2 Dynamics of fashion

G. Bagyalakshmi

2.1. Introduction

Fashion is a science since it involves known facts and basic principles. Its actions and reactions can be predicted based on certain facts and principles. The movement of fashion refers to a basic force and the laws relating to that force explains its patterns of change and growth. It could be well understood by analysing the pattern of growth and decline. The fundamentals of fashion and its relationship between the movement and business are the important criteria’s to be learnt. The constant movement of fashion is always depending on an environment made up of social, political and economic factors. The designers, consumers and all those who are directly involved in this business are responsible for the direction of fashion movement. Like all other businesses fashion business also involves the activity of creating, producing and marketing of products for a profit.

Objectives:

To understand the rhythmic movement of fashion and the prediction
To study about the leaders of fashion, and the role of designers, producers and retailers.
The business of fashion-the scope of the industry, it’s growth and expansion, and the various forms of business ownership.

2.1.1. THE MOVEMENT OF FASHION

Fashion is like a river because the constant movements of fashion depend on an environment made up of social, political, and economic factors.

The Cycling of Fashion: All fashions move in cycles. The fashion cycle comprises of various stages such as the rise, popularity and decline in acceptance of fashion style.

Stages of Fashion Cycle: The fashion cycle serves as an important guide in fashion merchandising. The fashion merchant uses the fashion cycle concept to introduce new fashion goods, to study their rise, culmination and to recognize their decline toward obsolescence.

Introduction: In this stage, manufacturer introduces a new fashion in the form of a new style, colour, or texture. The new style may be flared pant leg when slim legs are popular, slim body-hugging fabric texture such as knit jersey are being worn. Consumers who prefer fashion at this stage are called as Fashion innovators.

Rise: When the new style is accepted by more number of customers, this stage is considered to be Rise stage. At this stage, the fashion buyer tries to stock the merchandise and hence reorders for more quantity. Consumers at this stage are called as Fashion followers. In this stage copied versions or knock offs are introduced by other retailers.

Culmination: The culmination stage of the fashion cycle refers to the popularity and the fashion good is said to be in maximum use. This stage is also referred to as the plateau and there is a great demand for the fashion merchandise. Goods are mass-produced and mass distributed. They are sold at competitive price range of most customers. At the culmination stage, the fashion buyer’s stops buying the high-priced fashion line and begin stock reductions.

Decline: When there is an excess line of fashion merchandise, there is a decrease in consumer demand for that fashion. This is known as the decline stage. As the principle of fashion says, excessive production of fashion merchandise ends in excess. It is also true that excess production ends all fashion.

Obsolescence: When there is a strong dislike for a particular style, it is impossible to sell the goods at any price. Fashion in this stage is said to be in obsolescence stage. Consumers at this stage are called as Fashion laggards.

Lengths of Cycle: It is impossible to predict the time span of a fashion cycle since each fashion moves at its own speed. Fashion declines are faster when compared to the rate at which the drop is from rise to culmination.

Breaks in the Cycle: In fashion cycle, there are always constant movement. Fashion always stops and starts continuously. The flow of a fashion cycle can be broken or abruptly broken up by the external influences which may be changeable in a group acceptance.

Long Run and Short Run Fashions: The length of time individual fashions takes to complete the cycles various widely. Long run fashions take more seasons to complete the cycles and short run fashions take fewer fashion cycles. Some stay in popular demand much longer than others do. For example Silhouettes, colours, textures, accessories, classic styles.

The decline in popular demand for some fashions may be slower than for others.

Consumer buying and the fashion cycle: Every fashion is assessed by consumer buying cycle and use cycle. The curve of the consumer buying cycle rises in direct relation to that of the consumer use cycle. Consumer buying cycle tends to decline more rapidly when the fashion reaches its peak than consumer use. Consumer’s response to particular fashion varies with time. Some group of consumers continue to wear fashions for varied lengths of time. While each group is using and enjoying a fashion, the producers and merchants serving that group are already abandoning the style and marketing something newer.

