Fashion Exam One

Fashion

is a style that is popular in the present or a set of trends accepted by a wide audience. It can refer to the styles of clothing and accessories worn by a particular group at a particular time, as well as cosmetics, fragrances, and home furnishings.

Functional/utilitarian

clothing provides practical benefits such as protection and function.

Hedonic

clothing provides pleasure, self-expression, social meaning, adornment, identity, and group membership.

Style

a characteristic or distinctive artistic expression/presentation; in apparel, the distinctive appearance or combination of features that makes a garment unique.

Key relationship between style and fashion

Every fashion is a style, but not every style is a fashion.

Design

a particular or individual interpretation, version, or treatment of a specific style

Relationship

one style can be expressed through many different designs

Four Basic Elements of Fashion Design

Silhouette, Details, Color, Texture

Silhouette

the overall outline or contour of a garment

Details

individual elements that give a silhouette its form or shape; details help cause changes/evolution in silhouettes.

Texture

the look and feel of material; it can affect how bulky or slender a silhouette appears

Color

the quality of an object/substance with respect to reflected light, commonly described by hue, saturation, and brightness.

High fashion

new styles accepted by a limited number of fashion leaders who want to be first to adopt change and innovation

Mass/volume fashion

styles appealing to the greatest majority of fashion-conscious consumers

Marketing

activities that identify consumer needs so marketers can plan, price, distribute, and promote products. The goal is to match products to a defined target market for profitability and customer satisfaction.

4Ps

Product — what is sold

Price — what it costs

Place — where/how it is distributed

Promotion — how it is communicated and promoted.

Wholesaling = B2B

sale of clothing/accessories in bulk to businesses such as boutiques or department stores.

Retailing = B2C

individual items sold directly to the final wearer

Primary/secondary areas

textiles (designer, sourcing analyst); design/development/style selection (CAD designer/engineer, costing manager, patternmaker, product developer); preproduction/sourcing (trim/materials buyer, production engineer, sourcing analyst); production/quality assurance (production cutters, sewing operators, production supervisors, plant managers, quality assurance coordinators); sales representatives

Retail level

retail store management, store designer, visual merchandiser; merchandise analyst, assistant buyer, assistant planner/allocator, buyer, planner/allocator, divisional merchandise manager, general merchandise manager, product development; advertising, public relations, social media, branding, event planning

Auxiliary level

fashion consulting/information services, market and consumer research, trade associations/trade shows, trend analysis, fashion forecasting; fashion advertising, PR, journalism, styling, event planning, digital/social media, blogging, influencing

Zeitgeist

"Fashion represents the zeitgeist of the times" means fashion reflects the spirit/mood of a particular time period. Economic conditions, political events, cultural happenings, technology, and changes in how people live all effect what we wear, how it is produced, and how people buy it.

RTW (Ready to Wear)

is fashion merchandise made with mass-production techniques using standardized sizing. Its growth was tied to the Industrial Revolution, middle-class growth, technology, sewing machines, mass production, transportation, communication, and the shift from homemade to ready-made apparel.

First Fashion Publications

Godey's Lady's Book — 1830 (first listed in the presentation)

Harper's Bazaar — 1867

Vogue — 1892.

Charles Frederick Worth

Established the House of Worth in Paris in 1857 and is considered the father of haute couture.

EARLY 1900s

Social/Cultural: Growing U.S. population and immigration; widening rich/poor divide; by 1910, 25% of women earned wages; Edwardian/La Belle Époque; socialites favored classical/opulent dress. Fashion: Pouter pigeon figure, trumpet skirt, voluminous hair; men's three-piece suits and sack coats; practical clothing and early sportswear. Designers/Influences: Gibson Girl, created by Charles Dana Gibson.

1910s

Social/Cultural: Mass production and RTW expanded; WWI created preparedness; women entered heavy industry; entertainment and Hollywood grew. Fashion: Lighter materials, slimmer styles, trench coat, shorter hemlines, basic/utilitarian colors; Converse All-Stars and Keds. Designers/Influences: Paul Poiret; Theda Bara; Charlie Chaplin; Rudolph Valentino

1920s

Social/Cultural: Jazz and new dances; Prohibition; women's voting rights; mass media/radio expansion; first shopping mall in 1922; prosperity ended with 1929 crash. Fashion: Loose, free, fun clothing; fewer restrictions on dress. Designers/Influences: Coco Chanel; Madeleine Vionnet; Jeanne Lanvin

1930s

Social/Cultural: Great Depression, unemployment, frugality; Hollywood offered escapism; Duke and Duchess of Windsor became icons. Fashion: Slender, softer, feminine silhouettes; nylon stockings introduced 1938; casual styles grew. Designers/Influences: Elizabeth Hawes; Clare Potter; Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich popularized menswear looks.

1940s

Social/Cultural: WWII and rationing dominated life; women assumed traditionally male jobs; postwar traditional family values and baby boom. Fashion: Utilitarian clothing, material restrictions, shoulder pads, longer hair/red lipstick; fuller and more formal clothing after restrictions lifted; bikini introduced 1946. Designers/Influences: Eleanor Lambert; Claire McCardell; Christian Dior; Katherine Hepburn

1950s

Social/Cultural: Postwar boom, rising birth rates, consumerism, TV, leisure/disposable income; conservative gender roles; youth culture and rock 'n' roll challenged conformity. Fashion: Softer/full styles, stilettos, conformity, gray flannel suits, denim. Designers/Influences: Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Nina Ricci, Chanel, House of Gucci, Norman Norell, Charles James; Barbie introduced 1959

