【2024Edition】　Interviewed students of Bunka Fashion College!
The real voices of “Fashionable Generation Z” Group Interview Report

This group interview was conducted in cooperation with Fashion Promotion Course of Fashion Marketing Distribution Department at Bunka Fashion College, targeting current Bunka Fashion College students = “Fashionable Generation Z.” The purpose of this interview was to learn about communication and the “reality” of fashion.
In July of this year, we also conducted a web-based survey answered by 874 current Bunka Fashion College students. This group interview gathered students with unique personalities unique to Bunka Fashion College, and captured the truth and honesty of their behavior that could not be seen in the questionnaire.
We hope you will find this report useful in learning more about the fashionable Generation Z.

Research Summary

• Survey Method: Group interview
• Subjects of the survey: A total of 22 current students of Bunka Fashion College Fashion Promotion Course (4 groups)
  GROUP01：5 students
  GROUP02：5 students
  GROUP03：6 students
  GROUP04：6 students
• Survey Dates: July 4, 8, and 10, 2024
• Survey planning and survey: FUTABA TSUSHINSHA Co, Ltd.
• Cooperation: Fashion Promotion Course of Fashion Marketing Distribution Department at Bunka Fashion College

Summary

【Emotion】

Emo(Emotional) Nostalgia – Keyword is “memory”

• There is a strong attachment to “memories” and “nostalgia”, and these are “emoi (emotional)”.
• Old digital cameras and old iPhones, which continue to boom, are tools for expressing emo nostalgia.
• Photos and videos on these old devices capture the fleeting time and “transience” of youth. In the imperfect, rough image quality, they perceive realism and humanity without lies.
• Photos and videos taken with old devices evoke the “passage of time”. They can re-experience “those days that can never be returned,” and at the same time, by looking back at them, they can realize “their growth in the present”. These are at the heart of their emotional experience.
• They naturally re-evaluate the things and culture that their parents’ generation was exposed to as children, such as Tamagotchi, Rika-chan, and Namie Amuro, and relive the boom.
• They strongly identify with the music of the 90s and up, not simply because it was a boom, but because of the sentiments of the words and lyrics of the time.

They want to preserve “memories” with their friends in a form. The process and time to preserve them are also valuable.

• They cherish memories of their peers in their daily lives and strengthen their bonds with them by recording and sharing them.
• They like vlogs as a means of recording their “memories”. They prefer to share them only among their friends, rather than making them widely available to the public.
• They customize things to preserve their memories. There is value in the process of customization and the time spent thinking and acting together with friends, like a surprise birthday.

Trend originated in Korea. NewJeans music video creates a trend.

• The influence of Korean fashion culture and K-POP is pervasive, and they say, “It’s fashionable and cute because it’s popular in Korea”.

Japan is following and copying Korean trends and fashions, and Japan is slow to catch up.

• NewJeans’ nostalgic music videos are creating a nostalgic and emotional Showa/Heisei boom.

【Communication】

TikTok accelerates “speed and immediacy”

• Trends, fashion, catching the world’s news, and searches are now centered on TikTok.
• They want to know trends and information quickly and efficiently, and to make choices instantly, and TikTok and “clipped videos” are spurring this desire for speed.
• They are sensitive to the trend of TikTok trends rising to recommendations and becoming an immediate topic of conversation.

Developed sense of balance①：Balance between self-expression x efficiency

• For them, their “likes” come first in everything. They are quick to catch on to trends, but they take a rather backward step in deciding whether or not to follow a trend, and they do not swallow it whole.
• They are sensitive to the value and role of their transmissions. They may post about fashion, but refrain from posting beauty posts that they are not confident about.
• Social media dissemination distinguishes between “for the inner circle” and “to be found widely”. Instagram is for “atmosphere,” “inner circle,” and “for followers,” while TikTok is for “to be widely found.

Developed sense of balance②：Self-expression x balance of time for self

• They want to control their transmissions at will. They dislike tools like location-based apps that allow them to see what they do without their permission or what they don’t need to know.
• “BeReal.”, which is not a ‘plain’ or ‘offline’ tool, but something they enjoy sharing time and a sense of togetherness with their friends.
• Sometimes, they are conscious of enjoying “their own time” that is not posted on social networking sites.

Time-Performance Behaviors Become Habit, Viewing Attitudes Diverse, Even Without Knowing “Time-Performance”

• Many students have never heard of the term “time performance,” nor do they have the awareness to actively strive for time performance. The “time performance phenomenon” is the result of adapting to the functions and services available, and the desire for efficiency and security.
• They selectively watch or skip double-speed viewing depending on the content, such as “information that is generally good to know” such as summaries of variety shows, or “avoiding spoilers that they do not want to see (set-pieces of facorite live shows, development of manga or movies).
• They want to sort through information more efficiently in a shorter amount of time. Some students have made it a habit to watch short TikTok videos or YouTube clippings at double speed.
• There is a clear division between pro-spoiler and anti-spoiler groups. Many students prefer to watch novels and movies in a relaxed and proper manner.
• The pro-spoiler group is strongly conscious of “knowing the development and ending ahead of time and wanting to watch content that is guaranteed to be interesting without worry”.

