Chapter 11

Accessory and Fur Manufacturing

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Fashion Accessories

• Over the last several years the accessory industry has become one of the most exciting segments of manufacturing and retailing.

• Apparel designers want accessories specifically created to go with their apparel collections so many apparel companies added accessory division through joint ventures or licensing agreements.

• In addition, accessories balance product lines during fashion cycles.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Fashion Accessories

• Brand and designer names drive the business.

• With the exception of hosiery, all businesses are very involved with importing.

• With the exception of shoes, retailing is a new idea for most accessory companies.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Footwear

• The largest accessory category with more than seven billion pairs produced annually worldwide.

• Comfort is becoming more and more important in the development of shoes.

• Designers are line builders, samples are prototypes lasts are foot shaped forms and model makers are Modelistas.

• 98% of the shoes sold in the United States are imported.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Footwear

• Traditional leather shoes require nine basic steps:– Making the last– Patternmaking– Cutting– Stitching and fitting– Lasting– Bottomizing– Heeling– Finishing– Treeing

• Shoe manufacturers also sell shoes in retail shops.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Handbags

• Handbags move from initial sketches into muslin or imitation leather with final samples made in leather or appropriate fabrics.

• Ornaments and linings are added after which samples are critiqued.

• Production involves cutting dyes or water lasers to cut leather or hand or rotary machines cutting fabric.

• Bags may be classified as luxury, designer, and better or moderate and inexpensive depending on materials and craftsmanship.

• Marketing happens at trade fairs and shows.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Belts and Gloves

• Belts are apparel driven and cyclical.• Manufacturers tend to be small firms in New York,

with a growing presence in California.• Marketing for belts, like handbags, takes place five

times a year in New York and market center showrooms.

• Glove manufacturers only show once a year• Production is labor intensive and nearly all fine gloves

are imported from Italy.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Hats and Scarves

• The millinery industry suffered a severe setback with the onset of casual dressing.

• Made from felt or straw, hats are blocked over wooden forms while caps are made from fabrics.

• Scarves can be made from silk, wool, cashmere, cotton or man-made fibers.

• Production is similar to that of any woven textile, the majority of which takes place overseas.

• Millinery marketing takes place four times a year, and scarf marketing happens three times a year for a cyclical highly competitive sector.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Hosiery

• Major changes in recent history have impacted women’s hosiery dramatically:– 1940 introduction of nylon stockings– 1965 introduction of pantyhose

• Hosiery is knitted in mills running 24/7, with over 800 mills in the United States, located primarily in North Carolina.

• Two main markets occur annually, although fashion hosiery may show four times a year.

• It is hugely competitive with large national advertising budgets.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Jewelry

• Made from metals and stones it is completely different from the other accessory businesses.

• The sector is divided into three price points:– Fine, made of precious metals and gemstones

• Craftsmanship, design and materials determine cost

– Bridge, with lower price points than fine• Still made with precious metals and semi precious or cubic

zirconium stones

– Costume, mass produced to provide consumers with a variety of styles to coordinate with their wardrobes

• As price points lower, product becomes trendier and utilizes metals that imitate gold and silver.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Jewelry

• Categories are rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets

• There are many production techniques:

– Stamping flat shapes

– Casting

– Electroform

– Wiring

• Italy, Israel and New York are the fine market centers, Providence, Rhode Island the bridge and costume center, with growing import competition.

• Fine jewelry markets twice annually, bridge three times and costume up to five times.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Watches

• Luxury watches are produced in Switzerland.• Swiss manufacturers also developed quartz watches in

1967, quickly copied by Japanese and American firms.

• Swiss watchmakers also developed the inexpensive fashionable Swatch in 1982 to combat less expensive imports from Asia.

• The two important watch markets are held in April in Geneva and Basel, Switzerland.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Fur Garment Manufacturing

• Fur garment development begins during processing with the coloring and texturing of the pelts.

• Collections are shown for one season a year, fall-winter.

• Furs have become fashion products, with trends influencing the design of products.

Fashion From Concept to Consumer, 8/e © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc.Gini Frings Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Fur Garment Manufacturing

• Production is done by small firms in the U.S., Canada and Europe with increasing competition from China.

• Sewing and production requires time, skill and intensive labor.

• Demand is affected by many variables and has seen a resurgence in new markets in Russia, China and Eastern Europe.