fashion litreture review

8/1/2019 Fashion Litreture Review

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Fashion Trends

Literature Review

2012

Rafay Salman Mazhar

BBA/BSC-1 Section L

2/2/2012


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The Economics of Fashion Demand

This article has been written by Dwight E. Robinson. Source: The quarterly journal of

economics vol.75,No.3 (Aug 1961) P.P 376-398,

Dwight E. Robinson states. Fashion by definition is a popular style of clothing, footwear

or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and

dress up of a person. The prevailing style in behavior as well.

The economics of fashion basically refers to spending habits of people spending money

on buying fashionable clothes, footwear, accessories in times of

recession,booms,slumps other phases of the economy.

The author fails to draw any link of spending by people on fashion belonging to different

parts of the world, since it is not in accordance with their income bracket, the economys

circumstances at that moment. Moreover, he fails to draw any link of spending linked to

fashion by third world countries such as India,Bangladesh,Nepal where per capita

incomes are low while a high proportion if their incomes and savings in spent on buying

fashionable accessories ,clothes, foot wear and events.

U.S when faced a major recession all Industries only the cosmetic industry showed

signs of growth. Moreover, No matter how high the levels of inflation are, peoples

demand for fashionable accessories continues of rise.

The hub of western fashion is considered to be Paris.

Fashionable accessories are exempted from all rules of market and economics. They

can be categorized as giffen goods o snob goods.

An Economys spending on fashionable accessories is influenced not by their pocket-

But becomes a status symbol-a matter of prestige sometimes influenced by traditions in

the society or these goods are bought in competition from others.

Fashion

Author: Beatrice Judelle

Source: Challenge, Vol.5 No.4 (January 1957)

pp. 61-64

Beatrice Judele in this article talks about men and women who are deeply influenced by

changing fashion trends. The author refers to these people as slaves of fashion- by


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which She mean these peoples life begins and ends on the world of fashion. On their

things to do list on the top is Following the latest trends. These people spend time

going through the latest fashion articles from Paris in magazines.

Paris being one of the fashion capitals of the world, everyone wants to dress up

according to the latest fashion trends originating from Paris. Parris is however overrated as the fashion capital. In the authors point of view one should make his/her own

fashion statement and adapt to their own culture or traditional clothing rather than

following others fashion trends.

People change cars, even though they can drive a car more, change furniture which has

not filled its useful life-just to follow the latest fashion trends. They feel out dated, left

out or cornered if they dont do what other are doing. According to the author they go

with the wind. These people are also referred to as followers of the world who gain

pleasures only through the materialistic approach. Sometimes they even forget what

suits them. Such as replacing old furniture in an old home without keeping in mind theaesthetics. Wearing odd colors, clothing that doesnt suit them, there culture,

complexion or bodies physique.

For industrialists operating in the fashion industry-its an evergreen business of

stitching, fabrics since they are immune to all economic circumstances.

Men dont wear velvet you know! Fashionable gay masculinity and the shopping

experience

London 1950-1970

Clare Lomas

Oral History vol.35 No.1, war and masculinities (spring, 2000) pp.82-90

Clare Lomas in this article talks about the evolving fashion in the world of me. Those

clothing styles, fabrics which were once thought to be feminist are worn by men and

thought to be a sign of fashion or represent a certain social class.

This fashion includes men who wear velvet, Satan and other shiny fabrics just in order

to show their wealth or intellect and to show how much they are in touch with the latest

trends. Tight fitting to clothes and thin fabrics to show their inner bodies has becomeanother fashion symbol.

The author considers these people who follow these fashion trends as desperate people

who are trying to gain attention following such cheap fashion trends. In the earlier

times this type of fashion was followed by gay or impotent men. The author at the

same time establishes another point the reason why such fashions have taken birth and


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destroyed the decent art of dressing. The first reason he describes is pop stars such

as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley who wear a shiny clothes to their concert leads the

fans to follow them and wear the same. Some clothing brands have leaded to establish

such trends by promoting such clothes.

