7 fashion experts to follow on LinkedIn

Welcome to a special edition of the Retail Wrap-Up. This month, with the whirlwind of runway shows in full swing, we're spotlighting the LinkedIn members you should be following to stay ahead of key fashion trends and talking points.

From sustainability experts to authorities on all things luxury, our list highlights the voices steering fashion conversations on LinkedIn.

Scroll on to discover who made the cut and read their insights into some of the most pressing topics in the industry today.

What do you see as the most significant shifts in consumer behaviour influencing the fashion industry today?

Significant changes in consumer behaviour are reshaping the fashion industry, influencing how brands design, produce and market their products.

Consumers, particularly younger generations, are increasingly focused on sustainability, expecting transparency in environmental practices such as sourcing and carbon emissions. They also demand fair wages and safe working conditions across supply chains.

This emphasis on ethical practices extends to the rise of second-hand and circular fashion, with platforms for resale and upcycling gaining popularity as consumers seek sustainable alternatives. Renting high-end fashion is also becoming more common, offering variety without ownership, which appeals to environmentally-conscious shoppers.

The growth of digital shopping has been substantial, with online shopping becoming essential and social commerce, along with virtual try-ons, becoming standard features. Augmented reality and digital-only fashion are also expanding the way in which consumers engage with brands. Companies are now utilising data to offer more personalised shopping experiences, tailoring product recommendations and creating limited-edition releases to generate a sense of urgency. Social media plays a major role, with platforms like Instagram and TikTok shaping consumer preferences. Influencers are instrumental in driving purchasing decisions, while peer reviews are trusted more than traditional advertising.

Furthermore, comfort and wellness are increasingly influencing fashion choices. The rise of athleisure reflects the demand for versatile, comfortable clothing, aligning with broader wellness trends. Fashion is now seen as part of self-care, with practical, comfortable clothing contributing to personal well-being.

Consumers also expect inclusivity and diversity from fashion brands, desiring campaigns and products that reflect a wide range of body types, ethnicities and genders. Interest in non-binary fashion is growing, leading to a wider availability of gender-neutral options in the market.

What role do you believe inclusivity and diversity play in shaping the future of fashion?

In 2020, there was a spike in attention to diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry. It seemed like the sector was ready to reckon with its exclusive and biased ways of operating; models from an array of backgrounds were casted in shows and chief diversity officers were instated in luxury houses.

From 2022 onwards, that attention began to backslide; many diversity and inclusion budgets were cut amid economic uncertainties and companies renamed their diversity teams to "people" or "culture" as diversity started to become an increasingly polarising and politicised topic.

Where do we go from here? The spending power of communities that have been historically underrepresented in fashion is on the rise. In the future, fashion brands will have to attract those consumer groups, or risk becoming obsolete.

The companies that will see the best results are those that move from a view of diversity and inclusion as a core value to something that is embedded in the business. Purpose has to be married with profit to see real change. Those who succeed in embedding diversity and inclusion into their brands will enjoy an uplift in creativity and innovation among their teams, and connection among their consumers.

My prediction is that diversity and inclusion initiatives will continue to work in the background, even if the phrase "D&I" isn't being used as loudly as it once was.

Which skills and mindsets will be most important for future fashion leaders?

The people who'll shape the next era of fashion will need to meet a fundamentally different future head-on. Their primary responsibilities will be to radically refresh the push and pull between fashion and culture; to interrogate decades of entrenched methods, tools and channels; and to take sweeping action on the industry's environmental and social legacy, as well as defining how their brands will respond to the up and downstream impacts of climate change.

The right mindset for this work is one where innovation and technology are seen as the levers for adaptation and large-scale transformation.

Future fashion leaders will want (and need) to do more than just iteratively improve retail and e-tail performance – they'll be the forces driving entirely new business models in first and second-hand selling.

They won’t be satisfied chasing cheap labour from continent to continent – they'll be the ones spearheading completely new methods of sourcing and production, including on-shore and on-demand, to completely sidestep long timelines and to address inequality.

They won't be happy making a minor dent in fashion’s carbon footprint – they'll be willing to challenge the longstanding core principles of forecasting and growth, and keen to find ways to decouple commercial success from endless volume and variety. They'll also be the cohort to really grapple with where the potential and the righteous pushback around generative AI meet.

