2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

1. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

2. Factors Influencing the Movement of Fashion • What factors accelerate the adoption of new fashions? • What factors slow the adoption? • Who are the fashion leaders? Followers? • How do we balance individuality vs. conformity? 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

3. Additional discretionary income means more money to spend on new fashions As money flows to new fashion, more variety is offered to the consumer Accelerating Factors Increased Buying Power 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

4. Accelerating Factors Leisure Time • Decreases in time spent working • Vacations demand “leisure” clothing • Consumers find shopping in stores losing appeal, so retailers reacted by offering goods online 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

5. More college educated consumers leads to inquisitiveness, heightened awareness and self expression Advanced education enables greater earning potential to satisfy their heightened awareness Accelerating Factors Education 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

6. Accelerating Factors Women’s Status • Fashions of the 20th century are directly influenced by the advancement of women’s rights, e.g., suffragettes, working outside the home and the right to choose social contacts and wardrobes. • This, in turn, gave woman money to purchase clothing, further fueling the demand for the garments they often sewed. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

7. Accelerating Factors Technology • As data transmission became instantaneous, designs were transmitted around the world at the speed of light, shortening the front end of the production cycle. • Technological advances also created new fibers, allowing for greater comfort and wearability. • INTERNET: This technology instantaneously diffuses the fashion of the moment to the mass audience. It accelerates the cycle of fashion and adds to the demand for new goods. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

8. Accelerating Factors Sales Promotion • Lets consumers know what fashions are available to them • Speeds up the acceptance stage and/or extends the peak stage of a new fashion 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

9. New, fresh goods generate consumer interest, and stimulate both change and sales Naturally occurring seasonal changes in the weather help this process Accelerating Factors Seasonal Change 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

10. People tend to buy garments of a similar fabrication, cut, and color year after year with little change. Customs still influence fashion, as seen on the placement of buttons on men’s shirts. Buttons are placed on the right because it left the weapon arm free while dressing. Retarding Factors Habit and Custom 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

11. Retarding Factors Religion • Heavy religious influence always encourages stability and champions custom. This societal factor greatly influences the fashions, as fashions reflect society. • While relaxation of women's dress in most religious orders has taken place, countertrends exist. • Religious fundamentalists in some countries have decreed modern fashions lead to temptation and corruption. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

12. These laws “tell” the public what they can and cannot purchase or wear. For example, up until the 1930s shorts were not worn in public in New York City! Retarding Factors Sumptuary Laws 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

13. Retarding Factors Nature of Merchandise • Some products move faster than others • Men’s wear typically cycles more slowly than women's wear, although recently the advent of “dress-down” Fridays and casual dress in the office has accelerated the pace in this cycle for men's. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

14. RECESSION: If the economy slows, so do the purchases of the middle and lower economic classes. Discretionary income shrinks, and fashion falls off the list of purchases for the average consumer. Retarding Factors Decreased Buying Power 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

15. Recurring Fashions • Styles reoccur, with adaptations that suit the times in which they reappear. • T-shirts, originally French cotton underwear, were adopted by American soldiers during World War I. • In the 40s they reemerged as “tee” shirts for golfing, and in the 60s they became part of women’s fashion. • Today, T-shirts announce to all what the wearer stands for and where he or she has been. • Anthropologists concluded that similar silhouettes appear in fashion approximately every 100 years. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

16. Playing the Apparel Fashion Game • Many clothing authorities read a clear message into the alternate exposure and covering of various parts of the body—sex. • Women’s fashions have tended to concentrate mainly on different ways to convey sexual appeal. • Men’s fashions have been designed to emphasize such attributes as strength, power, bravery, and high social rank. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

17. Playing the Apparel Fashion Game Pieces of the Game • Historically, as attention to a part of the anatomy reaches a saturation point, the fashion spotlight shifts to some other point such as: 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

