In fashion from runway to retail pdf

By Elizabeth Holmes. To Read the Full Story. Subscribe Sign In. Continue reading your article with a WSJ membership. Looking at the basic structure of the fashion industry until the late s, traditionally fashion apparel retailers used their capability of forecasting consumer demand and fashion trends known as ready-to-wear long before the actual time of consumption in order to compete in the market Guercini However, recent years have seen fashion retailers compete with others by ensuring speed to market with their ability to provide rapidly the fashion trends revealed by fashion shows and runways.

Email: vbhardwa utk. Bhardwaj and A. Among numerous studies on fast fashion, only a few studies have focused on the consumer aspects that drive the changes in the fashion industry for example, Barnes and Lea-Greenwood The purpose of this paper is to explore the changes that have occurred in the fashion apparel industry in the past two decades and attempt to understand how fast fashion emerged to the extent that it is today.

A brief review of the literature serves to systemize and appraise the existing work. Overview of the fashion apparel industry In the course of the last two decades, the fashion apparel industry across the globe has undergone profound transformation due to various changes in the business environment.

To understand the areas for research in fast fashion for the future, it is important to consider how it has evolved. The following sections discuss the changes that have occurred in the fashion industry since the s. Apparently, consumers during that time were less sensitive toward style and fashion, and preferred basic apparel.

Bailey and Eicher reported a sudden increase in the import of fashion oriented apparel for women as compared to the standardized apparel in the s. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research This reduced the demand for classic though simple apparel as consumers started becoming more fashion-conscious Bailey Unfortunately, this change in fashion oriented apparel contributed to an increase in mark-downs in the market, which became necessary due to the failure to sell fashion apparel during the forecasted season OTA Fashion seasons As fashion is considered to be a temporary cyclical phenomena adopted by consumers for a particular time Sproles , it becomes evident that the life cycle for fashion is quite small.

In order to increase the variety of fashion apparel in the market, the concept of adding more phases to the existing seasons that is, the period of time during which fashion products are sold in a fashion calendar came into existence.

The addition of 3 to 5 mid-seasons forced immense pressure on suppliers to deliver fashion apparel in smaller batches with reduced lead time Tyler, Heeley, and Bhamra For instance, Liz Claiborne developed six seasons instead of just two Bailey Structural characteristics Towards the late s, the fashion apparel industry was dominated by several large retailers which increased the competition levels in the market Barnes and Lea- Greenwood Fairhurst with maintaining low costs.

Tyler, Heeley, and Bhamra highlighted product development as the weakness for the longer lead times to deliver fashion apparel to point-of-sale to consumers. All these shortcomings forced the industry toward restructuring in order to improve their operational performance Taplin Some of the examples of restructuring that emerged around the s include just-in-time techniques and quick a response with shorter lead times. Looking at history, fashion runways and fashion shows were the biggest inspiration for the fashion industry.

Along with this, these trend shows were primarily restricted to designers, buyers and other fashion managers. Drawing on the foundations of quick responsiveness, the fashion apparel industry shifted from forecasting future trends to using real-time data to understand the needs and desires of the consumers Jackson The inability to accurately forecast or predict future trends Christopher, Lowson, and Peck or failure to quickly imitate and produce fashion apparel as seen on runways Richardson can lead to risk associated with longer lead times and hence failure to attract fashion- conscious consumers.

Using real-time data can eliminate this possible risk. United Kingdom retailers The UK fashion industry has been widely acknowledged to have initiated this unique strategy in the fashion industry Barnes and Lea-Greenwood Around the s, apparel manufacturers and retailers, primarily from the UK witnessed price pressure from the strong players in the market. In order to stay in competition, UK retailers such as New Look and George shifted sourcing of merchandise to the Far East for a low cost advantage.

In doing so, supply chains became more complex due to extensive geographical distance, thereby forcing these retailers to introduce practices such as just-in-time JIT , computer integrated manufacturing CIM , total quality management TQM in manufacturing along with emphasis on shorter supply lines and quick response in the market Bruce, Daly, and Towers As an outcome, retailers in the UK started providing increased variety and fashionability to their customers, keeping in mind the low cost of the merchandise.

In sum, the concentrated UK fashion market resulted in street fashion as an attempt to gain a competitive edge along with market share through speed to market Birtwistle and Freathey The following sections provide supplier and consumer perspectives in regard to fast fashion. Fast fashion from the supplier perspective Apparel markets have become more varied and faster-changing in the present retail environment.

The development of new, quick fashion appears symptomatic of the transition from a production-driven to a market-driven approach in the fashion apparel industry. Fairhurst supply chain management to gain a competitive edge in the market Crewe and Davenport ; Fiorito, May, and Straughne ; Sohal, Perry, and Pratt ; Perry and Sohal In academic study, fast fashion has been researched from the perspective of a business model with a quick response strategy to reduce production times Bailey In addition, improvements in communica- tion between retailers and producers through technology such as computer-aided- design CAD and electronic data interchange EDI have contributed to shortening lead times Bruce, Daly, and Towers Fast fashion from a consumer perspective Consumers are becoming more demanding and fashion savvy which is forcing fashion retailers to provide the right product at the right time in the market — in other words, provide quick fast fashion The Economist As the consumer market is fragmented in terms of consumption patterns, fast fashion is gaining in importance among consumers.

With such developments, researchers should identify the full spectrum of consumer behaviour towards fast fashion. The literature on fast fashion highlights various aspects of supply chain management, supported by supply chain theory to improve the business model of fashion retailers.

It is worth noting that not many studies have addressed fast fashion as a consumer-driven approach, leaving this an under-researched area. Changes in lifestyle due to sociocultural factors and a need for uniqueness forces fashion retailers to renew merchandise constantly to deal with the growing competition in the market Sproles and Burns Advanced embedding details, examples, and help!

Includes index "Straight forward and honest, Iverson has put together a book that will help you determine your best fashion-career fit and will provide a bird's-eye view into the most elite fashion companies. The most comprehensive guide available for a notoriously competitive industry, In Fashion exposes all of its seams, with plenty of details on what it's like to work at dozens of high-profile and cutting-edge companies.

Whether you're just getting started or considering a career switch, In Fashion offers all the resources you need to land your dream job in fashion. There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write a review. The Sharp video wall became the focal point of the store, with 4K content updated on a regular basis, showcasing Parisian gardens mixed with the latest fashion styles. The company was impressed with the results and how vibrant the content looked. In fact, it was better than they ever could have imagined!

Having the proper digital displays in place gives customers a dynamic, modern experience that will make them want to keep coming back.