February 13,
2002, #7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the
Americans wrap up their fashion week and the
Europeans get
ready to present theirs, one must stop
and
wonder...What exactly happens during fashion week?
Today's issue
gives you a glimpse.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In This Issue:
Fashion Biz:
The Purpose of Fashion Week
Fashion
Trivia: The First Pantyhose
Fashion
Profile: Fitigues
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FASHION BIZ
The
Purpose of Fashion Week
Question: "What
exactly happens during fashion week?"--Louise
Fashion week
is your basic industry trade show...on steroids.
While one
might think it's all about celebrities, socialites, and
superstar
models, the basic purpose of fashion week is to sell
clothes.
Designers present their latest collections, and buyers
place orders
for the clothes they want.
Seventy-five
to a hundred years ago, retail buyers would go to
major fashion
cities twice a year to see the latest lines and place
their orders.
In the United States, that meant that buyers from
places like
Neiman Marcus (Dallas), Marshall Fields (Chicago),
Wannamakers
(Philadelphia), and the May Company (Denver)
would go to
New York to see and buy.
As mass
production techniques improved and Hollywood began
to have a
major impact on clothing consumption in the 1920's
and 30's, the
fashion industry responded by developing trade
shows at set
times during the year to bring as many buyers and
sellers
together in one place at one time. Major designers held
fashion shows
during these trade show weeks, but for many
years, they
were limited to private haute couture clients and
select retail buyers.
By the early
1960's, the market for haute couture clothes began
to dwindle.
When Pierre Cardin showed his first Ready-To-Wear
collection in
Paris in 1960, the fashion industry gave a collective
gasp. Fashion
shows for the masses? It simply wasn't done!
But as many
large fashion houses faltered for lack of private clients,
The House of
Cardin expanded rapidly. Perhaps Pierre was on to
something,
the others thought. Within five years, most of the
major
designers were showing their RTW collections during Trade
Week fashion
shows. Others, like Balenciaga, simply closed their
doors and retired.
Around the
same time, the old Hollywood studio system was coming
to an end.
Whereas the studios once cultivated its talent, doing
everything
from fixing crooked teeth to changing names to dressing
its stars for
movie premieres and award shows, the actors were
suddenly left
to fend for themselves. Some, like Audrey Hepburn,
gravitated
toward specific designers to help them define their look
(she liked
Hubert de Givenchy).
When these
popular actors appeared someplace wearing a designer's
clothes, the
designer's sales immediately went up. When Giorgio
Armani dressed
Richard Gere for "American Gigolo" in 1980, his then
5-year old
Italian atelier exploded onto the international scene.
He's been a
major fashion force ever since.
Today, fashion
weeks around the world are staged by fashion marketing professionals
who have taken all of these lessons learned and honed
the system for
maximum sales.
Major
designers are tapped to present fashion shows. This is no
small
undertaking. In addition to designing the clothes and getting
the samples
ready for viewing, the designers have to hire and fit
the models,
hire and consult with the hair and makeup artists,
arrange for
show space, design the set, determine the music, and
hire the crews
to set up and take down the runway and chairs.
And that's
BEFORE the curtain rises. Many designers have someone
on their
payroll to oversee all the details.
Once the
production plans are in place, the designer then has to
agonize over
the guest list and the limited seating. In addition to
their major
retail accounts, he or she will also usually invite his or
her biggest
couture clients, who are usually socialites and celebrities,
and the
biggest names in fashion journalism.
The
nail-biting starts when they begin seating assignments. Who
should have a
prominent front-row seat? Who belongs in subsequent
rows? It's an
agonizing exercise in diplomacy, because in the
ego-filled
world of fashion, if you tick off someone of influence, you
risk losing
prominent press coverage, a major retail account, or a
socialite or
celebrity with a loyal clothes-horse following.
The show
itself is a whirl of beautiful clothes, Who's Who, and
countless
flashing cameras. Video crews are there filming
everything,
from the clothes to the celebrities to the chaos
backstage.
Once the show
is over, the buyers, press, and couture clients move
on to the next
show on their list. The designer goes back to his or
her showroom
to get ready for the onslaught of buyers.
Buyers go to
the trade shows knowing how much they can spend.
