Gen Z’s fav heritage fashion brands don’t pander, they play hard to get

Now, I want you to imagine that this senior citizen that we love and respect is desperately chasing the heart of someone in their late teens. All of a sudden, we don’t love and respect them all so much, do we?

Every heritage brand is faced with the same challenge – how to bring new consumers (young people) into the brand without isolating the core audience (older people). Well, I’ll let you into a secret – the answer isn’t abandoning your identity, it comes from leaning harder into it.

And if you’re still unclear, here’s how to do it in three simple steps.

Ignore the trends

I know that every marketer reading this will feel uncomfortable at the idea of ignoring the endless trend reports and data analysis that comes out about the younger generations, but I promise, the data that you really need comes from your past, not your future.

You’re a global heritage brand. That means there’s an element of your brand DNA that is truly timeless – something not linked to a certain era or even a certain product. It’s an emotional trigger or hook that expands age, gender, ethnicity and geography. It’s the thing that’s made you special across the many decades you’ve spanned.

So, instead of identifying trends, identify what that exact emotional quality is that gives you your iconic status, and build all of your brand marketing around it. A tale as old as time, some might say.

A great example of a brand that understood this assignment was Timberland, which leaned into the fact that its yellow boot was its most iconic symbol. For its iconic campaign, it stripped away everything (literally).

Unify your creative

One of the mistakes I see countless heritage brands make is feeling like they need to overly segment their audience and create different versions of themselves for different consumers – but do they not realize that it’s 2024?

Your audience has the internet guys… they can see everything.

This makes it arguably more vital than ever to have one consistent brand image that can extend itself to consumers of all types and ages – ensuring that no matter where you show up, you still feel like you.

Global workwear brand, Dickies, demonstrated this in its TV documentary, Made To Last. The film focuses on three different characters, each from vastly different backgrounds and representing different consumers of the brand – from ranch farming to skateboarding. But the art direction, and even more importantly – the emotional narrative, remained consistent throughout.

Play hard to get

Now, I know this is going to be the hardest part to swallow – but, the most crucial final step is to do absolutely nothing. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but basic human psychology tells us that there’s a power in letting those you are pursuing come to you.

Part of the appeal of heritage brands is the way in which different sub-cultures ‘re-discover’ and ‘re-invent’ the brand – ultimately, making it their own. This feeling of discovery is what gives Gen Z and beyond a sense of ownership over something that’s ultimately extremely established.

We can see this pattern in every major successful heritage brand around the world. From Dr. Martens’ adoption by skinheads, to Carhartt’s adoption by skaters, to The North Face’s adoption by the rap scene – the thing they all have in common is that they didn’t ask for it. Instead, they focused their energy on one clear brand message and let the youth of the time do the rest.

Arguably one of the greatest examples of this in global history is Calvin Klein. A literal blank canvas that hasn’t tried to follow what we currently view as ‘sexy’, but instead, defined it. From their iconic #MyCalvins campaign ten years ago to its current campaign with Jeremy Allen White – Calvin Klein undeniably understands the power of playing hard to get.

So, next time you’re sitting in the boardroom trying to figure out how you’re going to ‘win with Gen Z’, try taking a step back and remember – you’ve already won. Your heritage is your legacy, and your legacy is your power. Don’t waste it.

Read more from Livvy here.