacket from the Tommy Hilfiger website to make it the same colour and added 'Dear Jean' to the back.

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I edited a pair of Tommy Hilfiger shorts to make them the same colour as the jacket above. Then added 'Dear Jean' to the front pocket and 'Jean' to the back pocket.

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I took a white bucket hat from the Tommy Hilfiger website and edited it to make it yellow. I then cropped another hat from their website and added the Tommy Jeans badge logo to my hat and added a hand-sign to the logo.

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I used Photoshop's eyedropper and colour replacement tool to change the Tommy Jeans repeat logo on this bum bag to yellow.

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“All the best things about me come from my ADHD” - Loyle Carner

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“All the best things about me come from my ADHD” - Loyle Carner

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NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM

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Croydon-raised Loyle Carner is one of UK music's most heartening success stories. His 2017 debut 'Yesterday's Gone' deservedly earned a Mercury Prize Nomination for its superb blend of emotionally literate lyrics and soothingly subdued beats; it's the sort of album that makes you feel a bit better about things every time play it. And Benjamin Coyle-Larner - his stage name is a Spoonerism - started giving back as soon as his profile grew, launching the Chilli Con Carner cookery school for kids growing up, as he had, with ADHD.

Now he's back with an affecting second album, 'Not Waving, But Drowning', which features appearances from Jordan Rakei, Jorja Smith, Sampha and even his mum Jean. Its fifteen tracks find the 24-year-old exploring everything from ADHD to the pains of moving away from home, and his mixed race heritage to the death of his stepfather, via a couple of tracks named after his favourite chefs. It already sounds like an excellent soundtrack to breezy summer evenings.

When I meet Carner near his record label in Kings Cross, he doesn't let a grotty-sounding cold dim his natural warmth and ability to engage; he's happy to go just as deep during our interview as he does on his albums. But he's also super-friendly and down-to-earth: when I tell him the only thing I can cook is scrambled eggs, he suggests that next time I try adding some sparkling water to the eggs to make them fluffier. Cooking breakfast a few days later, I find out he's right. But first, we discuss music, mental health and his mum's unexpected guest appearance on the album.

The album begins in such a personal way - with you telling your mum you're moving out. How did this idea come about?

"Yeah, and it sounds super-sweet as well! The album was coming together when I wrote that song ['Dear Jean'], but it was created in this kind of purgatory, almost. I never got chance to move out when I was younger 'cause my dad died and I had to become, you know, the man of the house. So I was still in the [family] house, but I built a little self-contained flat on the side so I could have a bit of a independence but still be there if they needed me. When I was making the album, I was beginning the process of moving out and moving in with my missus, and for a while it was always us with flatmates, or us with my mum, or us in hotels. There was nowhere I had that was just for me, where I could sit down and write and block the world out. Writing that song was something I just had to get out of me - it wasn't meant for the album, it was just for mum. I was going to send it to her because she was quite cut up about me moving away and I was cut out about it too. So I was just gonna send the song to her to say 'hope you're OK'."

And how did she react to the song when she heard it?

"It really meant something to her - it made her cry. She was like, 'I'm gonna write one for you', so I sent her the instrumental with no drums and she just wrote to it and recorded it. And you can hear it at the end of the track ['Dear Ben'], because I was there at the end of the recording with my Voice Notes. How I respond [on the album] is how I responded in real life because that was my first time hearing the song."

There are two songs on the album named after chefs - 'Ottolenghi' and 'Carluccio'. What inspired those tracks?

"Well, 'Ottolenghi' is because I was on the train reading his book Jerusalem, which is one of my favourite cook books. And there's tension in some areas of London around anti-Semitism and Palestine, and sometimes it's easy to see this divide. Which is what happened on the train: this guy came up to me and said, 'Why are you reading that bible on the train?' I was like, 'It's not a bible, it's a cook book, but I guess it's a bible of sorts for me.' And he was like, 'You could get beaten up for having that round here'. He was coming at me - not physically, but he was threatening me. I was intimidated, but tried to diffuse the situation by saying, 'I'm not Jewish but so what if I was? I'm not doing anything to you.' So he got up and left the train in a huff, effing and blinding. I got into the studio and told Jordan [Rakei] the story and it became the song that's on the album. The song isn't really about Ottolenghi, but it wouldn't exist without him, so it made sense to pay homage."

