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What is Fashion?

Above is a pictorial depiction of how women's fashion has transitioned from the 1920s to the 2000s.

Fashion is a cultural manifestation and form of art, consisting of different prints, textiles, shapes, colors, and cuts. Fashion is not only a trend, but also a way for people to express themselves and their personality. For many, it is a way of life. Fashion means evolution and is constantly progressing and changing. A lot of the styles that are popular today were trendy decades ago, revealing that fashion repeats itself. Not only does fashion pinpoint the social history and the necessities of a person but also a comprehensive cultural appreciation of beauty from different time periods. Fashion dates all the way back to several centuries, in which it has transitioned and progressed as of today. Some of the most popular fashions are classics, in the sense that, they can thrive continuously over time and never “go out of style”, these particular clothes change a little to keep up with the trend at the time. And, in other cases, some clothing items are “fads”, where the particular style is short lived and never actually worn ever again. A lot of the time certain fashion trends are highly dependent on the tastes of different groups of people that are generally related with the social status or cultural preferences within the different groups. For instance, in the 1920s to the 1990s, popular fashions mirrored the mood of each decade and showcased changes in society as the styles of clothing and accessories evolved with the times. The type of clothing worn by people in fashion is completely dependent on the person whom is wearing it, hence, it is a mirror image of ones notion of his or herself, which in a way describes a person’s personal identity.








The Structure of the Fashion Industry

The Structure of the Fashion Industry[1]

There are 5 levels in the fashion industry, which are Mill level, Apparel Manufacturing level, Distribution level, Retail level, and Consumers level.

  1. Mill level : This level focuses on producing textiles such as fabrics, zippers, trims, and buttons. Textile production is recently taken place in India, China, Southeast Asia, and Mexico in order to save the cost of labor.
  2. Apparel Manufacturing level  : This level focuses on marketing, merchandising, and production. There are two types of production.
    1. Perform manufacturing within own facilities and employees
    2. Contract some or all of the manufacturing functions to other firms, and there are 3 different categories.
- Cut-Make-Trim (CMT) contractors  : Supply operators, machines, and thread and make garments.
- Full Package Program (FPP)  : Find a reference of materials and develop patterns, and then make garments.
- Specialty Contractors : Provide services of pattern grading, cutting, fabric pleating, screen printing, or etc.
  1. Distribution level  : There are various global layers of distribution through brokers who supply products to other manufactures or catalog distribution before moving on to the retail level. Popular large brands distribute directly from offshore manufacture to retail. Independent designers take the same process as large companies. They also do the distribution themselves or through sales representatives that handle multiple brand lines.
  2. Retail level  : This level focuses on selling clothing to the consumer. There are 6 formats of garment retailing.
    1. Internet/Catalog Retailers : Its retailers include mail order, door-to-door, and Internet sales: Land's End and L.L. Beans are good example.
    2. Department Store Retailers  : A large store that has separate areas in which different kinds of products are sold: Dillard's and Macy's.
    3. Mass Retailers : Offering products in a discount with self-service environment: Walmart , Target , and, J.C. Penny
    4. Specialty Retailers : Offering a large section of a limited line of products with narrow demographics: Victoria's Secret , Nordstrom
    5. Warehouse/Wholesale Clubs  : The sale of products in large quantities, as for resale by a retailer: Costco , Sam's Club , BJ's
    6. Retailer Outlets  : Clearance centers of the previous season's and year's products.
  3. Consumers level  : Decisions at all levels are based on forecasts of consumer demand.



Different Fashion Brands

1. Chanel 2. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton 3. Christian Dior SE 4. Alexander Wang 5. Diane von Furstenberg 6. Kate Spade 7. Marc Jacobs 8. H&M 9. Burberry 10. Prada 11. Nike 12. Hermès International Société 13. Ralph Lauren Corp. 14. Tory Burch 15. Calvin Klein 16. Kering 17. Armani 18. Urban Outfitters 19. Donna Karan 20. Levi Strauss & Co. 21. L’Oreal 22. Under Armour, Inc. 23. Quiksilver Inc


Types of Fashion Styles

1. Bohemian -- Bohemian style focuses on exotic patterns and textures. gypsy look with their intricate patterns, peasant blouses, multiple chains, head scarves, and also hippy ponchos and tie dye jeans.

Bohemian updated.png Bohemian Style [2]


2. Arty -- Arty style, like the name proposes, is for creative thinkers. Arty style evade the conventional and choose unique pieces.


