The wedding dress is still every young girl's dream, a fairytale desire for any young girl, even if she belongs to Generation Z and even to the time of Covid-19. This is what emerges from a recent survey carried out by Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni on the occasion of the webinar entitled "Meet the Generation Z Bride", scheduled for 10^th March 2021 at 10.30 am and organised in cooperation with Fiera Milano Media - Business International. The event was attended by experts of the calibre of Laura Puricelli, Lecturer & Consultant in Digital Strategy and Innovation for Fashion, Luxury and Retail, Francesca Romana Rinaldi, Professor of Sustainable Fashion Management at the Bocconi University of Milan, Gianfranco Di Natale, General Manager of Confindustria Moda, Giorgio Ravasio, Country Manager for Vivienne Westwood, and Dario Mongioy, Owner of Elisabetta Polignano and President of Wetaly, and which is part of a digital training pathway aimed at leading all interested individuals and professionals in the sector to the next edition of Sì SPosaitalia Collezioni, which will be held from 21^st to 24^th May 2021 at fieramilanocity.

A WEDDING DRESS? A TIMELESS DREAM

In order to offer an actual vision of what the bridal market scenario will be in the next period, i.e. in February 2021, Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni interviewed 44 girls aged between 14 and 22 to understand what Generation Z thinks about the so-called "Wedding Experience" today. " Laura Puricelli, the lecturer on the survey , commented, "The research positively amazed and surprised us, because we discovered that the wedding dress is still today a dress of dreams, in a hyper-digitalised and perhaps somewhat disenchanted society. Or rather, it embodies dreams in the broadest sense, inherent in an all-round experience that sees these young women, and what they wear, as undisputed protagonists on whom we must focus all our attention.

THE STORE AT THE HEART OF THE EXPERIENCE

It is no coincidence that, according to the survey, most respondents confirm that they think of their wedding day as a classic reception where the ideal number of guests is over 100. "The dream of these young and very young women, however, is not a mere matter of scenery or quantity," Puricelli emphasises, "but a search for values deeply rooted in their own individual culture and ethic. They are brides-to-be who know exactly what they want and have no intention of compromising. For them, sustainability, transparency, consistency and, above all, customising proposals made to them are the key principles of a new way of interpreting the retail experience". According to the results from the focus group, in fact, over 54% of adults and 58% of under 18s choose physical stores for inspiration when choosing clothes, making them one of the most "appealing" places for Generation Z to shop. Certainly", adds Francesca Romana Rinaldi, professor at Bocconi University in Milan and author of the book "Fashion Industry 2030 ", "the physic reality of a shop will remain fundamental for consumers, but it will have to be rethought in the light of new requirements that are driving towards on-line-off-line integration, such as showrooming (I see in-store, I buy on-line) and web-rooming (I see on-line, I buy in-store). Point-of-sale space will have to take into account all options considering these two approaches at least, starting from the brand's need to know and recognise its customers from the perspective of a "Single Customer View". It is important to be able to anticipate choices and buying habits, thus offering personalised services, one-to-one communication, storytelling and dedicated and exclusive advice to provide an unforgettable experience".

NEW LIFE IN THE WEDDING EXPERIENCE

This new sales proposal therefore, leads users to want to be enveloped in unique sensations, perceptions and emotions that should only be experienced with those who are really important to them or with people they can trust one hundred per cent. "Today," agrees Puricelli, "inspiration can come from films, but also from Netflix or Prime Video series or micro Instagram videos or posts about dream weddings by influencers and the like. In the end, however, in order to be properly advised in their choices, even these young and very young people decide to use their mothers and close friends or experts in the field. The important thing for them is to receive authentic advice and objective assessments that are able to comprehend their need for an enhancing uniqueness.”

WHEN SUSTAINABILITY IS AT THE SERVICE OF PERSONALISATION

The elevation of individualism cannot renounce values such as sustainability. Suffice it to say that more than 80% of young brides, according to a survey conducted by Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni, identify sustainability as a fundamental element in their choice of dress for that special day. Sustainability," explains Rinaldi, “is identified today with something that combines ethics and aesthetics in the entire supply chain, from the supply of raw materials to the end of the product life itself. This concept is also cyclical in nature, of course, by thinking of waste not just as waste, but as a raw material to be reused to create dreams. Rethinking the supply for new generations may therefore mean starting with product traceability to illustrate how it was designed and made, from the history of raw materials used to the description of the entire value chain structure used to produce it. Stating what lies behind s product helps contextualise the complexity of innovative, transparent and sustainable offerings, especially in a segment like bridal wear, where personalisation counts for a lot". This is so much so that, whilst the preferred style for respondents to the wedding experience survey was simplicity, a unique and unmistakable trend line is essential. In more than 45% of cases, this was expressed by an accessory. "Even in 2021, the dress of dreams," Puricelli concludes, "must be white in line with a tradition that is still present in terms of desires, but it must have that authenticity that makes it modern. Only an accessory can guarantee that people will also dream through building an all-round narrative that is more than ever essential today to shape a wedding experience both on-line and off-line.