And what about 'Carluccio'?

"With 'Carluccio', I guess ever since my dad died I was looking for male role models. A lot of my friends were watching films like Scarface and The Godfather and Donnie Brasco, 'cause you wanna watch some sort of gangster teaching you the things you're supposed to be taught - how to throw a punch, how to talk to a woman, all the things I wasn't shown because my dad's life was cut short. But it kind of got to the point where my norms and values didn't match up with theirs. I'd be like 'Yeah, what a great guy, he's got such great philosophies.' But then he'd kill someone, or steal something, or lie to his wife, and I'd be like, 'Fuck. I can't get down with this.' It was around this time that I discovered Carluccio. I'm not saying he's a gangster or Godfather figure, but he's kind of the Godfather of Italian cooking. And in a way he's a similar guy - big, Italian and self-assured - so I began to buy into his philosophies, which were all positive philosophies, and he really became a proper male model for me. One day me and my girlfriend had this row, and I was really cut up about it, and it happened to be the day that Carluccio died. I remember thinking I couldn't lose her on the same day that I was losing this guy. So I made this song for her, and sent it to her that day... and it all worked out for us!"

A word that's so often used to describe you and your music is "sensitive". How do you feel about that?

"I think it's having an emotional intelligence that freaks people out. And so they say, 'he's weak, he's super-sensitive, he's kind of soft', or whatever. You know, I am quite sensitive. I am quite soft. And that comes across in my music, but I think the best way to describe that is 'emotionally mature' or 'emotionally intelligent'. I think things are getting a lot better, but sadly as a man it's still kind of impossible to talk about your feelings without feeling some sort of judgement. I feel like I've flown the flag for being emotionally open and understanding that when you're being weak, you're really being strong. But even I find it hard. The song 'Krispy' [on the album] is about one of my best friends of all time, and how we'd fallen out over money and music and things. You know, I couldn't say to him: 'We need to get rid of this elephant in the room and figure it out.' Because my whole life, I've been shown that if me and another guy have a problem, it just goes further and further until we either fight, or just don't talk any more. And so I wrote this song because I was like, 'Fuck that!'. But I didn't want to write the song; I wanted to stand in front of him and tell him how I felt, but I couldn't do that."

How do you think we can move the conversation around men's mental health forward?

"It's partly about shedding the stereotype. If you speak out about how you feel, you should have space to be supported, rather than feeling like you're going to have everyone around you say 'fuck you - you're sensitive'. Look at football - I think it would be incredible for more footballers to come out as gay. If people love a footballer, and hear that footballer say, 'I'm gay', maybe it might change things a bit - it might make people realise that there's no difference between them and that gay footballer. And look at Rio Ferdinand talking about losing his wife. He's one of the strongest guys I know - on the pitch, he was a rock, he was the best defender of his time. Him talking about being weak and low and lost after his wife died is huge. Because it's like: 'If Rio Ferdinand can do it, I can do it.' So that's what I mean by 'shedding the stereotype', I guess."

You also delve pretty deep into your heritage on the track 'Looking Back'.

"I was actually gonna leave it off this album because that song is kind of where I'm heading. It's a conversation I've only been having recently. I've got back in touch with my biological father and finally started asking questions about my heritage - about being from Guyana but thinking I was from Ghana, about being mixed race, black people thinking I'm white, white people thinking I'm black, realising that one of my grandfathers could have owned my other grandfather because they were both in America during the time of slavery. I'm kind of broaching it on this album, and [in the future] I might make another album that looks more at the sound and sonics of Guyana. You know, Benjamin Zephaniah said to me that on this album I'm finding my black consciousness, and that meant a lot to me, because I've never really been able to identify as black. That's because all the kids at school told me I wasn't black, and I grew up with my mum, my stepfather and my half-brother who are all white. So in a way, I felt like I didn't fit it anywhere. But from [Zephaniah] saying it, it kind of gave me this permission to want to explore it more, and validated these ideas I was already having around what is it to be mixed race."

On the track 'Still', you say that having ADHD is the "best and worst thing" about you. To what extent do you feel at peace with your ADHD now?