Consumer buying is often halted prematurely. This happens because producers and sellers do not take risk in stocking an item. Instead, they concentrate their resources on new items with better prospects for longevity.

2.1.2. Factors influencing fashion movement: Accelerating factors

There are seven general factors that accelerate fashion cycles are as follows;

1.Increasingly Widespread Buying Power: People with more flexible income respond to a fashion change. The more widespread the financial ability of consumers turns to a newer fashion, the sooner the current fashion will plunge into obsolescence.

2.Increased Leisure: In the past, long hours of work and little leisure permitted scant attention to fashion. More leisure time usually means more time to buy and enjoy fashion of many kinds.

3. More Education: The increasingly higher level of education helps to speed up fashion cycles in two ways.

4.Improved Status of Women: In a society with few artificial social barriers, women with discretionary income spend more on fashion goods and speed up the cycle in earliest phases.

5.Technological Advances: The stunning advances in technology in almost every area has put is in immediate possession of facts and fashions. New fibres, finishes and material with improved qualities are constantly being developed and reduced prices on many fashion goods have resulted.

6. Sales Promotion: The impact of sales promotion is felt everywhere in the fashion world today. Magazines, television, newspapers, billboards and direct mail all expose the public to new fashions in a never-ending profession.

7. Seasonal Change: Nothing is so consistent in bringing change in fashions as the calendar. As the seasons change, so do consumer demands. After the months of winter, people want to shed their heavy, dark clothing for lightweight, colourful spring and summer fashions.

2.1.3. Factors influencing fashion movement: Decelerating factors There are six general factors that slow down fashion cycles.

1.Habit and Custom: Habit and customs will have a braking effect on fashion movement. Habit slows down the acceptance of skirt lengths, silhouettes, necklines, or colours. Custom on the other hand slows down the progress in the fashion cycle by continuously accepting traditional fashions, taboos, status symbols, or special desires to prolong in modern dress.

2.Religion: Historically religious leaders have championed customs, and their ceremonial apparel has demonstrated their respect for the old days. In the past, religious leader’s tended to associate fashion with temptation and urged their followers to adopt certain styles.

3.Sumptuary Laws: Sumptuary laws regulate extravagance and luxury in dress on religious or moral grounds. Height of head-dress, length of train, width of sleeve, value and weight of material ,and colour of dress have all at times been restricted to specific classes by law.

4.Nature of the Merchandise: Not all merchandise moves at the same pace through a fashion cycle. Often the very nature of the merchandise is responsible for the rate of movement.

5.Reductions in Consumers Buying Power: Consumers buying power has a powerful effect on the movement of fashion cycles .When buying power increases, fashion cycles often speed up, conversely can retard the movement of fashion cycles.

6. Recurring Fashions: In the study of fashion history, styles reoccur, with adaptations that suit the times in which they reappear. Occasionally an entire look is reborn.

2.2. PREDICTING THE MOVEMENT OF FASHION: Producing and selling fashion merchandise to consumers at a profit are considered to be fashion merchandising. The success of fashion merchandising depends upon the correct prediction of fashion styles which will be accepted by the majority of consumers. The successful forecaster of fashion must:

Distinguish what the current fashions are Estimate how widespread they are Determine when the firm’s fashion merchandise appeal the target customer groups

Identifying Trends – A fashion trend is a direction in which fashion is moving. Manufacturers and merchants try to distinguish fashion trend to determine whether particular fashion is moving towards the consumer acceptance or away from the maximum consumer acceptance. Later they can decide whether to promote the fashion, to wait for the acceptance, or to abandon the existing style.

Sources of Data- Modern fashion forecasters bear little resemblance to the mystical prognosticators of old. Forecaster’s ability to predict the fashion strength, trend and direction among their customers has no direct impact on the term called fashion sense.

Interpreting Influential Factors – Certain factors will have an accelerating or retarding trend in fashion cycle among the target group of customers. Among these factors are current events, the appearance of prophetic styles, sales promotion efforts, and the canons of taste currently in vogue.

