Design and Buying Centers

1. Design and Buying Centers

2. Design Centers • A district in a city where fashion designs and production firms are clustered together • Designers join together to make their city a fashion influence

3. Fashion Weeks • Hosted by design centers • Weeks are periods each year when fashion designers present new designs or collections

4. NA Design Center • New York: Started with emphasis in WWII when NY designers were isolated from Paris fashions and started designing on their own • 2/3 of all fashion in US comes from NY • 8 schools dedicated to fashion • NY fashion weeks follow Paris fashion weeks

5. International Design Centers • Paris: center of the fashion world • Haute couture and Pret A Porter • Home to the couturiers • Paris fashion shows that started with Louis XIV • Shows attended by fashion writers, editors, celebrities, retail buyers, and patternmakers from around the world • Fashion ideas for sale!!!

6. Paris and Fashion • One of top three exports from France: Fashion • Paris is: • Home to multiple design schools • Filled with promotion agencies and fashion trade associations

7. International Design Centers • Milan: show their fashions during fashion fairs • The fashion fairs occurs at a different time than Paris so that attendees can cover both markets • Alta Moda: Italian term for high fashion and is centered in Rome • Moda Pronta: Concentrate primarily on ready-to-wear

8. International Design Centers • Known for their beautiful fabrics and sophisticated designs • Begin with making leather products and still a leader in this industry with shoes, handbags • Shoes one of the top exported goods from Italy with clothes following close behind • Next to tourism, fashion industry is the 2nd largest industry in country

9. European Designers • Donatella Versace (Milan) • Tom Ford (American who is creative director for Gucci and YSL) • Miuccia Prada (Italy)

10. International Design Center • London: known as a design center, but has not made as much of an impact as Paris or Milan • Originally noted for men’s business suits • Now focuses on high-quality, ready-to-wear • About 10 design centers throughout UK • One of the largest industries in UK employing 220,000 people

11. International Design Centers • Asian Markets: tremendous growth potential • Hong Kong: no longer the low-price manufacturer of clothing • Guangdong: attracted the manufacturing base that left Hong Kong

12. International Design Centers • Tokyo: emerged into the fashion scene in 1960’s • Designers from Japan influence western fashion through colors, asymmetrical balance, use of fibers • Japanese designers not only produce their fashions, but also have licenses to produce European and American products also

13. Emerging Fashion Centers • Madagascar (developing African nation that is benefiting from a special trade status with US) • Vietnam • Korea (known for low-price fashions and fabrics, developing a small high-end business)

14. Asian Fashion Designers • Flora Cheong-Leen • Sabyasachi Mukherjee • Rei Kawakubo

15. Buying Centers • A central district in a city where fashion businesses sell products to retailers • Very influential on a city’s economic standing due to the thousands of $$$ that come into a city from out of town apparel buyers (food, lodging, transportation services)

16. US Buying Centers • Buyers attend shows during market weeks (major times scheduled by fashion producers to show fashion to buyers) • Regional Buying Offices sometimes preferred over NY since larger regional centers are conveniently located, often house multiple markets in a building or cluster of buildings