"It is the best and worst thing about me. You know, I love it but I hate it. But me being ADHD, it's just who I am. All the best things about me come from it - being emotionally intelligent, being passionate, being inquisitive. But so do the things that people might see as negative - having a short temper, being impulsive, not thinking before I say things. But at the same time, if you just tweak the way you think about those negative things a little bit, they can maybe be seen as positive."

How does the life of a musician, which is pretty full-on and hard to predict, affect your ADHD?

"The difficulty comes from having to fill my days. If I have nothing on that day, I can't just sit and do nothing. I think ADHD is the one thing that's stopped me from... not being a loser exactly, but from just sitting at home all day. You know, I've got friends who don't have ADHD who kind of work in the same world as me. And if I'm like, 'Yo, what are you up to today?', quite happily they can just say 'nothing'. I can't do that, which is why I've got the cooking school and why I'm trying to shoot a film with my little brother. I need to have things going on for myself every day. So actually, I think the ADHD is the thing that saved me from just sitting on my sofa and thinking 'maybe I'll get a Deliveroo today'. Do you know what I mean?"
'Not Waving, But Drowning' by Loyle Carner is out now.

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Loyle Carner interview: "All the best things about me come from ADHD"

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Loyle Carner's debut album was much lauded by critics, but it was the south London boy's wholesome extra-curricular activities - running a cookery school for kids with ADHD - which helped him become somewhat of a national treasure.

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"People keep cussing me out about living in Croydon," says Loyle Carner, downing a Vita Coco. It was a definite no to coffee because that's "the devil's drink". We're sat in a brilliant white room listening to old school hip-hop and a little Gregory Isaacs in a brick building overlooking Shoreditch Park, a scrap of grass just off Old Street with its deluge of buses and fancy, glass-fronted new-media businesses.

"Everyone keeps saying you need to bring your passport and that you get jet lag when you come back from Croydon. I swear it's not even that far...".

He pauses and picks at some mud flecks on the cuff of his black Dickies. "Yeah, I guess it is quite far. There's not much Croydon is known for: Ikea, Stormzy, being really far away. Maybe I could do a collaboration with Ikea...".

Just a few days ago, the 22-year-old rapper's debut album Yesterday's Gone was nominated for the Mercury Prize. It was praised for its brutal emotional honesty and stories of abandonment from his biological dad and ex-girlfriends, stories he'd grown accustomed to stewing over during long, quiet, half-pissed journeys home from nights out in the city back to deepest, darkest south London.

But while his long journey home has afforded him welcome critical distance, it's been messing with what he describes as his 'phenomenal' BBQ skills. "I do a BBQ thing at the end of each year called Caribbean Christmas," says Carner, who is half-Guyanese. "It's Caribbean Christmas dinner and everyone brings something. It's great, but because I'm so far away, and because you can only wrap up certain stuff, everyone brings the same thing and we're sat there with like, seven fucking mac 'n' cheeses and they all end up burnt and uneaten...". He shakes his head, the pain of so much wasted food apparently haunting him.

Food's always been a big part of his life, ever since his grandparents opened his tiny eyes to global cuisine as a kid. "My granddad was in the Navy and he'd always cook me lots of African food. But he was Scottish, so it'd be like, mince and tatties with jollof rice. I swear it was only a few years ago I realised he didn't invent jollof. I was at a friends house and I was like 'Rah, you're cooking my granddad's special ketchup-rice?'."

As Loyle speaks he bounces around in his chair, smacking one hand with the back of the other, gesticulating animatedly, or nervously playing with the rings on his fingers when he gets introspective. He rarely stays in one place very long: one minute he's talking tatties and jollof, the next he's looking through his phone in search of a vintage Scottish football shirt he's got his eye on. Diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) at an early age, cooking is the only thing that really calms him down.

"It's not ADD," he says. "I've definitely got the Hyperactivity part in there."

Photography by Jay Brooks

Since returning from a hectic tour schedule - "I swear I've spent 300 of the last 365 days on the road" - Loyle has found himself consciously using cooking as a tool for mindfulness, as a way to switch off while still being useful.

