Definition of Fashion

The make or cut of an item, the forming of its

shape. However, over the centuries, the word
has acquired a specific association with the
design, making, and wearing of clothing.
Fashion now implies an awareness of and a
desire to be at the forefront of changes in styles
of dress and personal appearance. It can be
used to suggest an extravagance and frivolity far
removed from the mere functional need to clothe
the body for reasons of modesty or to offer
protection (Oxford University Press, 03).

Contd

"Fashion is one of the greatest forces in present-day life.

It pervades every field and reaches every class. It has
always been a factor in human life but never more
forceful, never more influential and never wider in scope
than in the last decade, and it gives every indication of
growing still more important." (Nystrom. P, 1928)
He thought that fashion was more than women and men
clothing, it also included; cosmetic/hygiene products,
cars, furniture and household appliances

Contd

He highlighted that fashion was more than an individuals

taste, it meant group membership, involvement in
current trends. To be out of fashion, indeed is to be out
of this world. ("1920's Fashion: Overview." American
Decades. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli and Richard Layman.
Gale Group, Inc., 1996. eNotes.com. 2006. 27 May,
2008 <http://www.enotes.com/1920-fashion-americandecades/
overview>)

Contd

To some people fashion is an art form,

while to others it is a religion. It is used as
a method of utilizing clothing, accessories
and hair to highlight or conceal something
about oneself. It is considered to be the
style characteristic of the social elite, it is
used to transform image & also make
social statements (Dictionary.com)

Contd

Haute Couture - French word meaning

high fashion. It means one-of-a-kind.
These include designers' original designs
or clothing that are custom made.
Ready to wear (Pret-a-Porte) - Term
used to describe mass produced
garments. These include designers'
originals manufactured to a certain
number for department stores and offered
at lower prices.

Contd

Fashion refers distinctly to the forces that impacts

dress, such as; social group, gender, age,
occupation/income, race, ethnicity, body shape
amongst other factors. It asserts a particular
political subject-identity, giving the wearer a
sense of authenticity, autonomy and claim to
progress. Not all fashion are adopted by all
individuals...Other important social factors that
influence clothing decisions include historical
bonds/culture and, in everyday life, the social
situation or context one is to enter. (Joanne
Entwistle, 2000).

Contd

'fashion' refers to a special system of dress,

one that is historically and geographically
specific to western modernity (Polhemus &
Proctor, 1978)
Feudal Europe did not have a fashion system
because it was a closed system (Bell,1976;
Braudel,1981)
Barnes and Eicehr (1992), posits that it is
erroneous for researchers to postulate that
fashion is only coterminous with modern
western societies.

Contd

With the advent of Caribbean Fashion

Week, Style Week Jamaica, Barbados
Fashion Week and St. Kitts Fashion
weekend it is evident that geographical
spaces such as the Caribbean possess
the potential to create a niche in the
international industry (Pasley,
Forthcoming)

Contd

This system of dress is prominent in

capitalist societies characterized by
western modernity, where production and
consumption are critical to its existence
and stratification systems are present.
This world system has permeated the
entire globe today.

Definition of Fashion Industry

This is a system of interconnected components
that constitutes the creation, marketing and sale
of styled products that are consumer driven with
the aim of making a profit and achieving
customer satisfaction. This process entails the
designing, manufacturing, marketing/promotion,
sale/distribution of the product. These products
include;garments, jewellery/accessories,
scents/cosmetics, footwear, headwears,
luggage, cars and furniture.

Contd

It also involves the expertise of individuals

such as models, fashion/hair stylists,
make-up artists, photographers, fashion
editors/journalist, fashion marketers,
advertising agents and organizations such
as; modeling agency and fashion
magazines (Pasley. R, 2008).

Components of the Fashion

Industry

Designing: This aspect of the process is creative

driven and it is essentially a representation of
the product before it enters the
manufacturing/production process. This is
usually done in sketches or Computer Aided
Design (CAD)
Manufacturing: This is the assembling/making of
the product from the blue print, this is done
either manually or with technologies such as
Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) machines

Contd

Marketing/Promotion: Entails the projection of

goods/services in a favourable way to excite
prospective consumers with the aim of making a
profit from the process (Pasley.R, 2008)
It is a comprehensive function that is concerned
with every aspect of the from its
conceptualization to when it reaches the
consumer, even at this stage it still a necessity
to ensure consumer satisfaction (Howard Elvy,
1977)

Contd

Distribution: This is characterized by three main

methods; selling to wholesalers, retailers or the
consumer (Howard, Elvy; 1977).
Sales: This is the point of the process where the
goods/services are exchanged for money.
There are two main ways in which this is
achieved; firstly by Point of Sale/Purchase and
by the Internet/e-Commerce

Characteristics of Fashion
Markets:
1. Short life-cycles the product is often
ephemeral, designed to capture the mood of the
moment: consequently, the period in which it will
be saleable is likely to be very short and
seasonal, measured in months or even weeks.
2.High volatility demand for these
products is rarely stable or linear. It may
be influenced by the vagaries of weather,
films, or even by pop stars and
footballers.

Contd
3.Low predictability because of the
volatility of demand it is extremely difficult
to forecast with any accuracy even total
demand within a period, let alone weekby-week or item-by-item demand.
4.High impulse purchasing many buying
decisions by consumers for these products
are made at the point of purchase. In
other words, the shopper when confronted
with the product is stimulated to buy it,
hence the critical need for availability.

Contd
(Creating Agile Supply Chains in the
Fashion Industry, Martin Christopher,
Lowson & Peck; 2004)

Contd

Prosperity and Good Fortune Await the

Clairvoyant Thinker (Pasley.R; 2007)