Understanding Fashion
Fashion is a general term of individuality and self-expression in a certain context and at a certain time, of attire, footwear, fashion, accessories, hair style, makeup, hairstyles, and body structure. The word also suggests a definite look dictated by the fashion industry with regard to what is trendy at that moment. The word has come into common use, because of the commercialization of the world and the ever-increasing influence of mass media on our behavior. It is now part and parcel of a person’s daily life.
The fast fashion companies have expanded beyond conventional small-scale producers and retail shops. They have become large-scale multibranched entities, which manufacture clothing for teenagers, men, women, children, infants and adults. Their products are generally of poor quality, but the intent behind their production is to create an icon, which is visible in public places, including stores, advertisements on roads, in parks, malls, zoos, and hospitals. Their marketing strategies include sampling before the product is available for sale and often using famous celebrities or personalities to endorse their products.
Many clothing items are produced in countries other than the U.S., in countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, and others. Some fast-fashion companies also sell wholesale clothing internationally through wholesalers. In this case, American clothing manufacturers would be selling clothing imported from these Asian countries. Often, American retailers have little understanding of the cultural significance of garments produced in other countries, so they fail to recognize the cultural significance when they buy wholesale clothing. Such failures result in the loss of sales and profit for both manufacturers and retailers, and they often try to reproduce the styles of the past, i.e., mass produced clothing, in order to increase their sales.
Since FASHION has been broken down into categories according to geography, it can be seen as the continuation of fashion trends, although it is different in many ways. For instance, a trend in one country might become popular in another country within a matter of weeks. For example, designers in America started to make sportswear, such as shorts and jerseys, which became popular in Europe, particularly England, during the late eighties and the early nineties. Similar trends developed in Japan during the same period.
During the eighties and nineties, FASHION was characterized by strong colors, bold patterns, bright cuts and unusual sizes. These fashions were generally considered edgy and rebellious and represented a rejection of the traditional styles followed by middle class Americans. Fast fashion companies were successful in making the most of this mood and in popularizing it in the American market. At the present time, fashions inspired by the fashion continue to influence the fashion industry, but many of them are now sold in stores and sold at reasonable prices.
In the past, FASHION clothes could be found only in boutique type shops. They were extremely expensive, and even then they represented a relatively radical stance by American standards. However, with the increasing popularity of FASHION clothing, fast fashion companies have begun to sell their own lines of casual clothing and accessories. Moreover, a number of manufacturers are beginning to produce designer garments on a small scale.