"It's how I chill," he says. "I do it when I'm not even hungry, cooking something that takes hours. I love it because it takes up all of me: with ADHD, you get distracted easily, but in cooking, it's not a negative. You want loads happening: you're chopping this, that thing's on fire, this thing's going in the grill, that's in the pan. When I started cooking, for the first time in my life, my ADHD became a positive. It all just clicked..." He looks contemplative then excitedly smacks his left hand with his right. "And plus I got this sick steak tip off Heston--"

We cut him off with a clanggg noise at the name he just dropped. Loyle shakes his head. "He rang me when I was in Australia to say he was interested in something I'd done about ADHD and food in the Guardian Guide. He invited us over to one of his restaurants for food and a chat then absolutely destroyed me at table tennis. He's a monster at it. But still... that was a pretty bad name-drop, innit?"

Yes, we tell him, it was quite bad. (The steak tip was just 'don't move the steak much', by the way) But it's fine: it must be weird going from nobody knowing you to being someone a lot of people know or at least sort-of recognise.

"It's always 'sort-of recognise', though," says Loyle, getting himself another drink. "I always get 'Don't I know you from somewhere?' Loads of people tagged me after a Tom Misch show at Somerset House I wasn't even at, thinking I was Novelist...".

Or they think he knows Skepta. In New York for a series of sold out shows, Carner says he was constantly being pigeonholed with North London's king of grime.

"I swear it would happen at least two or three times a day. I'd tell them we make hip-hop and we're from London and people would be like 'Cool! Like Skepta? Like grime? Do you know him?' And then when you say no, they don't care anymore about anything you've got to say." He shakes his head and shrugs: just one of those things.

"It was cool over there, but I swear you go and, to them, you're either Skepta or you're Hugh Grant. Tea and crumpets, all that. I swear they were expecting me to be like rap's Colin Firth or something."

Photography by Jay Brooks

Like you've read a million times, from a million other 'fresh new acts', Loyle is another artist annoyed by attempts to label him, which, to be fair, have been pretty lazy. "I've got my shit-list," he says, grabbing for his phone, scrolling through it. "Yeah, this one: they went to my show, gave me three stars, and called me 'the sentimental face of grime'. What is that about? That's nonsense." But sentimentality is certainly not the part of that description he rallies against.

"People call me a softie because I talk about certain thoughts and feelings that that other people don't," he says. Does he ever worry about his 'nice bloke' image? "I don't think about it," he says. "It's just who I am. My mum calls me 'the nice guy of rap' to her friends. She calls me a sweetheart."

He is a nice bloke, though. I strike off another interview cliche in my notebook, thinking it'd be good to grab a beer with him. But for all his goofy charm, he is not a rapper who shies away from getting pretty emo: alcoholism, regret, disappointment, emotional betrayal, tears, fears, and loss are all stocks in trade. Are people ever like, 'cheer up, mate'?

"Oh, all the time. They say the usual 'man up' or 'grow some balls' stuff. And sometimes they're like 'I don't need you to tell me how I feel about my dad' or 'Why is this guy always moaning?'".

Then there's the other accusation that's occasionally levelled at Loyle.. While he's confrontational with his feelings on tracks, he has been accused of being a little guarded, even anodyne, in interviews. A guy that plays it safe, refusing to get involved in the kind of name-calling and tit-for-tat beefs that rap music has long been associated with. Is this part of Carner's shrewd, career-minded game plan?

"I just don't trust these journalists, man," he says, shrugging. "I keep them away from my family and they still come and knock on my door, talk to my mum. My mum goes: 'I met this really nice lady and she just wanted to chat' and then they twist what she said and write whatever they want. I don't care what people think. I'm just protective. I swear, if this keeps happening, in a year or so I'm done. None of you lot will ever see me ever again..."

Loyle Carner performing at Field Day Festival in June. (Rex)

As we walk to the roof for the photoshoot, talk - inevitably - moves back to food. He gives me his mum's roast potato recipe and tells me his go-to date-night dish is ragu alla napoletana. It's every meat imaginable, chucked in a pot with a load of sauce, cooked for three hours, and served with spaghetti. It sounds simple in a way that would certainly mean it's actually quite hard. He loves it. They love it. Everyone loves it.

