How Brands use Fashion Psychology for Marketing

By Asha Johnson, Senior Writer  Edited by Maya Merante

Fashion is much more powerful than people give it credit for. Clothing is a form of self expression and authenticity. There's a reason that the mind goes through an entire process when picking out an outfit. This is due to fashion psychology, which has been described as “fashion from the inside out.” It is how a person’s outfit affects them psychologically through mood, behavior, and self perception. Fashion psychology affects how and why people purchase specific items of clothing. Fashion psychologists specifically study the cognitive and emotional effects of fashion on people. They often consult fashion brands or people in order for them to better understand specific design tactics, trends, consumer behaviors and branding strategies by looking at data and statistics. Brands have even been able to use aspects of fashion psychology in order to market to consumer’s interest.  

The biggest aspect of fashion psychology is the emotional connection and value people have with their clothing. Brands use this emotional connection for marketing campaigns and store layouts. In order to do this, labels research their audience demographics heavily, finding out what they love. They also define specific emotions that align with a brand and use it to tell a story. For instance, Nike’s newest variation on their “Just do it” campaign was called “Why do it?” This campaign sends a message about embracing athletes with any skillset and is a push to bring together athletes to support each other. Audiences are drawn to storytelling from brands. It creates a personal connection between them and brand’s clothing, drawing them to make a purchase. According to The Brand Shop, 55% of audiences are more likely to embrace a story and 68% said that this storytelling sways their buying decisions.  

Jael Lyle, an avid shopper, is often drawn to storytelling marketing when shopping for fashion brands. For her, it creates a connection with the brand.

“If I feel [a] connection to the brand, its purpose, or its aesthetic, I am more likely to browse to learn more. An example is Parade underwear. Though their brand is no more, I proudly [suggested] them to women to purchase [and] after a while, I refused to wear anything else,”  Lyle said.

Consumers often purchase and wear things that make them feel good about themselves, especially when they are feeling down. The saying “retail therapy” often rings true. Right before people buy things, their brain gives off  “happy hormones,” which include dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. The happy hormones are part of the reward system in the brain, which motivates behaviors and distinguishes how the body feels pleasure and creates habits. This mental process is a part of the reason people can develop shopping addictions in order to feel these happy hormones and please the brain's reward system over and over again. 

“Retail therapy is fun. It helps me envision my style without having to commit to it. The simple act of browsing in [stores] or online is like a sample of art. I am allowed to freely digest all types of styles to find my voice in the fashion world,” Lyle said. “I have the freedom to mix and match. Zara, a refined business casual company and Akira, a loud and often overzealous brand, have the same opportunity to inspire.”

There are a number of things that brands use to trigger a customer's emotional responses and increase their want to buy and feel their happy hormones. One is the scarcity mindset, which is a tactic that luxury brands like Hermès often use to sell their products. The scarcity mindset plays on the feeling of FOMO. It includes limited stock, members only drops or countdown timers for releases or sales. It creates a sense of urgency with shoppers and makes them add more value to the item. Another way brands use psychology for marketing is through color psychology. Certain shades of colors invoke specific emotions within customers. For instance, green is often associated with nature, freshness and growth. When creating campaigns or advertisements for collections, brands not only think about current color trends, but they also think about the feelings that these specific colors will invoke.   

Fashion psychologist Dr. Dawnn Karen told Medium about how she utilizes the color phenomenon when it comes to her patients.“You can heal someone by wearing a certain colour. My client was feeling depressed because her friend had Covid-19 and wasn’t doing well. I wrote her a prescription to wear the colour yellow. By our next session her mood improved significantly. It didn’t rid her of her depression, but it made a big difference in lifting her spirits.”

The third psychological factor is herd mentality. Herd mentality is when individuals follow or mimic the behaviors and purchases of others or what is popular at the time. It is why things like trends and fashion influencers are so popular online. People often purchase things that they have seen others look good in or that other people recommend. Brands use this and know that by seeing a celebrity or an influencer talk about or buy a specific item of clothing, consumers will be more likely to buy it. 

Dr. Dion Terrelonge, a fashion psychologist and practitioner based in London told A Sustainable Closet, “We see this with the amount of people who so quickly follow micro-trends and it is a massive issue in the sustainability space because it’s this herd mentality that contributes to consumers continuing to buy fast and ultra-fast fashion, driven and sustained by the fact that we see so many others around us consuming the same way. If everyone else is doing it, it can’t be that bad right? Wrong.”

Brands are aware of this herd mentality of people consuming fashion in similar ways and capitalize off of this phenomenon.  

Fashion psychology allows us to know more about ourselves through our clothing decisions. Our clothing choices tell a story about who we are and allows us to show our unique personalities without saying a word. People have an emotional connection with their clothing. With this influence of fashion on people’s mental psyche, brands use these tactics to influence and better understand their customers to persuade them to buy items. Brands play on the emotional heartstrings of consumers and use marketing to personally connect with them. This connection has allowed fashion marketers to try the tactics mentioned above for various brands. 

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