Now the old saying-Mein dont wear velvet is not taken into account anywhere. In factall colors such as pink, red which were once thought to be feminist are worn by men.

They dont take into account what impression these colors would leave about them on

others mind, whether it makes them look bisexual or gay its fashion for them.

A market research carried by the author says 67% of teen age boys are now much into

wearing feminist clothing. The author considers its high time for us to restore the

mens fashion in the way it was once supposed to be.

Cars and Clothing: Understanding Fashion Trends

William H. Reynolds

The Journal of Marketing,Vol.32

No.3 (July, 1968, pp44-49)

William H Reynolds talks about fashion products life cycle in the market. Firstly, the life

cycle is described as the useful life of a product in the market-in relation to the sales.

Defining the term market- has been quite difficult for the author. In short a market can

be defined as a place where buyers and seller get together for the purpose of buying or

selling of commodities.

The author makes use of televisions as an example as new technological development

with the invent of color televisions badly affected the market for black and white

televisions.

The life cycle for fashion industry cannot be determined, how long it will stay-its cash

flows and the impact on the market since it is entirely dependent on the tastes and

choice of people or population. In 1960s long skirts for high school girls were thought to

be a fashion statement while in the mid 1960s these long skirts became shorter and

shorter. It became difficult for manufacturers to determine what was next?they

became more curious for upcoming fashion trends at the same time they realized how

vulnerable there sales were to changes in peoples tastes and habits.

The author concludes it is impossible to forecast fashion sales, rather draw a trend line

since its too uncertain.

In solution firms in the fashion industry have tried other ways to become fashion

leaders-by establishing their own fashion statement. This is being done by excessive


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advertisements publishing model photo shoots. Many firms have adapted to bad

practices by trying to leak information regarding what their competitors are making.

Some firms however leak there information deliberately in hope their competitors will

follow-this would lead the whole market to make the same products-this market will run

through its market lead approach rather than to be lead by the consumer. The

consumer in the fashion industry by the author has been considered to be immature.

T-Shirts help to create positive images

Barbara D. Parks-Lee

The English Journal, Vol. 84, No. 5 (Sep., 1995), pp. 104-105

Barbara D. in this article suggests t-shirts were once thought to be an inferior form of

clothing thought to be worn by the homeless or the poor. However in the decade they

are used to establish ones statement.

By ones statement the author does NOT mean fashion statement-it means to establish

ones own point of view on some issue or some person that is printed on t shi rts. T-

Shirts are also used today in order to support a specific cause or a movement.

A persons own point of view-his character can be judged by the type of print on their t-

shirts. T-shirts are now not considered to be something for the lower class. Many t-

shirt companies have now minted money out of this expressive t-shirt business. The

fitting of t shirts also suggests the persons inner self.

This article considers a type of material artifact that circulates ideas about regionalspeech in the United States: T-shirts bearing words and phrases thought to be unique to

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I argue that Pittsburghers shirts, seen for themselves and in

the context of their production, distribution, and consumption, are part of a process

leading to the creation and focusing of the idea that there is a Pittsburgh dialect.

If on a muscular body tight fitted tee, means its a strong tough man.

Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry

Luz Claudio

Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 115, No. 9 (Sep., 2007), pp. A448-A454
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4626880?&Search=yes&searchText=shirts&searchText=clothing&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dclothing%2Bshirts%26acc%3Doff%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=18&ttl=6828&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/stable/4626880?&Search=yes&searchText=shirts&searchText=clothing&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dclothing%2Bshirts%26acc%3Doff%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=18&ttl=6828&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Luz+Claudio%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Luz+Claudio%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/4626880?&Search=yes&searchText=shirts&searchText=clothing&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dclothing%2Bshirts%26acc%3Doff%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=18&ttl=6828&returnArticleService=showFullText


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In her book Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash, Luz Claudio a professor of

history at the University of Delaware, traces the progressive obsolescence of clothing

and other consumer goods to the 1920s. Before then, and especially during World War

I, most clothing was repaired, mended, or tailored to fit other family members, or

recycled within the home as rags or quilts. During the war, clothing manufacturers

reduced the varieties, sizes, and colors of their productions and even urged designers

to create styles that would use less fabric and avoid needless decoration. The

governments conservation campaign used slogans such as Make economy

fashionable lest it become obligatory and resulted in an approximate 10% reduction in

the production of trash.