"I've fucked it up a few times, usually when I'm at someone else's house and they distract me," he says, carrying the stylist's bag of clips up the six-flights of stairs to the roof without being asked to. "I love cooking and girls always want me to cook for them but really, I still live at home, you know what I mean? I can't just always be like: 'Mum, get out'. I've done that a few times but it's just tragic, man. It's not worth it... Family are the most important to me, anyway. That's why when people think they know me and say people go 'Loyle Carner is a softie', 'Loyle Carner needs to man up', I don't really give a shit. Loyle Carner pays the mortgage for his mum. Loyle Carner is doing very, very grown-up, manly things."

When we finally reach the roof - and really, we started to wonder if those stairs would ever end - and start shooting, the blue vista overlooking the park pocked by sandpits and kids on mountains bikes starts to feature dark clouds crowding around its edges.

"You know, when I found out about the Mercury Prize nomination, I was sat on my own at home," says Loyle, looking out over the edge at the road beneath, a little buzz going off two cans of Red Stripe he's just shotgunned for the camera, "and I couldn't get through to anyone on the phone to tell them. I was just sat there with my poodle, Ringo. I think I cried a bit."

He breaks off to do some karate moves in his new, wide-legged, non-muddy trousers before coming back to the real world. "My dad said never bet more than the price of a beer on anything... And I saw some bookies had me at 8/1 to win it," he says, shaking another can. "Beer's pretty expensive around here, right?".
Photography by Jay Brooks. Styling by Abena Ofei. Grooming by Alexis Day.

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Loyle Carner on Croydon, being a softie, and cooking ragu on date night

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"People keep cussing me out about living in Croydon," says Loyle Carner, downing a Vita Coco. It was a definite no to coffee because that's "the devil's drink". We're sat in a brilliant white room listening to old school hip-hop and a little Gregory Isaacs in a brick building overlooking Shoreditch Park, a scrap of grass just off Old Street with its deluge of buses and fancy, glass-fronted new-media businesses.

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TikTok by the Numbers (2023): Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts

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Tap here to find interesting 2023 TikTok stats, demographics, financials, and Fun Facts that will blow you away.

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Gen Z is leading an evolution in shopping that could kill brands as we know them

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Gen Z is leading an evolution in shopping that could kill brands as we know them

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By Mary Hanbury

Generation Z's approach to brands is part of what sets it apart from previous generations.

When deciding where to shop, their primary motivator is price, according to a Business Insider survey of more than 1,800 Gen Zers.

Since they frequently document their life on social media, they feel a pressure to always have new clothes. That is fueling growth in unconventional forms of shopping, like rental and resale.

Being unique - and balancing that with saving money - is a defining trait of this generation.

Amanda Chernin, age 20, from Delray Beach, Florida, says she shops online almost every day.

She is not loyal to any one brand or store. Instead, she shops wherever is most affordable. She rarely goes to a physical store to try clothes on, and if she ends up not liking a piece she buys, she resells it online.

"Older generations grew up without this technology and being able to shop online," she said. "I literally order something online every day."

While Chernin's approach to shopping might still be alien to some consumers, she is an example of a Generation Z consumer. She is part of the first truly digital generation, which has grown up cradling a smartphone and has never known a time without the internet and social media.

For the past decade, brands have scrambled to serve millennials, the first internet-obsessed generation that's been blamed for killing dozens of industries and forcing retailers to rethink their online-selling strategies.

Now, brands are bracing themselves for the next wave of shoppers, between the ages of 13 and 21, who are gearing up to enter the workforce and become a formidable force in the economy.

Experts say that Gen Z will not be an extension of the previous generation and should not be thought of as millennials 2.0, but instead as a distinct set of people with unique experiences, beliefs, and behaviors. This generation, they say, will fuel a massive change in how people shop.

They don't want to pay full price for anything

Gen Z is thrifty above all, experts say.

"They are very fiscally pragmatic and practical with their money. They are looking for value," Jason Dorsey, a Gen Z consultant and researcher who delivered a TEDx Talk about this generation, told Business Insider.

Dorsey said that value can be achieved in two ways: by shopping for clothing from brands that already have low prices, or by buying more expensive things that last longer.

"I can't afford nicer brands of clothes," Chernin said. "I like to save and would rather have money in the bank than be broke."

"Older generations grew up without this technology and being able to shop online. I literally order something online every day."
Amanda Chernin

Tanner Frick, 21, majors in business at the University of Sioux Falls, in South Dakota. He's a self-described "brand freak" and says he shops at Nike, Lululemon, and Patagonia. "I trust them more," he said, referring to these brands and the warranties they offer.

