Each of the five sectors of inclusivity that I have established has its own 4 C's. As a refresher the five sectors of inclusivity are:
- Disability
- Size
- Gender
- Racial
- Cultural
The 4 C's represent how these sectors of inclusivity can be incorporated into a clothing brand. The 4 C's are:
- Clothing
- Community
- Culture
- Customer Experience
Clothing
This is at the core of clothing brands. This is the heart and soul of how clothing brands can be more inclusive. The main goal of inclusive fashion is so that everyone has clothing that makes them feel comfortable and confident.
Community
The community surrounds the clothing that a brand produces. Think of all the ways that community is tied to clothing brands: the people wearing the clothes, designing the clothes, making the clothes, modeling the clothes, selling the clothes, the list goes on and on.
Culture
Culture is a byproduct of both clothing and community. Culture is not a freestanding concept and can never be at a standstill. Culture takes time to build, to cultivate, to harness, to refine. Culture takes time because it is a collaborative effort. A brand cannot singlehandedly create, cultivate, and maintain a culture without an audience to interact and engage with. Culture is dynamic.
Customer Experience
The customer experience is the outermost layer because the first three concentric pentagons heavily influence how inclusive the customer experience can be. If the clothes, community, and culture are not inclusive, it is impossible for the customer experience to be.
As with the five sectors, the categories for the 4 C’s are not entirely mutually exclusive. Rather, they work in tandem with each other and rely on each other in order to be meaningful and impactful. This is an overview of the 4 C's to lay the foundation for future conversations. I will go into more detail about what each of the 4 C's looks like in each individual sector.
What are your thoughts on the 4 C’s?