2.3. BIRTH OF A FASHION: Many precautions are taken to ensure that designers are presenting what customers want. Even so, at least two thirds of the new designs introduced each season by the fashion industry fail to become fashions. Some designs are introduced too early, before the public is ready to accept them. Other designs fail because they are too extreme for consumer acceptance.

2.3.1. THE DESIGNER’S ROLE: In the mid-1980s, one could think of the future as an empty page waiting for the sketches of a host of designers in every walk of life. Today, the world of design offers every expanding opportunity for all those who have the ability to contribute to it. All designs must be produced at a profit and within the firm’s predetermined wholesale price range. Consequently, designers must consider the availability and cost of materials, the particular image that the firm wants to maintain, available production techniques, and labour costs .Great designers use their creativity to overcome all these limitations and to produce saleable, exciting designs.

Designers must continually study the lifestyles of those consumers for whom heir designers are intended. They must be able to predict future fashion trends. Designers must be aware of the effects of current events, socioeconomic conditions, and psychological attitudes relating to a fashion interest and demand.

2.3.2. TYPES OF DESIGNERS

1. High-fashion, or ”name”, designer.

2. Stylist-designer

3. Freelance artist-designer.

HIGH-FASHION DESIGNER: A high-fashion designer is usually referred to in its country as a “name” designer. Originality of design ideas and the success of the Name designers are popular and become branded designers among the fashion-conscious customers. These designers not only create original designs, and also pioneer in introducing new fabrics, texture and colour for the original designs.

STYLIST DESIGNER: A second type of designer is the stylist designer who transforms his or her original talents to create or change the popular designs of others .A stylist designer must be aware of fabric construction and style besides the manufacturing process since the designs are usually tailored at lesser prices. Stylist-designers usually create designs at the late rise or early culmination stage of the fashion cycle.

FREELANCE ARTIST-DESIGNER: The third type of designer is the freelance artist-designer-sells sketches to manufacturers. These sketches may be original designs by the freelancer or adaptations, and may reflect the freelancer’s own ideas or the manufacturer’s specifications. The freelancer usually works out of a design studio and sells sketches and designs to the general apparel market. With the delivery of a sketch to the, manufacturer, a freelancer’s job ends.

The Manufactures Role: Manufactures always depend on the consumer’s fashions which are subjected to common, compelling need for change in the styling of its goods. Manufacturers produce several new fashion lines a year. A new fashion line is a range of new designs with a committed delivery time to the retailer. Some of these may be new in every sense and others merely adaptations of currently popular styles.

Type of Manufacturers: In general, manufactures of fashion goods can be divided into three groups.

One group is made up of firms that produce innovative, high-fashion apparel. This group is usually identified as the “better market”.
A second group of firms sometimes produces originals. This group usually manufacture styles that have been popular during the introduction stage and still gain acceptance in the rise stage of fashion life cycle.
A third group of manufacturers makes no attempt to offer new or unusual styling.

The Retailer’s Role: Retailers do not create fashion, but they can encourage or retard its progress. They seek out in the market styles that they believe are most likely to win acceptance by the target groups. Occasionally, retailers are so creative that they are a step ahead of their suppliers in anticipating the styles their customers will accept. Such retailers accelerate the introduction and progress of new fashions by persuading manufacturers to produce styles that answer a latent demand.

Types of Retailers: There are many ways to classify retail firms. However, when firms are evaluated on the basis of their leadership positions, they tend to fall into three main categories. First there are firms that are considered “fashion leaders”. They feature newly introduced styles that have only limited production and distribution .A second group, called “traditional retailers” by far the largest in number concentrate on fashions that have attracted consumer interest during the introduction stage and still in late rise or early culmination stage of their fashion life cycles. A third group of retailers, often called “mass merchants”, focus mainly on the widely accepted fashions that are popular into the culmination phase.

