H & M Ethnographic Analysis

An Ethnography of a Trendy Clothing Store The fieldwork that I present here took place in and around an H&M store, which is a clothing retailer of what is known as “fast fashion”: clothing styles that move directly to the store from the catwalks, presenting the trendiest clothes right when they are in fashion. H&M is one of the largest chain of clothing stores in America, and also among the most popular, especially with younger age groups. My ethnography begins across the street from the store location that I picked, on Greenwich Street, next to the Westfield World Trade Center, in Manhattan’s financial district. The store is right across from a Century 21, which is a large department store that also mainly sells clothing. However, this particular H&M is not surrounded by other single-brand stores like some other locations are, meaning that this location is probably not as frequented. It is however right next to the World Trade Center in an area of the city that is heavily-frequented by tourists, so the store has plenty of foot traffic. The sidewalk in front of the store is crowded with tourists holding GoPros and taking selfies. The storefront is quite aesthetic and visually appealing, with a bright red sign and a clean design that reflects the modern style and image that the company tries to sell to its customers. The store itself is entirely walled
The largest group that I observed to shop in this store are young (high school to college-age), white, middle-class women. Some of them appear to be tourists, some perhaps not. The most frequented “style section” by this demographic is the new arrivals section, which has the store’s latest acquisitions and hottest fashions. By advertising a cutting-edge style (as seen in their ads, store design, and merchandise) offered at reasonable prices, H&M attracts this kind of