Session 1: Meaning of Fashion & Fashion Marketing Basics

Fashion: What is it?

FASHION DEFINITIONS
“Fashion, which is as old as time and as new as tomorrow, is one of the most powerful
forces in our lives. It influences what we wear, the way we talk, the foods we eat, the
way we live, how and where we travel, what we look at and what we listen”.
Oscar Wilde-“fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every
six months”.
Thoreau-“every generation laughs at the old fashions but follows religiously the new”.
For a layman, fashion is a mysterious force that makes a style of dress or behavior
acceptable at one point of time, but the reverse in another.
An economist views fashion as an element of artificial obsolescence that impels people
to replace articles that retain much of their original usefulness, even though the new
articles may not differ greatly from the old one.
For a sociologist, fashion represents an expression of social interaction and status
seeking.
“More that just a designer’s whim, fashion is a subtle reflection of the social, political,
economic and artistic forces of any given time”.
Adrienne Vitadini “fashion is a reflection of society and the concern for the earth is at the
back of everyone’s mind”.
The above quotes give us some idea of the diversity in the meaning of fashion.
FASHION & FASHION CYCLE
Definition : A design accepted and used by the majority of a given group of people at a
given time.

Design : Within a specific style, there can be many variations in trimmings, texture,
decoration or other details. These individual interpretations or versions of the same style
are called designs.

Fashion : The style(s) popular at a given period of time.

The three elements of fashion :

i) Style : Any particular characteristic or group of characteristics that distinguishes

between types of apparel.

A style is a type of product that has one or more specific feature or characteristics that
distinguishes it from other products of the same type.

ii) Acceptance: A style has to be bought and worn in order to make it a fashion.
iii) Timeliness: Change in fashion due to various reasons. A sense of timing i.e. the
ability to understand the speed of acceptance and change is essential for those who are
a part of the Fashion Industry.

Haute Couture: Hand-sewn, made-to-measure garments, designed as unique pieces

by couturiers and made of high quality fabrics.

High Fashion: High fashion is used to describe a very new style whose acceptance is
limited to those who want to be the first to adopt the very newest fashion at
astronomical prices.

The Fashion Cycle: Fashion Cycle is the way in which Fashion changes. It is
described as a bell shaped curve with five main stages.

1. Introduction
2. Rise in Popularity
3. Peak in Popularity
4. Decline in Popularity
5. Rejection / Obsolescence
Fashion Cycles overlap each other and the cycle continues.

Introduction of a style :

 Style and newness

 Introduced by designers
 High production cost, fine workmanship, high quality of raw materials.
 Flexibility and room for creativity.
 High price level, few can afford.
 Shown at runway shows, retail buyers and market weeks.
 Worn by fashion leaders.

Increase in popularity :

 Style gains popularity

 Copied by manufacturers
 Competitive production costs, limiting designer original at lower prices.
 Secondary / bridge price level, more can afford.
 Shown at retail stores.
 Worn by fashion followers.

Peak in Popularity :

 Height of popularity
 Copied by more manufacturers
  Adaptations produced at many price points
 Volume production

Decline in Popularity :

 Absolute mass production

 Sales

Rejection of a style or Obsolescence :

 Tired of a style, moved on to new fashion cycle.

Length of Fashion Cycles :

Classics: Styles which are accepted for a long period of time. Simplicity of design
keeps the style from being easily dated. E.g. Jeans, Blazers.

Fads: These are short-lived fashions which lack design strength to hold the consumers
attention for long. E.g. Punk look of the 80's.

Cycles within Cycles: A style may remain popular but its Design Elements (Colour,
Texture, Silhouette, Detail) may change. E.g. Jeans, Bell, Cigarette, Baggy etc.

Interrupted and Recurring Cycles: Social Upheaval, Economic Depression or War

may put an end to a continuing Fashion cycle or certain conditions may revive certain
Fashion with a few contemporary changes. E.g. The 1940's saw the continuity of 1930's
fashion which were immediately swept away by Dior's New Look. The 1980's saw the
revival of the 1940's fashions.

THE STYLE

Some of the most commonly used descriptions to characterize style are classic, trendy,
young designer, designer and couture.

Classic is traditional, with a long product life cycle. The classic is appealing to many
people in a wide age group and various sizes.

Trendy refers to forward-looking fashion or an updated version of a classic. Trendy is

the most current style.

Young designer describes garments created by designers who are just starting out. It
is usually a very creative style and use of fabric.
Designer garments are high-quality, high-fashion items that are sold under one of the
well-known designer labels.

Couture refers to original, one-of-a-kind garments made with the highest standards of
the highest quality fabrics.

FASHION TERMINOLOGY:

Accessories- articles worn or carried to complete a fashion look, such as jewellery,

hats, shoes, scarves or handbags.

Alta moda - the Italian couture.

Apparel - an all-embracing term that applies to men’s, women’s and children’s clothing.

Atellier - French word for designer workshop. Ateliers are classified as flou (for soft
dress making) or tailleur (for tailoring suits and coats).
Avant garde - in any art, the most daring of the experimentalists; innovation of original
and unconventional designs, ideas, or techniques during a particular period.
Boutique - French word for a small shop with unusual clothing and atmosphere.
Brand - a trade name of a symbol that distinguishes a product as that of a particular
manufacturer of distributor.
Bridge fashion- the style and price range between designer and couture.
Buying office- an independent or a store owned office that is located at a market
center and buys for a chain or for many stores.
Chain store organization - a group of stores that sell essentially the same
merchandise and are centrally owned, operated and merchandised.
Classic - a particular style that continues as an accepted fashion over an extended
period of time.
Collection- a group o garments designed for a specific season.

Couturier - French for a male designer, usually one who has his own couture house.

Croquis - original paintings of textile designs.

Couture – a French word for dressmaking, applied to fashion business that makes
clothes to order.
Designer- a person employed to create ideas for garments and accessories in fashion
industry.
Fad - a short lived fashion.
Fashion- the prevailing style of any given time implies change in style accepted by a
large segment of the public at any particular time.
Fashion cycle- a term that refers to the rise, popularization and decline of a fashion. It
is usually represented visually by a wave like curve.
Fashion trends- the direction in which fashion is moving.
Haute couture- French for ‘the finest dress making’ in the fashion industry it refers to a
firm whose designer creates a collection of original designs that are then duplicated for
individual customers on a made-to-order basis.
Knock offs- a copy of a higher priced style.

Mail order- a firm that does a bulk of its sales through catalogue.

Moda pronta- Italian for ‘ready to wear’.

Pret – a – Porter – French for ‘ready to wear’ literally means ‘ready to carry’.

Private label- a store own brand

Ready to wear- apparel that is mass produced in standardized sizes as opposed to

custom made apparels.
Retailing - the business of buying goods at a wholesale market and selling at retail to
the ultimate consumer.
Season - a selling period.
Silhouette- outline or contour of a garment
Style- certain characteristics that distinguish a garment from another, a particular look
in fashion
Trunk shows- show of designer clothes that move from store to store for a limited time
to take orders from customers, often accompanied by a personal appearance of the
designer.