Coat Check - Fashion writer Patricia Gajo asks companies what different generations are looking for this season when they aim to keep warm and fasionable.
by Patricia Gajo
Before you go to grab that winter coat and head outside, have you ever considered why you choose it? Depending on your age, you might have a whole host of reasons for picking it for yourself — but what about when you choose it for a customer? Have you ever considered what a 20-something would want? What about a baby boomer? If you break it down in simple terms, younger
markets tend to search for the latest styles — you know, the ones that their friends will notice. As we move up the age ladder, the next older generation craves higher quality and functionability to fit with their busy lifestyles. Finally, more seasoned shoppers tend to place importance on practical matters, such as comfort and warmth.
Not unusual in the style universe: “One simply needs to observe the trends at the retail level to see how fashion inspirations carry through to the corporate market,” says Spencer Linwood, national sales manager (Canada) at Ash City Worldwide.
Generation Y, 18-to-30-year-olds, generally represent “business that is usually trendy, fashionable, and name brand driven,” says Luke Caton of Caton Stevenson Agency who works with promotional products distributors. Indeed. Who hasn’t noticed the omnipresent Canada Goose parkas with its prestigious circular logo badge strutting along city sidewalks? With these impressionable shoppers driving sales, their affinity for brand names and labels has made this label a ubiquitous best seller. For Generation X, that is 30-to-40-year-olds, Caton says the demand “is almost the same, but functional jackets will come into the equation.” For baby boomers, 40-to-60- year-olds, practicality is paramount “and anything with advanced tech features is an added bonus.”
Bill Horst, marketing manager at Trimark Sportswear, weighs in: “The younger end-user is most concerned about being ‘on trend’ and price has some effect on the purchase. The mid age group wants more sophisticated fashion and price doesn’t seem to be a barrier. The older consumer is most concerned about value and age appropriateness while looking great.”
Banking on this tech trend, is surely Ash City who recently introduced UTK (Unique Thermal Komfort), a novel rating system that is designed to help you find the perfect outer layer for your outdoor activity. As seen in their YouTube video, Ash City begs the question: “Do you ever wonder if a jacket will be warm enough?” The easy “temperature rating system” is based on test results to guide you through jacket and coat options for 1) mild and cool weather, 2) cold weather, and 3) extreme cold weather.
The new standard for winter coats offers many advanced features, such as scientifically engineered insulation, sealed waterproof zippers, brushed fabric on key areas for soft contact with skin, a snow skirt to keep out drafts, inside pockets with headphone outlets, and removable wind-blocking hoods — all this and the coat will keep you warm down to temperatures as low -27 C. As an added benefit, Brigitte Cardinale, whose event-planning company Bridge4Events has worked for such businesses as Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney, says that she also might suggest tailoring the product to the company’s values. For example, ordering eco-friendly fabrics for enterprises that pride themselves on being green.
Timing, it seems, is also a factor: the season is optimum for winter coats. “In Canada we are moving away from the recession years. So it’s easy to understand if maybe a person hasn’t purchased a new jacket in a while,” says Caton. “As clients are getting their budgets, they’re looking more and more to high-end, 100 per cent waterproof, insulated, and breathable coats.”
The interesting phenomenon about the abovementioned Canada Goose parka is that it traverses all three generations. Founded in 1957 by one Sam Tick in Toronto, the now iconic, high-tech down shell and fur-trimmed hood boasts extraordinary warmth in extremely cold temperatures. Other contenders in the parka arena include Sunice, Helly Hansen, and The North Face. In these cases, companies can be ordering extravagant coats that can easily run as high as CAD$700 for shorter bomber styles and up to over CAD$1,000 for longer lengths.
Corporate alternatives, surely, are much less expensive. Ash City offers down-filled coats hovering at CAD$200 in the retail market, while those with the UTK rating of 3 (extreme cold weather) at just under CAD$140 retail price. Trimark offers their own versions. The latter two companies also have the added benefit and service of including your company’s logo.
Whichever route you decide to take, if you are buying a winter coat for a customer or an employee, it is sure to be perceived as an item of luxury. Whether they like it and will actually wear it is another story, and as we’ve explored here, that depends on whether or not you’ve shopped age-appropriately.