However, the spirit of conservation did not last long; by the mid-1920s consumerism

was back in style. Industrialization grew in the twentieth century, providing the means of

increased production of all consumer goods. During World War II, consumption rose

with increased employment as the United States mobilized for the war. The productionand consumption of many household goods, including clothing, grew by 1015% even

in the middle of the war and continues to expand to this day.

A Ready-Made Business: The Birth of the Clothing Industry in America

Michael Zakim

The Business History Review, Vol. 73, No. 1 (Spring, 1999), pp. 61-90

During the early eighteenth century, Great Britain was determined to dominate the

textile industry. Laws forbade the export of English textile machinery, drawings of the

machinery, and written specifications of the machines that would allow them to be

constructed in other countries.

Britain had the power loom, a steam-powered, mechanically-operated version of a

regular loom for weaving. Britain also had the spinning frame that could produce

stronger threads for yarns at a faster rate.

Meanwhile the stories of what these machines could do excited envy in other countries.Americans were struggling to improve the old hand loom, found in every house, and to

make some sort of a spinning machine to replace the spinning wheel by which one

thread at a time was laboriously spun.

In 1786, in Massachusetts, two Scotch immigrants, who claimed to be familiar with

Richard Arkwright's British-made spinning frame, were employed to design and build
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3116101?&Search=yes&searchText=shirts&searchText=clothing&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dclothing%2Bshirts%26acc%3Doff%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=17&ttl=6828&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Michael+Zakim%22&wc=onhttp://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventors/a/power_loom.htmhttp://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blspinningframe.htmhttp://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blspinningframe.htmhttp://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventors/a/power_loom.htmhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Michael+Zakim%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3116101?&Search=yes&searchText=shirts&searchText=clothing&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dclothing%2Bshirts%26acc%3Doff%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=17&ttl=6828&returnArticleService=showFullText


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spinning machines for the mass production of yarn. The inventors were encouraged by

the U.S. government and assisted with grants of money. The resulting machines,

operated by horse power, were crude, and the textiles produced irregular and

unsatisfactory.

In Providence, Rhode Island another company tried to build spinning machines with

thirty-two spindles. They worked badly and all attempts to run them by water-power

failed. In 1790, the faulty machines were sold to Moses Brown of Pawtucket. Brown and

his partner, William Almy, employed enough hand-loom weavers to produce eight

thousand yards of cloth a year by hand. Brown needed working spinning machinery, to

provide his weavers with more yarn, however the machines he bought were lemons. In

1790, there was not a single successful power-spinner in the United States.

Used-Clothing Donations and Apparel Production in Africa

Garth FrazerThe Economic Journal

Vol. 118, No. 532 (Oct., 2008), pp. 1764-1784

Garth Frazer in the article states If East Asia has been the international success story

over the last 30 years in terms of economic growth, trade and human development,

Africa has been a story of failure. Taiwan,

Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and now China have moved from exports of textiles and

apparel to increasingly sophisticated electronic and industrial goods as their economies

have

grown, and the fruits of that growth have been broadly shared. In contrast, Africa has

stagnated. In particular, onlookers are puzzled by the inability of Africa, despite its low

unskilled

wage levels and strong supplies of cotton, to produce and export textiles and apparel.

