Designing clothes: culture and organization of the fashion industry

Abstract

Fashion is all around us: we see it, we buy it, we read about it, but most people know little about fashion as a business. In this volume, Veronica Manlow considers the broader significance of fashion in society, the creative process of fashion design, and how fashion unfolds in an organizational context where design is conceived and executed. Fashion firms are not just in the business of selling clothing along with a variety of sidelines. These companies must also sell a larger concept around which people can identify and distinguish themselves from others. Manlow defines the four main tasks of a fashion firm as creation of an image, translation of that image into a product, presentation of the product, and selling the product. Each of these processes is interrelated and each requires the efforts of a variety of specialists, who are often in distant locations. Manlow shows how the design and presentation of fashion is influenced by changes in society, both cultural and economic. Information about past sales and reception of items, as well as projective research informs design, manufacturing, sales, distribution, and marketing decisions. While new ideas must be put forward by the firm in a systematic manner, the identity of the brand must maintain a consistent image in the minds of consumers. In addition to taking account of the contingencies of the market, fashion firms must always be attuned to what other firms are doing. The moves of any one significant firm will influence other firms. It can even be said that there is a flow and counter-flow that occurs between all these sub-systems in the larger fashion industry. Manlow offers a comprehensive view of the ways in which creative decisions are made, leading up to the creation of actual styles. She helps to define the contribution fashion firms make in upholding, challenging, or redefining the social order. Readers will find this a fascinating examination of an industry that is quite visible, but little understood.