Patagonia, for example, has an unlimited returns policy on unworn items and offers a repair service for worn clothing.

"In the end it's worth it," he said, referring to Patagonia's relatively high prices. The outdoors retailer sells men's vests that range from $80 to $200 and jackets that cost up to $280.

For others, low prices are more important. This was evident in Business Insider's recent survey of 1,884 Americans between the ages of 13 and 21. This national poll was conducted with SurveyMonkey Audience partner Cint on behalf of Business Insider and ran January 11-14.

When asked what was the biggest factor when deciding whether to purchase items from a particular brand, 60% of respondents said price.

"They don't want to pay full price for anything," Dorsey said, adding that these spending habits were likely passed down to Gen Z by their parents and teachers, who were shaped by the recession.

The median-age Gen Z shopper, currently 17, would have been 6 when the financial crisis began, in 2008. While they were not in the workforce yet, they were old enough to remember it and see how their parents and older friends struggled, Dorsey said.

An obsession with price instantly makes them less loyal to brands.

"There really isn't loyalty like in the past," Marcie Merriman, the executive director for growth strategy and retail innovations at Ernst & Young, told Business Insider.

They "are highly informed and want to take charge of their lives and their futures," Merriman wrote in a recent EY report about Gen Z. "Getting these consumers to be loyal to your brick-and-mortar will be more challenging than ever."

Taryn Merari, 19, a design major at New York's School of Visual Arts, told Business Insider that she rarely shops by brand. She is almost always led by price.

She shops, she said, by the mantra "'What clothes do I need?'"

"If I need leggings, I look for leggings by color or by texture." This way she can get the best deal and the best quality.

Getting a Gen Zer to be loyal to a brand is nearly impossible. Brands need to work extra hard to earn their trust.

Members of Gen Z have largely been made skeptical by their ability to verify almost anything online.

For this reason, experts say that Gen Zers value transparency and authenticity in the brands that they shop from, and retailers are gradually responding to this idea.

Younger brands such as Everlane and Toms have led the charge, but increasingly legacy brands such as American Eagle Outfitters are shifting to offer greater transparency in their products and marketing.

Aerie, American Eagle's lifestyle and underwear brand, is a good example of this. It was applauded by customers for its decision to ban any photo retouching in its ads in 2014. And this has shown up in its financials: In early June, the company reported earnings for the first quarter of 2019. Same-store sales at Aerie were up 14% during the quarter, which marked its 18th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

Meanwhile, competitors such as Victoria's Secret, which has been more resistant to changes in branding, have suffered. Same-store sales of the Victoria's Secret brand were down 5% for the first quarter.

Anya Ortakales, 17, a high-school senior at Kearsarge Regional High School, in New Hampshire, compared Aerie and Victoria's Secret to show just how important the brand's message is in her decision to shop there.

"It's very important to show that anyone can buy stuff like that and look good in it," she said, referring to Aerie's undoctored images and the "real women" it features in its ad campaigns.

"It makes me feel better about buying from Aerie and supporting them," she said.

Chad Kessler, global brand president at American Eagle, recently expressed his excitement about Gen Z becoming Aerie's target shopper.

"Gen Z wants to support and participate in brands that they believe in and that reflect them," he told Business Insider. "They are loyal to brands that they feel understand them and reflect their values. We have always been a brand that stands for inclusivity, diversity, and youth empowerment, and I think that resonates with this customer."

But there is no guarantee that these shoppers will stay loyal, experts say. Gen Z is more fickle than previous generations, and if brands are slow to engage or if they break their promises, these young shoppers will move on.

They also do not use brands to define their identity like past generations may have done.

"The rules of dress when millennials were younger and the ways that they determined the appropriate things to wear were about the brand and what the brand was. As long as they were in the right brand, they felt confident," Merriman said. "That brand represented more of who they were, and it made them feel safer or more secure in their decisions."

Merriman said that the reverse is happening now. Gen Z is creating its own personal brand.

"It's not the brand leading the consumer; it's the consumer using the brand or the product in whatever ways they want," she said. This is partly driven by the influencer community, she added. Traditionally, a brand image was determined by the company and how it chose to market it.

