How can local businesses best appeal to students?
Empower them
“I believe empowering students is the best way to harness their innovative skills. By all means, give them the knowledge and tools they need to get the job done, but let them approach it in their own way. Organisations can only benefit from a fresh perspective,” says Darren.
Work with them
“Students have always wanted to work with us due to the brands we stock. As Garment Quarter is an independent business, we are also able to be more flexible with how we can help students with assignments and the like, where a larger corporation may have more bureaucracy. Students make up a large part of our demographic and collaborating with them on projects helps us to strengthen our reach within that market,” says Michael.
We’ve always strived to help the local students and community as a whole where possible, with an enthusiastic approach that often leads to exciting and creative work
Michael Barker, Chief Brand Officer at Garment Quarter
Invest in them
“Students and recent graduates are digital natives, bringing a fresh perspective to the table and possessing a raw enthusiasm that often permeates through to the rest of their team. The way to harness that powerful combination is to make sure you have the right guidance and training structures in place to help them do their best work, and also provide the level of autonomy they need to feel empowered to pursue their professional goals. Employees who’re new to the workplace need support, but they also need space to spread their wings; it’s all about getting that balance,” says James.
Think outside the box
“One of the ways in which we’ve appealed to students is by creating an in-house magazine called GARMENT. In the first issue, we collaborated with local artist Nick Ogri who works under the moniker of Art of Nvck. Nick illustrated some of our products and we interviewed him for a feature in the magazine. That particular article — and the magazine as a whole — was well-received by our younger, media-savvy customer base who hold an interest in the wider cultural aspects of fashion,” says Michael.
“We’ve also worked with FUZE, the UK’s largest student-run charity fashion, dance, and music event, which has been created by Bristol University students,” he adds.
Evolve
“The younger generations are quick to evolve, and businesses need to evolve with them. They can do this in a number of ways, from stocking the brand of the moment to communicating with them through their preferred social platform,” says Michael.
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