Arty.jpg Arty Style [3]


3. Chic -- Chic is one of the most popular types of fashion styles, Chic style include garments that are always well tailored and the accessories are well chosen.

Chic.jpg Chic [4]


4. Classic -- Classic style gear towards on clean uncluttered lines and formal balance, which expresses a sense of stability. This style also includes the emphasis of business and corporate look. Colors are mostly beige, navy, red, blue, and black.

Classic.jpg Classic [5]



5. Glamorous -- Glamorous style is subtle allure, that is a thin lining of dramatic style and sexy style. This style prefers to strong, vivid, and contrasting colors. Lines are mostly severe, sharp, and asymmetrical.

Glam.jpg Glamorous



6. Preppy -- Mostly for students, the apparel often includes opaque tights, A-line skirts, girly blouses and headbands, etc.

Preppy.jpg Preppy [6]



7. Street Wear -- Street Wear is casual style of clothing that is primarily, worn by the urban youth. This style includes denim, feeling at-home, and sometimes Western. Street Wear uses any color such as brights, pastels, and Earth tones. Basically, this style is the easy-going features and simple lines.

Street Wear.jpg Street Wear



8. Haute -- Haute is categorized as very chic, one-of-a-kind, the custom-made, and designer's collection. Designers tend to use unusual and rare colors and textures.

Haute stye.jpg Haute [7]



9. Elegant -- Elegant is an expensive designer's reproduction, similar to Haute or high fashion categories. Elegant clothes tend to be used muted solid colors such as gray, black, and white. It also emphasizes on the uncomplicated, and well-fitted status look.

Elegant style.jpg Elegant [8]


10. Conservative -- Conservative (feminine) is a traditional old-fashioned style. It usually uses pastel, soft blends, and muted rainbows colors. Textures are mostly light, flowing, lace, and old-fashioned small prints.

Conservative style.jpg Conservative [9]


11. Western -- Western (Country) style is the opposite of conservative. This style is less feminine emphasis. Western likes Earth tone colors, and textures tend to be natural fibers, basic denim, thick, and old-fashioned.

Western.jpg Western [10]

12. 3D printing -- 3D printing is a new style in fashion industry, which includes clothes, shoes, and accessories created with rubber 3D printer by digital sample. Iris-Van-Herpen-3D-ModeArte-8.jpg

How New Media has Impacted the Fashion Industry

From movies like the Devil Wears Prada to television series’ like Sex and the City and high editorial red carpet events like the Met Gala and Fashion Week in New York City, fashion is very much dictated by Hollywood and media. Not everyone can afford the pieces worn by celebrities and advertised on social media, however, fashion allows for an appreciation of these pieces. Traditional media, such as newspapers and magazines, are still a highly important and popular way to sell fashion and deliver fashion inspiration to people’s doorstep. Nonetheless, social media and the Internet have impacted the fashion industry in ways unimaginable. With the click of a button, social media pages like Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter, cuts across generations. Fashion brands can market to millions of viewers and/or followers for free. The fashion industry has greatly benefited from social media because it allowed for fashion to grow bigger than ever. Although the “fashion journalism” has existed for a very long time, social media has further bolstered its range of influence by providing the public an up-close perspective on the world of fashion. With an Instagram post of Kim Kardashian, who for some is a fashion icon, a brand can get tons of media attention and observance, ultimately leading to an influx of sales. Furthermore, the world of fashion is one of the business in which periodic changes occur and social media is the most effective and cheapest way to communicate to a larger audience. “Photographs, celebrity tweets, editorial comments and fashion advice” grant online audiences with ideas and reveal to them endless possibilities the fashion world has to offer in personal style choices. In the competitive fashion world, brands and designers are progressively using social medias such as Instagram and Snapchat to keep the public up to date with their latest clothing designs. The immense exposure thanks to the internet, has a firm marketing value of pictures and creates a connection between the public individual and style trend that add to the media’s influence on the world of fashion.


A brief video clip of the impact of social media on the world of fashion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34KUEg7Cbx4

This video depicts the influence of social media on the market, which has inevitably become the ultimate weapon in the fashion industry.

Fulmm89YWcOC4.gif

Further, knowing whether or not if sales are directly related to social media campaigning is complicated, organizations with increased levels of engagement on social media networks are tending to expanding their online revenue much quickly compared to their competitions. In 2014, according to the the management consultancy McKinsey, revenue from online sales estimated for about 6% of the $250 billon (£172bn; €224bn) global market for luxury goods, however, they are growing at a much accelerated rate than traditional shop sales. Based on analysis of 7,000 shoppers, found that 3 out of 4 luxury purchases, even the ones that take place physically in shops, are affected by what consumers get inspired by online.