2.4. Theories of Fashion Adoption: Fashions are acknowledged by a limited number before they are welcomed by the large number of consumers. An important movement in fashion forecasting is identifying those fashion leaders and get to know their preferences. These theories have been developed to explain the spread of fashion acceptance; the downward-flow theory, the horizontal-flow theory or ”mass market” theory, and the upward-flow theory.

Downward-Flow Theory: The downward-flow theory is the oldest theory of fashion adoption is. In this theory, a style is to be adopted by people at the top of the social pyramid in order to be identified as a true fashion. The style then slowly gains acceptance at lower social levels. The lower income classes will accept fashions only if upper class people adopt that fashion. However, upper class people reject fashion when it reaches the lower social class people.

Horizontal Flow Theory: A newer theory is the horizontal flow theory of fashion adoption. This theory explains that the fashions progress horizontally between groups among the similar social group levels rather than from one class level to another vertically. Rapid mass communication takes the particular fashion to the fashion leaders of all social groups at the same time. Most often high priced lines are copied and mass produced .This horizontal flow also has been observed by some modern supporters of the downward-flow theory.

Upward Flow Theory: The third theory of fashion adoption is relatively new. It shows the vast social changes that have taken place during the past two decades. Also it continues to occur. This is exactly an opposite concept of downward theory. People belong to higher socio economic level adopts lower incomes fashion style. Example street fashion to high fashion

2.5. The Business of Fashion

Fashion leads, fashion follows and fashion moves. We have seen how fashion is affected by a myriad of factors and how, in turn, fashion affects everything and everyone in touches. The study of fashion involves elements of psychology, sociology, art, history, and religion. In addition, it involves the economic principles that govern and shape all business.

Economic Importance of the Fashion Business: The fashion business is one of the largest employers in this country. This business encompasses four different levels. One level is concerned with the production of the raw materials. A second level is concerned with the manufacture of the finished product. A third level is concerned with the distribution and retailing of fashion products. Finally, a fourth level, known as the auxiliary level, is concerned with the use of all avenues of advertising and promotion as they relate to the other three levels.

Scope of the Fashion Business: The fashion business is composed of numerous industries all working to keep consumers of fashion satisfied. A special relationship exists among these industries that make the fashion business different from other businesses. The four different levels of the fashion business such as the primary level, the secondary level, the retail level, and the auxiliary level are composed of separate entities, but they also work independently to provide the market with the fashion merchandise that will satisfy consumers.

Business Growth and Expansion:

Growth of corporate giants in the fashion business has changed some of the old methods of doing business. It has led to the demise of sole proprietorships, partnerships and small incorporated companies.

Mergers are the most common business growth in recent years. Companies merge together to form a large organisation. Addition of various lines, products or services is the motives for merger.

Firms are given authorization to manufacture and sell in the name of the licensor. The advantage of this licensing arrangement to a manufacturer is that the merchandise is identified with a highly reputed name.

2.6. Conclusion

Thus to conclude fashion across the world is constantly changing and moving in a slower to faster pace. Fashion movement depends on the acceptance and rejection. Taste spectrum of the consumers differs from region to region, state to state, country to country. However the conservative styles continue to dominate the fashion scene. On the other hand individual fashion identity is also on the rise. Forward looking designers recognise this desire and introduce newer lines in the fashion market. At present the fashion business has reached to its peak because of the increasing buying power of the consumers. E-tailing has also enhanced the fashion business to a greater extent.

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References

Philip Kotlar and Kevin lane (2006), Marketing Management, Keller Pearson Education, Inc, Delhi.
Ellen Diamond (2006), Fashion Retailing, A Multi-Channel Approach –Second Edition, Pearson Education, Delhi.
Mike Easey (2005), Fashion Marketing – Second Edition, Black Well Publishing, Australia.
Kitty, G. Dickerson (2005), Inside the fashion business, Pearson Education, Delhi.
Dudeja, V.D., (2005), Professional Management of Fashion Industry, Gangandeep Publications, Delhi.

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