Chapter 4: Fashion Centers

1. Chapter 4: Fashion Centers Chapter 4.1: Design & Buying Centers Chapter 4.2: Global Impact of Fashion

2. Key Terms • Design Center • Fashion Weeks • Haute Couture • Couturiers • Buying Center • Market Weeks • Mart

3. What is a Design Center? • A design center is a district in a city where fashion design and production firms are clustered together • Designers join together to make their city and country important in the fashion world

4. What is a Design Center? • Design centers host important fashion shows during fashion week • Fashion weeks are periods each year when fashion designers present new designs or collections • The most important collections shown are: spring-summer and fall-winter

5. Impact of Design Centers • Local governments often support design centers through favorable regulations • Cities benefit directly and indirectly from the industry

6. International Design Centers • The fashion industry found in cities around the world, including cities that are the major design centers • Paris, France • Milan, Italy • New York City • London, England • Tokyo, Japan

7. Design Center: Paris • Since the 1700’s, fashion capital • Synonymous with haute couture • Haute couture is a French term for high fashion, which is expensive, trend-setting, custom-made apparel • The city is home to couturiers • Couturiers are professional fashion designers involved in designing, making, and selling high fashion

8. Paris Fashion Shows • King Louis XIV used dolls to display the latest fashions • Today the fashions are seen in extravagant fashion shows • People who attend: • Fashion Writers • Editors • Celebrities • Apparel Manufacturers • Retail Buyers • Patternmakers

9. Fashion Ideas For Sale • The attendees acquire ideas to take back to their companies and then translate the ideas into fashions that their target customer will purchase and wear.

10. The Importance of Fashion In Paris • High exposure, and global reputation • France’s top 3 export industries • City is home to several design schools

11. Design Center: Milan • The Italians show their fashions during fashion fairs • Alta moda is the Italian term for high fashion • Its centered in Rome, but designers in Milan concentrate on ready-to-wear garments • Known for beautiful fabrics and sophisticated prints

12. Design Center: Milan • Milan fashion industry began with making leather goods, such as shoes and handbags • In the 1940’s, garment design and production were limited to men’s wear but later expanded to other markets • Italian fashion houses are family businesses that pass the craft of designing on from generation to generation

13. Design Center: New York City • During World War II, American fashion was isolated • New York City emerged as the main fashion design center • 2/3 of manufacturing is in NYC • 8 schools dedicated to fashion • New York fashion shows follow the French collection showings in Paris

14. Design Center: London • Noted for men’s business-suit classic styles • Ready-to-wear garments • Popular look of Twiggy • Princess Diana promoted style of many British Designers

15. Design Center: Tokyo • After WWII, Japanese women became interested in adopting western styles • 1960’s Japanese designers emerged • Influences on the world include: • Color • Asymmetrical balance • Unusual shapes • Use of fibers

16. U.S. Design Centers • Los Angeles, California • Dallas, Texas • New York City

17. U.S. Design Center: New York City • Important for garment production and wholesale business • Produce 18% of women’s outerwear • Dresses • Coats • Suits • Sportswear • 28% of all dresses • Fashion Week in Bryant Park

18. U.S. Design Center: Los Angeles • Located in the heart of downtown • Designers, wholesalers, retailers, sewing contractors, patternmakers, manufactures, market centers, and apparel marts all exist in an 82-block business district known as the fashion district

19. Focus On Women’s Fashion • Women’s apparel is the main component of this industry, with a focus on moderately priced sportswear. • Surfwear • Hollywood-style Eveningwear

20. U.S. Design Center: Dallas • More notable as a buying center • Produces moderately priced apparel lines • 36% of apparel manufacturing in Texas consist of: • Men’s and boys’ clothing • Shirts • Trousers • Jeans • Neckties

21. What Is a Buying Center? • A buying center is a central district in a city where fashion businesses sell products to retail buyers • Manufacturers: • Promote new lines, styles, and designs • Produce new selections

22. The Importance of Buying Centers • Most cities have not-for-profit corporations that help promote a particular city’s industry • Buying centers must update and increase showroom capacity • Directly promote Fashion Weeks

23. U.S. Buying Centers • Market weeks are the major times scheduled by fashion producers to show fashions to buyers • The apparel industry designates particular weeks to present different components of fashion. • A mart is a building that houses thousands of showrooms for a specific merchandise category