1960s

Social/Cultural: JFK optimism then assassination; Vietnam; race riots; MLK Jr. and Bobby Kennedy assassinations; birth control pill, sexual revolution, protests, antiwar movement, Summer of Love, Woodstock, Black Power. Fashion: Jackie Kennedy/Audrey Hepburn chic early; later miniskirts, go-go boots, babydoll dresses, bellbottoms; hair became individual expression. Designers/Influences: Mary Quant; Carnaby Street/Peacock look; André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Betsey Johnson

1970s

Social/Cultural: Social unrest, economic problems, Vietnam divisions, minority-rights struggles, more women in workforce; Vogue's first Black cover model in 1974. Fashion: "Anything goes"; hippie styles, short skirts, pants/hot pants, leisure suits, jeans, platforms, disco/punk/glam rock; professional attire grew in importance. Designers/Influences: Halston; Ralph Lauren; Calvin Klein; Diane von Furstenberg's 1973 wrap dress; Anne Klein; Donna Karan.

1980s

Social/Cultural: Excess, yuppies, conspicuous consumption, status symbols, Reagan-era image, technology, MTV, Madonna, hip hop. Fashion: "Bigger is better"; glitz/glamour, Wall Street/yuppie looks, power suits, hip-hop/Adidas. Designers/Influences: Ralph Lauren, Thierry Mugler, Donna Karan, Liz Claiborne, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Calvin Klein, Run-DMC, Dapper Dan

1990s

Social/Cultural: Internet, cell phones, email; Generation X; grunge/alternative culture; Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam; later Britney Spears. Fashion: Less formal, more individual, democratized; simplicity, minimalism, slip dresses, grunge, Doc Martens, vintage, casual Fridays. Designers/Influences: Calvin Klein; Jil Sander; Dries Van Noten; Marc Jacobs

21st Century

Social/Cultural: 9/11, globalization, climate-change concerns, sustainability, e-commerce, social media, inclusivity, democratization. Fashion: Celebrity culture, TV/reality TV, social media/blogging, personal/fluid style, fast fashion, body positivity, "designing for all." Designers/Influences: Michelle Obama; Patricia Field/Carrie Bradshaw influence; fast-fashion examples include SHEIN, H&M;, Zara.

War & Fashion

War can restrict fashion through rationing, material shortages, reduced purchasing power, and shifts in labor. During WWII, L-85 restrictions limited materials including rubber, silk, nylon, and wood. Fashion became more utilitarian, but scarcity also encouraged creativity. The zoot suit became a symbol of identity and racial conflict.

Economic downturn

consumers have less purchasing power; fashion tends toward frugality, practical/casual choices, and making do. The 1930s Great Depression is the major example in the slides.

Prosperity

more disposable income and consumer spending; more consumer goods and leisure; fashion can become more expressive, glamorous, and status-oriented. The 1950s and 1980s illustrate this in different ways.

Eleanor Lambert

American fashion publicist who shaped the perception of American fashion. She created the first American Fashion Week during WWII and later produced the 1973 Palace of Versailles benefit show, the "Battle of Versailles," which helped put American fashion on the international map.

fashion cycle

is the rise, wide popularity, and decline in acceptance of a style. It is an important guide for fashion merchandising because businesses need to understand where a style is in its life cycle when buying, stocking, promoting, pricing, and phasing out merchandise

Five Stages of the Fashion Cycle

1. Introduction — New fashion enters the market; higher prices and smaller quantities.

2. Rise — Increasing numbers of consumers accept the fashion; buyers reorder for maximum stock coverage; knockoffs may appear.

3. Culmination — Fashion reaches its height/peak/plateau; mass-produced, mass-distributed, mass-market; high-fashion stores/brands begin reducing stock.

4. Decline — Consumer boredom develops and demand decreases.

5. Obsolescence — Strong distaste develops; style is no longer accepted; consumers may still wear it but are not willing to pay full price; merchandisers should phase it out.

Fad

sweeps into popularity, affects a limited population, and quickly disappears; quickly accepted and imitated

Classic

satisfies a basic need and remains generally accepted for an extended period; simple design keeps it from becoming dated.

Factors That Accelerate Fashion Movement

• More widespread buying power

• Sales promotion

• Technological advancements (e-commerce, social media, fast fashion, AI, etc.)

• Seasonal change

• Popular culture and influencers

Factors That Delay Fashion Movement

• Habit, custom, and culture

• Nature of merchandise

• Reductions in consumers' buying power and economic/trade disruptions

• War, natural disasters, and other crises

Pendulum Swing of Fashion

Describes periodic movement of fashion between extremes. The presentation illustrates the movement between wide & long and narrow & short.

Downward-Flow / Trickle-Down

Fashion is first adopted by people at the top of the social pyramid, then gradually accepted at lower levels. Upper groups may reject it after it reaches lower social levels.

Horizontal-Flow / Mass Market

Fashion moves horizontally across groups or similar social levels. It radiates from fashion leaders within each social class or peer group

Upward-Flow / Trickle-Up

Young people and often lower-socioeconomic or marginalized subcultures can be quicker to create/adopt new fashions. Subcultures differentiate themselves from mainstream society, and designers/brands/gatekeepers may later draw inspiration from them.

Buying vs. Use Cycle

The Consumer Use Cycle is almost always longer than the Consumer Buying Cycle

Enclothed Cognition

Psychological impact of clothing's symbolic meaning on the wearer's mind & behavior.

4 Segmentation Bases

Geographic: Climate, region, urban/rural.

Demographic: Age, gender, income, education. Psychographic: Lifestyle, values, social class.

Behavioral: Loyalty, usage rate, occasion

Market Penetration

Existing items to existing markets.

Market Development

Existing items to new markets.

Product Development

New items to existing markets.

Diversification

New items to new markets.