On

the one hand, African governments have been criticized for a variety of policies that

have

inhibited growth in general, and some would argue that these policies are responsible

for the

specific failure in textiles and apparel, as well as the overall failure. On the other hand,African governments have charged that imports of used clothing, in the form of cast-off

donations from industrialized countries, have harmed the textile and apparel sectors in

Africa.

This paper will not provide an evaluation of the first causerestrictive or misaligned

African


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policies. It will examine the second causenamely, whether the used-clothing imports

have

restricted textile and apparel production in African countries.

There has been a dramatic increase in the donation of used clothing to charities in

developed countries over the last 20 years. Unable to sell even the majority of this

clothing

domestically, charities typically sell the used clothing to exporters who send it at a very

low cost to developing countries, particularly in Africa (Hansen, 2000).

The Merchandising Decision under Uncertainty

Charles B. Riter

The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 1967), pp. 44-47

Charles B. Riter states fashion merchandising is the combination of the processes that a

new fashion item must go through to be available in mass quantities to the consumer after it is

left the hands of the designer. Fashion merchandising often gets confused

with fashion marketing and although they work together, they are two very different things. To

understand fashion merchandising completely, it is important to examine the role

that fashion merchandising plays in manufacturing, buying, promoting and selling fashion items.

In regards to manufacturing, a fashion merchandiser will have significant input on the types of

fabrics used to make a piece of clothing. Having a strong historical and socio-cultural

understanding of the fabrics, help change a designers vision into reality. By applying their

knowledge about fabric and clothing construction, a fashion merchandiser will take a designers

piece and find the best way to manufacture the item while taking things like price and target

market into consideration.Buying becomes part of fashion merchandising when a merchandiser buys fashion items to be

presented in a store. A fashion merchandiser must be aware of the target market for

thefashion item and also very well-versed in fashion trend analysis and forecasting. This allows

for more accurate ordering. A fashion merchandiser working with a designer will once again

offer expertise to the designer on textiles and fabrics.

In the event that a fashion merchandiser is working for the designer, promoting the designers

product to stores that may want to buy large quantities is a number one priority. Not only is

a fashion merchandiser required to have a creative mind and strong visual merchandising skills,

production skills must be sharp as well. Fashion merchandising promotes a designers items

through the use of fashion shows where creativity and visual effects must run wild to capture the

attention of potential buyers. Additionally, fashion merchandisers seek out the target market for

a designers clothing, such as childrens clothing stores, department stores or discount retailers.

Vertical Integration and Rapid Response in Fashion Apparel

James Richardson

Organization Science, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Jul. - Aug., 1996), pp. 400-412
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1249301?&Search=yes&searchText=fashion&searchText=merchandising&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfashion%2Bmerchandising%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dwestern%2Bcasual%2Bclothing%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=7&ttl=2621&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/stable/1249301?&Search=yes&searchText=fashion&searchText=merchandising&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfashion%2Bmerchandising%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dwestern%2Bcasual%2Bclothing%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=7&ttl=2621&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Charles+B.+Riter%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Charles+B.+Riter%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22James+Richardson%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22James+Richardson%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22James+Richardson%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Charles+B.+Riter%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/1249301?&Search=yes&searchText=fashion&searchText=merchandising&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfashion%2Bmerchandising%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dwestern%2Bcasual%2Bclothing%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=7&ttl=2621&returnArticleService=showFullText


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The degree to which a firm owns its upstream suppliers and its downstream

buyers is referred to as vertical integration. It is also referred to as an

approach for increasing or decre asin g the leve l of cont ro l whic h a f i r m

ha s ove r i t s inp uts and di st r ib ut ion of outputs. Vert ical integrat ion

is of two types: backward integration and forward integration. Afirms control

of its inputs or supplies is known as: backward integration. A firms control of its

distribution is known as: forward integration.The strategic reasons for opting for a

vertical integration strategy have changed over theyears. During the 19th century,

firms used vertical integration to achieve economies of scale. During the

middle of the 20th century, vertical integration was used to assure a steady

supply of vital inputs. In some cases, the theory of transaction cost economics

wasapplied to backward integration or forward integration, as a means to total cost

reduction.That is, it was cheaper for a firm to perform the role of suppliers and

distributors than

tospend t ime and money to in terac t wi th such par t ies . Subsequent ly ,in the late 20thcentury, competition intensified in most industries.

