According to an article in The Guardian, Christian Louboutin has launched a Nudes collection of shoes designed to match an array of skin tones.
The colours range from the traditional fair nude to a darker, richer brown colour and the accompanying app can match the colour of a shopper’s skin to their closest match.
Something for everyone
Clothing brands across the globe are becoming increasingly open-minded when it comes to representing minority groups: from including representations of non-heterosexual relationships in campaigns to using disabled people in ad imagery and better catering to plus-sized consumers.
Similarly, Christian Louboutin’s new range hopes to better reflect increasing global diversity rather than sticking to the ‘one size fits all’ mentality. This portrays the brand as forward thinking and ready to accept as well as take advantage of the spending of increasingly empowered consumers of all ethnicities.
Can this concept be extended elsewhere? Indeed, this is not the first example of a brand widening the concept of the colour nude. And there’s demand for this: According to Mintel’s Color Cosmetics US July 2013 report, 34% of Black women say they look for make-up brands designed specifically for their race/ethnicity.
Other brands and businesses that find ways to better represent their consumers are sure to do well. Tapping directly into consumers when it comes to new product development would be a good place to start (see our “Collective Intelligence” trend).
For a deep and complete analysis of the current situation of consumers and how they feel about products made for their skin tone, Mintel published the following market research: Color Cosmetics in the US.
This is an observation from our Inspire trend Non-Standard Society which looks at how under-served consumers are getting a greater voice. For the latest trends and observations on Inspire click here.
