Hillary Dubé

MRP: Personalized styling service for mature women (50+) transitioning through different stages of life, including but not limited to career style identity and its evolution to post-career style identity.

For the first time in recorded human history, those aged 65 and older will outnumber those 5 and under. A large portion of the women of the baby boomer generation are retiring after a lifetime in professional and career roles where they experienced more independence and have greater authority over their own lives. Having experienced great social and cultural change, today's mature female is experiencing a transition into present-day retirement. The loss of worker role during the transition of retirement can leave a gap forcing a re-examination of what is known about personal style identities. Fashion is an industry that exudes the essence of the moment; Fashion passively acknowledges the mature female consumer with tokenism which is often found to be an inaccurate reflection of mature women and their lived experiences. What does it mean to transition/retire in today’s society and are mature women able to retire from socially constructed gender roles? How do we afford mature females
in transitional retirement the ability to construct an accurate (style) refection of whom they feel they are? How can online and in-store retail experiences be more inclusive to mature women? The research addresses the gap experienced by mature women (50+) transitioning through different stages of life, including but not limited to career style identity and its evolution to post- career style identity and the lack of attention received by mature women seeking relevant fashion and or personalized style
information. Methods used during the research project were observations, interviews, and the implementation of 2 co-design sessions. Findings included several mature women feeling ignored, underserved and undervalued in the society, market and workplaces. Mature women are often unhappy with the cost and quality of products / services being made available to today’s female consumer. A personalised style service to educate and assist mature women by providing them with access to style
information, offering more control over how they illustrate their own style would prove helpful. http://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/2612/