Anxious about “not being informed naturally”

• They tend to prioritize information that interests them and ignore what is unnecessary.
• On the other hand, they do not receive news in areas or in the world that they do not usually follow. They follow incident reports and election information piecemeal from X and TikTok summaries.
• They have a sneaking sense of crisis about not knowing what’s going on in the world, and they feel a little need for a TV, which they don’t have.
• However, only a small percentage of students are actively taking action; they only follow LINE NEWS and Livedoor News and look at the headlines.

【Influencer】

Influencers and videos affect all aspects of life

• In their conversations, there are so many statements that “●● was wearing/doing/eating such videos on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram”.
• They are influenced by YouTubers, influencers, and K-pop idols in everything from fashion, makeup, beauty and diet, food, and hobbies.
• They are willing to buy items worn by K-pop idols and high brands if the price is “affordable”.
• They are interested in and buy brands whose favorite actors/idols are advertisements or ambassadors, especially perfumes.

Popular fashion YouTubers of their generation are “rich” and “successful”

• Popular YouTubers of the same generation as the students (such as Aya Nakamachi and Toa) are recognized for their excellent sense of trend catching and influence. They go viral as soon as they are introduced.
• Popular YouTubers are “rich” and “successful” because of their talent. They are not only funny and tasteful, but they are also people who can give you special experiences, such as buying expensive brands and traveling abroad, which are out of reach for people of your generation. The students feel a sense of familiarity and a sense of awe.

Real interactions with designers and press encourage “likes”

• Students are influenced by meeting designers and press in person. It is also an environment where they can meet the people they like.
• Their attachment to the brand is strengthened through conversations with individual designers and press that they admire, such as Nori Enomoto and Kishida Miki, at pop-up events, exhibitions, and other opportunities.

Empathy for the stories and lives behind people

• Students have a strong empathy not only for the works of creators/artists, but also for their backgrounds and lives.
• They have strong empathy for people like the rapper Awich, who overcame difficulties and pain to become independent, and who serves as a role model for them.

Creators & foreign girls as a source of inspiration

• They draw inspiration from international designers and influencers, especially trendsetters such as the “international girls” they see on Pinterest and Instagram.

【Fashion】

Fashion search by “style” such as “90s” and “00s”

• Y2K and revival brands continue to trend with the retro boom.
• Searches are conducted using style words and hashtags such as “90s,” “00s,” and “steampunk.” Also coming in are “ballet core,” “normcore,” etc.

Purpose-built and efficiency oriented

• They are highly conscious of shopping efficiently for their purposes and avoiding wasting time.
• They go shopping with a specific item or brand in mind.
• They either go shopping for pinpoint items from the Stories of the brands, stores, and salespeople they follow, or they only visit the brands and stores they have chosen.
• When they go to a store, it is “when they already have a desire to buy something”. They want to buy an item at least one. For this reason, customer service is extremely important.

Emphasis on balance between quality and quantity

• They do not appear to be saving money due to uncertainty about the future. Rather, because they want “good things,” they use their heads and devise ways to buy them.
• They buy on impulse, but even when they are excited about something they want, they stop and wait until it is cheaper.
• ZOZO’s “pay on credit” system makes impulse buying easier, and is highly valued by students.
• They prefer designer brands to high brands. Mix with low price items that don’t look low price.
• Buying multiple high-quality items for around 20,000 yen is more satisfying than one high-brand item costing 500,000 yen.
• Invest in items that can be used every day for a long time, such as shoes and bags. In particular, they believe that a good pair of shoes will elevate their outfits.

Reliability-oriented ＆ risk-averse

• Buy at actual stores because they want to check the actual items: Many of the respondents prefer to buy at actual stores because they want to check the actual items, especially expensive items and secondhand clothes. For Korean items of which sizes are not known, they go to actual stores and buy carefully.
• Sensitive to the origin of the products: They choose reliable platforms and official online shopping sites of brands. Some students use Mercari and international mail-order services to look for bargains, but do not use them at all due to uncertainty about the origin of the items.
• Check reviews for low price shopping: For low price shopping and inexpensive items such as SHEIN, be sure to check reviews and word-of-mouth. They do not “buy cheap” even if the price is low.

They don’t like to wear others out of pride

• The biggest thing in fashion is to be “different” from others. They have pride as clothing students and would be depressed if they were the same as others.
• Daring to own or wear something trendy and “matching” are for camaraderie and spending time with friends.
• They look for designs that no one else will wear, original accessories that they will never wear, different model numbers and designs of the same popular sneaker brand, and collaboration items.

Strong triggers for purchase are “store staff” and “limited availability only here and now”

• They get to know the store staff positively. Real customer service in the stores and experiences at exhibitions where they received invitations are strong drivers for purchases.
• For “only available now” pop-up events and limited-edition products, they go with the intention of buying from the beginning.
• Even though information is obtained from Social media and influencers, the deciding factors for buying are greatly influenced by people and experience in actual stores

The original experience of fashion culture is parents & grandparents

• They share clothes and accessories with their fashion-loving family in a genderless way. Girls usually wear their father’s or brother’s hand-me-downs (self-vintage clothes).
• Because of their parents’ brand/culture experience, they naturally accept the Y2K/retro boom.