24. Buying Center: New York • The Nation’s leading buying center • 5000+ fashion showrooms • $14 billion annually • $12 billion in wholesale apparel sales • Retail buyers go from building to building, visiting offices/ showrooms to consider different lines of apparel

25. Business Improvement • The fashion Center Business Improvement District is a not-for-profit corporation • Established in 1993 to promote NYC apparel industry

26. Business Improvement • New York Fashion International- address needs of companies wanting to export, explores foreign markets, promotes internationally • The Fashion Walk of Fame- celebrates the fashion designers who established NYC as a world fashion capital • Fashion Center Banners- banners bearing the garment district’s button logo to increase unity and pride

27. Buying Center: Los Angeles • Formally known as the Garment District • Largest concentration of fashion-related businesses • Home of California Market Center- 1800 showrooms • $8 billion in business

28. Business Improvement • The diversity of fashion businesses cover every stage of apparel production • Ideal for small to mid-size businesses • Funded by property owners

29. The California Market Center • Formally known as the California Mart • 1,800 showrooms • 10,000 product lines • 13-story building • The center hosts various activities and events: • 5 Major Fashion Markets • 2 Textile Markets • The Los Angeles gift-and-home markets • Market Days • Fashion Weeks • Educational Events • Seminars

30. Buying Center: Dallas • Home of the Dallas Market Center • Host events that help retailers expand their business • $7.5 billion in transactions annually • Opened in 2004 • 550 permanent showrooms • Focus on sportswear and western wear • Hosts 50 markets a year • Draws 200,000 buyers annually

31. Buying Center: Chicago • Home to the Merchandise Mart and Chicago Apparel Center • 525-room business-class hotel • 300 wholesale showrooms • Serves clothing retailers by: • Hosting Market Events • Fashion Shows • Seminars • Promotional Programs to attract buyers

32. Buying Center: Atlanta • Home of AmericasMart • Features include: • Aerial walkways • Showroom space • Exhibit halls • Convention rooms • Meeting rooms • Known for home-furnishing apparel

33. Buying Center: Miami • Home of the Miami International Merchandise Mart • 300 showrooms • Features sportswear and children’s wear • It is accessible to apparel production in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean

34. Heart of the Fashion Industry • Design centers and buying centers are different yet closely related • Together they form the heart of the fashion industry • Design center = creativity • Buying center = commerce

35. Chapter 4.2: Global Impact of Fashion

36. Key Terms: • Global Sourcing • Culture

37. How Fashions Travel • Globalization is the trend toward increasing integration of the world economy • The global chain of production must remain flexible • Complex sourcing and production strategies are needed to keep up

38. Global Sourcing and Production • To reduce cost, and maximize profits, many textile and apparel manufacturers have begun global sourcing • Global sourcing is the identifying and negotiating of supply chains in numerous world locations • Manufactures must maintain control of the sourcing cycle

39. Global Sourcing Risks • Increased risks come with global sourcing • The lack of economic stability in developing nations is challenging • Economic and political factors around the world play a major role in establishing fashion businesses

40. Global Production • Production is global • Companies take advantage of the skills of workers in specific regions • Changes in customer taste indirectly affect production jobs around the world

41. World Fashion • Many countries are eager to export their fashions to other countries and host their own exhibits and trade fairs • Designers and apparel companies establish promotional offices in major fashion cities around the world

42. Culture and Fashion • The global nature of the fashion industry today requires cultural awareness and adaptability • Culture is the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts attributed to members of a specific society • Fashion trends may begin “on the street” and become popular • Some ethnic styles also become classic, or standard

43. Cultural Styles • Smart fashion marketers are aware of cultural influences on current fashion • Designers find inspiration in diverse communities

44. Styles From The East • The impact of Asian fashion has been significant • 1970’s- Nehru jacket from India • 2003- Indian-henna skin art • Indian Sari styles were sold mainstream • Madonna adopted a Japanese geisha style

45. Western Styles • During the 1980’s and other times, the western or cowboy style of boots and denim moved to the big city • “Urban cowboy” style appeared in urban areas

46. Urban Styles • In the late 1990’s, the hip hop look moved out of the African-American inner cities and around the world

47. World Fashion at Home • Consumers can buy an inexpensive outfit from a French e-tail store • Order shirts from a London catalog • The world of fashion is at your fingertips • Global production, fashion centers, catalogs, home shopping television, and the internet continue to make fashion readily available

48. The End