18. Playing the Apparel Fashion Game Rules of the Game • Fashion emphasis does not flit from one area of the body to another. A particular area is emphasized until every bit of excitement has been exhausted. At this point, fashion turns to another area. • Only certain parts of the body can be exposed at any given time. Sleeveless turtlenecks are an example of this. • “A fashion can never retreat gradually and in good order. Like a dictator it must always expand its aggression or collapse. Old fashions never fade away; they die suddenly and arbitrarily.” 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

19. Predicting the Movement of Fashion • Producing and selling fashion merchandise to consumers at a profit is what fashion merchandising is all about. • Fashion Forecasters must: • Distinguish current trends • Estimate how widespread they are • Determine when these fashions will appeal to the firm’s target market 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

20. Predicting the Movement of Fashion Identifying Trends Determining if the trend is moving towards or away from maximum fashion acceptance has a profound effect on the number of units produced and stocked by manufacturers and retailers 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

21. Predicting the Movement of Fashion Sources of Data • Modern fashion forecasters depend on vast amounts of quantifiable information. • Merchants get instant sales feedback and use every available source for information that will help ensure success. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

22. Predicting the Movement of Fashion Interpreting Influential Factors Forecasters collect data and identify certain patterns. They also consider factors that accelerate or retard a fashion cycle. Among these are: • CURRENT EVENTS: News of what is going on in the country affects fashion response. When women were seeking management positions in the 80s, fashion responded by creating business suits for women, and in the 2000s they created a softer, less mannish look. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

23. Predicting the Movement of Fashion Interpreting Influential Factors • PROPHETIC STYLES: Taken up by the socially prominent or flamboyant young, they rapidly gather momentum or falter. The degree of acceptance gives a sense of fashion direction to forecasters. • SALES PROMOTION EVENTS: Forecasters must determine how much promotional effort stimulates interest in prophetic styles. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

24. Predicting the Movement of Fashion Interpreting Influential Factors Forecasters must also anticipate how much promotional they can look forward to in the future. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

25. Predicting the Movement of Fashion Importance of Timing • Successful merchants must know what their target market is wearing now and in the very near future. • This allows them to match stock based on where in the fashion cycle the style is and when the optimum point is reached for introduction to their target consumer. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

26. Theories of Fashion Downward-Flow Theory 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

27. Theories of Fashion • Upper class sends fashion “down” to the lower class. Downward-Flow Theory • Fashions appear among the socially prominent. • Eager manufacturers quickly mass-produce lower-priced copies that many consumers can afford, and wealthier consumers seek newer styles. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

28. Theories of Fashion Adoption • Fashion moves between groups in the same social strata. Horizontal-Flow Theory • Retailers watch their own customers instead of being guided by what exclusive stores sell. • Fashion innovators, who are quick to try new fashions, and fashion influentials, who are sought out for advice, are barometers. • They play critical roles depending on the area the retailer is located in. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

29. Theories of Fashion Adoption • From the poor and young come the fashions of the times, i.e., rich and young who adopt a “poor lifestyle.” Upward-Flow Theory • Implications for the traditional methods of charting and forecasting are radical. • The young are a large, independent group who exert considerable influence on fashion styling. • As a result, retailers and manufacturers attend less European couture shows, and more prêt a porter shows, searching for fashions relevant to American youth. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

30. Fashion Leaders Innovators and Influentials The rich, the famous, movie stars, and athletes are some of the innovators and influential fashion leaders. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

31. The Rich and Famous Beyoncé Sean John Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen George Clooney 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

32. Fashion Followers Reasons why people follow rather than lead in fashion include: • Insecurity about leading the way in fashion • Admiration of the “leaders” 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

33. Fashion Followers • Lack of interest in the world of trends • Ambivalence or fear towards changing trends • Varying rates of response when confronted with new designs 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

34. Fashion is Self Expression Individuality vs. Conformity • How to balance individual style with that of one’s peer group? • Consumers want to be part of a group and conform (hence the label phenomenon), but want to have their own stamp of individuality. 2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.