UNIT B
EVOLUTION AND
MOVEMENT OF FASHION
2.04 Identify major fashion
centers, types of designers, and
price market categories.
Major fashion centers
•New York City
•Seattle
•Los Angeles
•Paris
•Atlanta
•Milan
•Chicago
•Florence
•Dallas
•Rome
•Miami
•London
New York City, New York
•Largest fashion marketing center in the
U.S.
•Known for the Seventh Avenue garment
district in Manhattan
–Permanent showrooms of manufacturers
from the U.S. and around the world
–Open weekdays year round
•Most of the production jobs have been
lost to other countries with cheaper labor,
but some production jobs exist in
Chinatown, Queens, and Brooklyn.
New York City, New York (cont.)
•Fashion weeks
sponsored by the
Council of Fashion
Designers of
America (CFDA)
–Formed corporation
called 7th on Sixth,
Inc. to centralize
runway shows
–Shows held in tents
in Bryant Park
Los Angeles, California
• CaliforniaMart is the
largest fashion and
textile facility in the U.S.
• An 82-block garment
district includes
designers, wholesalers,
manufacturers, and
patternmakers.
• Hosts a fashion week
five times a year
• Primarily serves the
West coast
•Atlanta, Georgia
 AmericasMart
 Primarily serves southeast
•Chicago, Illinois—serves central states
•Dallas, Texas
 International Apparel Mart
 Primarily serves central states
 Known for evening, bridal, and western
fashion
•Miami, Florida
 World’s largest swimwear show
 Wholesale center for the Americas
•Seattle, Washington
Paris, France
• Considered the world
fashion leader
• Shows attract over 40,000
visitors and 1,100
exhibitors from 30
countries
• Prêt-à-porter Paris®
shows twice a year at the
same times as massproduced lines but at
different locations
Paris, France (cont.)
•Haute couture businesses are located in
city “fashion houses” rather than in
commercial buildings.
• Haute couture designers must belong to
Chambre Syndicale. The couturier (or
couturiére if female) must be recognized as
talented and successful to become a member.
• Chambre Syndicale: The trade association for
top designers, which is governed by the
French Department of Industry.
Paris, France (Cont.)
Chambre Syndicale
• Sets qualifications for couture houses
and requirements for collection
showings
• Sponsors a school to educate
apprentices
• Represents members in relations with
the French government
• Coordinates dates of showings
Paris, France (cont.)
Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH)
• French luxury goods conglomerate
• Christian Dior SA is the parent company.
• Owns about 50 brands. Examples:
LaCroix, Celine, Givenchy, Donna Karan,
Guerlain (perfumes), and Sephora
(cosmetics)
• Buys and sells brands based on the
profit potential
• Alta moda: The high fashion
industry in Italy.
• Rome is the center for
couture.
• Milan is the center for highquality ready-to-wear.
• Florence is known for lowerpriced ready-to-wear,
menswear, children’s wear,
and knitwear.
• Main collections are shown
in fashion fairs prior to the
French showings.
ITALY
GREAT BRITAIN
• London is the major fashion
center.
• Bond Street is the creative
center.
• Promoted by the British
Fashion Council (BFC)
• Fashion week twice a year
• Top ready-to-wear designers
belong to a co-op association
called London Designer
Collections.
Terms associated with fashion
design
• Collection: The total merchandise in a
designer’s or apparel manufacturer’s
seasonal presentation, especially for highpriced garments.
• Couturier (koo-tour-i-er): A male high
fashion designer.
• Fashion designer: One who creates or
adapts clothing and accessory designs for
manufacturers, retailers, or individual
clients.
Terms associated with fashion
design (cont.)
• Fashion piracy: Stealing design ideas.
• Fashion seasons: Distinct retail selling
periods in fashion marketing.
• Garment district: The area in a fashion
center where most of the apparel companies
are located.
• Haute couture (hoat koo-tour’): The name
for the high fashion designer industry of
France; high-fashion, individually designed,
original garments.
Terms associated with fashion
design (cont.)
• Alta moda: The name for the high fashion
industry in Italy.
• Licensing: A legal arrangement granting a
manufacturer the exclusive right to produce
and market goods that bear the name of a
famous person.
• Line: A collection of styles offered by a
manufacturer or designer.
• Prêt-a-porter (prêt-a-por-tay’): French term
for ready-to-wear.
Terms associated with fashion
design (cont.)
• Private label: Merchandise developed for a
given store and displaying that store’s label;
found in better, moderate, and budget price
market categories.
• Ready-to-wear: Apparel mass produced in
factories to standard size measurements.
Basic types of designers
• Couture
• Stylist: One who designs by changing or
adapting designs of others.
• Makes lower-priced merchandise
• Creations made during the rise stage of the
fashion cycle
• Primarily designs for manufacturers like The
Gap, The Limited, and Guess
• Freelance designer: An independent designer
who sells sketches to manufacturers.
Price market categories of women’s
apparel
Designer (Couture)
• Category now almost extinct due to the
extremely small market
• Original, high-priced fashion custommade for a very few individuals
• One-of-a-kind extreme styles, avantegarde
• Luxurious, expensive fabrics and trims
with intricate details
• Sold through the designer’s salon
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Designer (Couture)
• Sell for many thousands of
dollars, maybe up to
$50,000 per garment, but
do not generate a profit
Price market categories of
women’s apparel (cont.)
Bridge
• Has almost replaced the couture category
• Secondary lines of well-known couture
designers
• Have the designer’s label
• Most expensive ready-to-wear
• Limited editions, small quantities offered for
sale
• Expensive fabrics with fine details
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Bridge
• Sell for many hundreds of
dollars, maybe as much as
$5,000
• Sold in fashionable dress
shops and upscale
department stores like
Neiman Marcus, Sak’s,
Nordstrom’s, and Bergdorf
Goodman
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Better
• Have a firm label rather than a designer’s name.
Example: Jones of New York, Liz Claiborne
• Ready-to-wear produced in larger quantities
• Reasonable prices
• High quality
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Better
• Found in specialty
stores and department
stores. Examples:
.
Macy’s, Marshall Field,
and Lord & Taylor
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Moderate
• Well-known and nationally-advertised brand
labels. Examples: Jantzen, Gap, and
Wrangler
• Lesser-known or unknown designers work for
the manufacturer.
• Many items inspired by designer creations
• Widely available and worn by the majority of
America
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Moderate
• Medium-priced
merchandise
• High volume sales
and higher price
margins
• Sold primarily
through department,
chain, or specialty
stores
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Budget/Discount
• Lowest priced category
• Created by stylists
• Knockoffs: Copies of higher-priced items.
• Mass produced in less expensive fabrics with
fewer details
• Brands such as Gitano, Donkenny, Kathie
Lee, Arizona jeans, and Cherokee
Price market categories of women’s
apparel (cont.)
Budget/Discount
•Sold in discount stores and lowprice chains
•Private labels such as Arizona jeans
(J.C. Penney), Apostrophe (Sears),
and Cherokee (Target)