Social Media and Fashion

The implementation of Social media in the fashion industry has enabled average consumers and everyday people to have more interaction with fashion designers and high-end clothing, shoes and accessory corporations. Compared to traditional advertising programs, similar to that of billboard ads, magazine ads and television commercials, in which fashion firms and their advertising agency have had total control over those platforms. But, nowadays, an everyday individual consumer is also, able to interact with various fashion companies much more easily and efficiently through the use of social media. Social media allows fashion corporations to interface with their customers in real time, that stretch across the globe, which has had an immense influence in the way in which customers network with the fashion world. Social media has led to the creation of new channels of advertising for the fashion industry to expand their target markets.

These new channels as mentioned earlier, include: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, to name a few. In the beginning, social media was sought as to be harmful for the fashion industry, due to the fact that, regular consumers were in a position, to post critical comments about products and designs. Although onlookers contend that in spite these probable setbacks, social media has proven to be a powerful and influential tool to engage with a bigger audience. For instance, people have the option of using the interest to access the different social media platforms which provide just about anything and everything related to the fashion world, whereas, in the past, one had to physically go out and spend money on fashion magazines to acquire access to the same content that one can now, via social media applications.


Social Media as Fashion Campaigns

Many fashion companies recently develop a new approach, which is social media campaigns to influence and engage more with their consumers. Some companies successfully utilize social media such as Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook in order to improve the recognition of their brands and to increase their sales.

Famous Fashion Social Media Campaigns

  • Topshop (Platform: Twitter) : Topshop held the #LIVETREND real-time campaign via Twitter during the 2015 London Fashion Week in the major U.K. cities. From users' tweets, Topshop analyzed the most in-trend fashion styles, and recommended collections in stores that consumers could be willing to purchase right away. More than 3.8 million customers engaged with this campaign. Topshop achieved to uplift on their sales about 75%.
  • Dior J’Adore (Platform: YouTube) : In order to compete with the most famous perfume, Chanel N°5, Dior created a commercial [11] featured Charlize Theron rushing backstage to prepare for her runway. Another amazing feature is that Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Marlene Dietrich are in the ad. After this commercial released, 2.4% increased in market share in December sales, and 17% increased in sales.
  • Nike (Platform: Instagram)  : Nike is one of the most followed brands on Instagram, and the number of followers reach over 10 million. One of the most successful campaign via Instagram is "The PhotoiD Campaign." Nike released a microsite , which allowed customers to customize their products. Nike also encouraged customers to share their photos to show their personalized products on Instagram. After starting this campaign, Nike achieved to create more than 100,000 personalized shoes in the first week. It means that 600 shoes were created per hour in the peak. Moreover, Nike did not use any media such as TV, radio, or magazine, but they used only Instagram for this campaign.
  • Banana Republic (Platform: Facebook)  : The purpose of this campaign is to celebrate same-sex marriage in California. In order to represent values on human rights, Banana Republic launched its #BRLove4All campaign and invited everyone to celebrate legal marriage equality on Facebook. Many same-sex or opposite-sex couples participated the contest, and they shared their happy photos there. The winner received a chance to dress Banana Republic clothes for their wedding or other special occasion. More than 14,400 Facebook users ended up engaging with this campaign. Over 1,100 couple photos were shared during this campaign.

References

1. https://www.stylishcircle.com/blog/What-is-fashion-all-about

2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-lagrave/why-is-fashion-important_b_1568465.html

3. http://blog.ketchum.com/how-fashion-trends-are-being-dictated-by-social-media-trends/

4. http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/fashions.html

5. http://glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-fashion/1920-to-1929

6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275714886_The_Impact_of_Social_Media_on_Fashion_Industry_Empirical_Investigation_from_Karachiites

7. http://gph.is/XJ8xII

8. https://www.enkivillage.org/types-of-fashion-styles.html

9. https://www.pinterest.com/explore/casual-chic-fashion/

10. http://imgur.com/x2u9UxF

11. http://www.noubikko.com/noubikko-body/tips/categories/categories.htm

12. http://www.onlineclothingstudy.com/2011/02/the-structure-of-apparel-industry.html

13. http://keyhole.co/blog/10-best-fashion-social-media-campaigns/

14. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/department%20store

15. https://eresearch.fidelity.com/eresearch/markets_sectors/sectors/industries.jhtml?industry=255020&tab=learn

16. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wholesale

17. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/structure-apparel-industry-76127.html