Now, a brand image is increasingly about how it is perceived and marketed by the influencer who wears it.

Living life in pictures means you need a lot of outfits

Gen Z may be more sustainability-minded than previous generations, but they also face constant pressure to wear new items given that they are likely to be the most photographed generation.

In the past, this would have been easily remedied by fast fashion, and for many it likely still is. Fast fashion that is created cheaply and discarded quickly contributes to waste, however. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 billion pounds of textiles end up in a landfill each year. Shoppers with an eye on sustainability and who also want to wear unique clothes have given rise to nontraditional modes of shopping such as rental and resale or thrift.

Rent the Runway, which was recently valued at $1 billion in a $125 million round of new funding, is paving the way in clothing rental. Its core subscription service, targeted at an older demographic - women in the workforce - plays into the hands of customers who not only crave newness but are more conscious about sustainable living and preserving the environment. This positions it well to appeal to Gen Z shoppers in the future.

"There are kids at school who think it's stupid to shop at American Eagle because then you all end up with the same clothes. They go to the smallest stores they can find, that they know no one else is shopping at, so they know they have something different."
Anya Ortakales

"Gen Z lives their life in the cloud - their content, entertainment, and music all exist in the cloud with unlimited choice," Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman told Business Insider. "We are offering them the exact same thing for their physical lives."

Hyman said that Gen Z is one of the first groups to adopt this new style of shopping and to feel that it is the norm.

Legacy brands have adopted similar services. Express recently launched its Express Style Trial service, which allows consumers to rent up to three items at any given time for a monthly fee.

And in March, American Eagle launched a near-identical clothing-rental subscription model known as American Eagle Style Drop.

For $50 a month, members can rent up to three items at a time and make an unlimited number of exchanges. The shipping costs are covered each way, and dry cleaning is free. If customers decide they like a piece, they can purchase it at a discount of 25% or more.

"There is a trend toward clothes having a second life or being used again," Kessler said. "This is part of their focus on quality, value, and thoughtful purchasing, and I think these [rental services] are just different ways for them to participate."

Gen Z is thrift-shopping for the same reasons. Online resale site ThredUp recently estimated that one in three Gen Z consumers will buy used clothing in 2019.

"There is an obsession with freshness," Karen Clark, the vice president of marketing communications at ThredUp, told Business Insider, adding that the company posts 1,000 new items online every hour.

"They want to flip their wardrobe, but they want to do that without doing damage to the environment," she said.

Chernin, for her part, turns to Poshmark when she wants to sell a piece of clothing she no longer likes or has use for. Poshmark, which allows users to list and sell their own clothes, is said to be preparing to file for an IPO later this year, The Wall Street Journal reported in April.

Jessica Pruitt, an associate manager of marketing at Buffalo Exchange - a thrift store that buys and sells used clothing at 49 stores across the US - told Business Insider that the store has seen an uptick in Gen Z shoppers as the stigma around resale fades.

Secondhand shopping also affords Gen Z the chance to dress in unique ways. They use thrift to build their own identity and create their own story, Lennox Thomas, Goodwill NYNJ's executive vice president for retail operations, told Business Insider.

Ortakales has found that some of her classmates have become so "obsessed" with creating a look that "sets them apart" that being unique has become a trend in and of itself.

"There are kids at school who think it's stupid to shop at American Eagle because then you all end up with the same clothes. They go to the smallest stores they can find, that they know no one else is shopping at, so they know they have something different," she said.

Ortakales said she believes that this desire to be unique stems from the important societal and cultural changes that have occurred during this generation's upbringing, which has made them more accepting of diversity.

"My generation is so focused on accepting people that are different that there's this mindset that if you do want to follow what other people are doing, it's frowned upon," she said. "We are trying so hard to make sure everyone feels included and accept everyone, so you have to be different to be involved in that."

Reporting by Mary Hanbury
Editing by Madeline Stone, Cadie Thompson, Matt Turner, and Alyson Shontell
Design by Samantha Lee and Skye Gould
Photography by Hollis Johnson
Graphics by Shayanne Gal

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Gen Z is leading an evolution in shopping that could kill brands as we know them

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Generation Z's approach to brands is part of what sets it apart from other generations. When deciding where to shop, their primary motivator is price.