Going after all these tasks at once will make hybrid skills – combining one or more traditional fashion disciplines with tech and digital expertise – essential. It will also mean looking over fashion's historically-closed walls to borrow best practices and pipelines from other industries.

Being ready for the future means being willing to challenge the basics of how fashion works, at the same time as honouring its history.

What do you see as the most significant shifts in consumer behaviour influencing the fashion industry today?

The highest spending luxury fashion customers are spending more than ever.

These customers, who spend £50k+ a year on luxury goods (most of which is on fashion), now spend 230 times more than the average customer.

This is why many luxury fashion brands like CHANEL and Hermès have increased the prices of their handbags by double digit percentages continuously over the last six years.

The most valuable and desirable luxury fashion brands are almost solely trying to attract and keep this customer.

The top three things that attract luxury VIP customers are craftsmanship, exclusive products and services, and experiential retail.

Young luxury VIP customers, or the highest spenders under 45, tend to also want to be part of a community when purchasing from luxury brands. Whereas older luxury VIP customers (those over 45) tend to be more loyal to a store's customer service advisor than the luxury brand.

How do you think the fashion industry can better navigate the balance between fast fashion and sustainability?

A shift towards a circular economy is essential. Brands should focus on producing high-quality garments designed for longevity, rather than quick, disposable trends. Investing in sustainable materials such as organic or recycled fibres can reduce the environmental impact of production.

Another key factor is transparency. Consumers are more informed than ever, and brands that openly share their supply chain practices, including fair labour conditions and eco-friendly manufacturing processes, will build trust.

Upcycling and repair services can also be integrated into business models, encouraging customers to keep and repurpose clothes instead of discarding them. In our business, for example, we offer a free five year guarantee on all of our products. If it doesn’t fit or needs repairing, we do it for no extra cost.

Finally, educating consumers on the true cost of fast fashion and promoting mindful consumption can help shift demand toward more sustainable, ethical choices.

By taking these steps, the industry can move towards a future where fashion is both affordable and responsible.

Which skills and mindsets will be most important for future fashion leaders?

Everyone tells you communication is key, and they’re right. Learning the best way to speak your wants and needs into reality, so you're understood, will open many doors.

On the topic of being misunderstood, this often happens when what’s being spoken about has little or no relevance to the person being spoken to. Or the person being spoken to doesn't see themselves in what is being shared.

For founders and entrepreneurs in the fashion industry, this can show up in many ways. But the default is to keep sharing visuals as the answer to ‘communicating’. While this helps greatly, you'll still need to focus mainly on speaking to people to see the big shifts in your vision being realised and fully understood.

How to fix this? Think about how you can engage another in what you are up to and translate this into how you speak. People are hard-wired to ask “What’s in it for me’. It has to be desirable.

For example: If you’re looking to hire a designer, here are some fundamental questions to ask yourself:

1. Why should they work with you?

2. What values, purpose and mission can you share with them? (You never know what they could be inspired by).

As a purpose-driven business, you’ll want to hire based on shared values. Otherwise, you may end up hiring someone you wouldn't even want to go for a coffee with at lunchtime. Let alone have to sit in a meeting with them.

3. What would be the outcome of them working for your brand? This is hypothetical but if you've got a great vision, I'd say let your imagination run wild.

What do you see as the most significant shifts in consumer behaviour influencing the fashion industry today?

Consumers want better and they want it for less. These are two very opposing forces, which require fashion brands to operate first and foremost as commercial entities.

The fashion industry is under enormous pressure to reconsider its cost base as customers want higher quality and varied fashion at lower prices. Achieving this delicate balance while staying true to brand values requires brands to reflect on their commerciality altogether. Budgets in areas such as marketing are being scrupulously monitored, while cuts are being made in important areas such as R&D and training and development.

I believe the elephant in the room (or should I say on the runway?) – commerciality – will bring a redesign within the contemporary and luxury segment of the fashion industry, which currently operates on a linear model of produce, consume and dispose.

There will be a fundamental shift to circular models such as fashion rental, which in fact create a larger commercial return on each item produced, ie. more profits with less stock.

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