Corporate restruc tur ing resulted in vertical disintegration by reducing the levels of

vertical integration in large corporations.

Mul t ip le fac to rs con t r ibu te to the es tab l i shment and con t inued ex is te

nce o f l a rge in teg ra ted f i rms desp i te inheren t i ne f f i c ienc ies . These c

an be described in terms of reduced costs, weak supply networks,

increased market power, and government policy.These factors are important

during the early stages of an industry.

Integrated firms have a cost advantage over smaller firms by avoiding transaction costsin imperfect markets, particularly during early stages of market

development. Transaction cost includes the cost ofmeasuring output in all

of its dimensions and the consequence of not measuring it perfectly.

Conclusion:From the research papers above it can we conclude four basic points.

1) Fashion trends have been un predictable after the 1960s when skirts becameshorter and shiny clothes became in fashion.

2) There is nothing known as womens casual wear and mens casual wear all

clothes are to be uni sex.

3) Merchandisers lay an important role for development of new fashions and

achieve best quality with existing fashions.


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References

The Economics of Fashion Demand

This article has been written by Dwight E. Robinson. Source: The quarterly journal of

economics vol.75,No.3 (Aug 1961) P.P 376-398,

Fashion

Author: Beatrice Judelle

Source: Challenge, Vol.5 No.4 (January 1957)

pp. 61-64

Mendont wear velvet you know! Fashionable gay masculinity and the shopping

experience

London 1950-1970

Clare Lomas

Oral History vol.35 No.1, war and masculinities (spring, 2000) pp.82-90

Cars and Clothing: Understanding Fashion Trends

William H. Reynolds

The Journal of Marketing,Vol.32

No.3 (July, 1968, pp44-49)

T-Shirts help to create positive images

Barbara D. Parks-Lee

The English Journal, Vol. 84, No. 5 (Sep., 1995), pp. 104-105

Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry


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Luz Claudio

Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 115, No. 9 (Sep., 2007), pp. A448-A454

A Ready-Made Business: The Birth of the Clothing Industry in America

Michael Zakim

The Business History Review, Vol. 73, No. 1 (Spring, 1999), pp. 61-90

Used-Clothing Donations and Apparel Production in Africa

Garth Frazer

The Economic Journal

Vol. 118, No. 532 (Oct., 2008), pp. 1764-1784

The Merchandising Decision under Uncertainty

Charles B. Riter

The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 1967), pp. 44-47

Vertical Integration and Rapid Response in Fashion Apparel

James Richardson

Organization Science, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Jul. - Aug., 1996), pp. 400-412
http://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Luz+Claudio%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Luz+Claudio%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Michael+Zakim%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/1249301?&Search=yes&searchText=fashion&searchText=merchandising&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfashion%2Bmerchandising%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dwestern%2Bcasual%2Bclothing%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=7&ttl=2621&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/stable/1249301?&Search=yes&searchText=fashion&searchText=merchandising&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfashion%2Bmerchandising%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dwestern%2Bcasual%2Bclothing%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=7&ttl=2621&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Charles+B.+Riter%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Charles+B.+Riter%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22James+Richardson%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22James+Richardson%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22James+Richardson%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Charles+B.+Riter%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/1249301?&Search=yes&searchText=fashion&searchText=merchandising&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfashion%2Bmerchandising%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dwestern%2Bcasual%2Bclothing%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=7&ttl=2621&returnArticleService=showFullTexthttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Michael+Zakim%22&wc=onhttp://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=au%3A%22Luz+Claudio%22&wc=on

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