If they'll be
buying from several designers, they must keep track of
what they've
ordered at each stop so they don't exceed their budget.
Celebrities
and socialites go to see and place orders for clothes and
to be seen in
the press. Since the cameras are already there, why
not grab a
little PR?
The press goes
to see what the designers are showing this year.
They'll get
enough pictures, film footage, and interviews to show
in their
respective media for several months.
If a designer
is really lucky, he or she will have one or two items
from the
collection that will create a buzz. Everyone at the show
will talk
about it, and the media will feature it in news shows,
magazines, and newspapers.
The end
consumer will then learn about this new item, and decide
that she
simply MUST have it! She'll call the department store or
boutique where
she regularly shops, and place an advance order.
By the time
the designer is finally able to deliver the goods to the
buyer months
later, the store could already be out of stock on the
item before it
ever hits the store floors.
So do ALL
designers have fashion shows during fashion week? No.
As you already
read, there's a lot of time and expense that goes
into producing
a show. While major designers can afford this-or can
find eager
sponsors to foot the bill-it's out of the reach of most
newcomers.
So what do
they do?
Sometimes
they're able to find sponsors to underwrite the show.
Some joint
venture with other up-in-coming designers to put on a
show featuring
all of their designs. But most rent tables or booths
at the
convention hall or hotel where the trade show is going on.
Buyers then
stop by their booths, look over their offerings, and
place their
orders...or not.
Since major
department store and mail order catalog buyers frequent
these trade
shows looking for rising talent, it's a great place to set
your sites on
when you're ready to take your local business to the
next level.
Just be prepared to fill the large number of orders you're
likely to get,
or they won't do business with you again. Never take
on more than
you can deliver.
So what's the
purpose of fashion week? To bring buyers and sellers
together in
one place to do business AND to create enough interest
and excitement
about an upcoming fashion season that the end
consumer is
ready and waiting for the goods, charge card in hand.
Glamour,
celebrity, and the aura of privilege all lead to massive sales.
The brand-name
designers know this...which is why the fashion
industry is
one of the top ten in the world.
Want to learn
more about how to get started as a fashion designer?
Download a
copy of How To Get Started In Fashion Design at:
http://www.FashionJobReview.com
Good luck!
Have a
question you'd like answered in "Fashion Biz?" Send it to [email protected] .
FASHION TRIVIA
QUESTION:
When were pantyhose invented?
ANSWER:
1959. While nylon was first developed by the DuPont
laboratories
in the 1930's, and nylon stockings were the hit of the
1939 World's
Fair, women wore garter belts to hold up their legwear,
as they had
for centuries.
When Glen
Raven Mills of North Carolina introduced pantyhose-
underpants and
stockings in one-it eliminated the need for multiple
foundation
garments and was met with instant success. They
introduced a
seamless version in 1965, which coincided nicely
with the
introduction of the mini skirt.
So where did
the ultra-sheer, ultra-snug pantyhose that are so
popular today
come from? They're the patented brainchild of
actress Julie
Newmar ("Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", and
"Catwoman"
on the TV series "Batman"). See? You just never
know where
great design ideas are going to come from...
FASHION PROFILE: Fitigues
Back in 1988,
Steve and Andi Rosenstein had a simple dream: to
find
good-looking, comfortable clothes to lounge around the house
in. The kind
that you could take a nap in on the couch, then get
up and go out
to dinner in. Since both were sales reps for surf
fashion
company, they had certain dress standards to which they
wanted to adhere.
When they
couldn't find what they were looking for, Andi made a
few sketches
and showed them to friends. They were met with
great enthusiasm.
So the
Rosensteins put together a couple of samples in high-quality
cotton
knitwear, and using their industry contacts, landed accounts
with
Nordsstrom, Marshall Field's, and Bloomingdales in their native
Chicago. They
approached several manufactures and found a few
that were
willing to accept payment directly from the retail stores.
This allowed
them to start their company without going into debt.
Their product,
which they called "Fitgues", was an immediate hit,
as their
friends predicted it would be. The good-looking, pajama-like
clothes were
snapped up all over the place, and the Rosensteins
began adding
retail stores to meet the demand.
Today they
have 30+ retail stores, a catalog, and a website-and
do close to
$50 million in business. In this nation of family-oriented,
sleep-deprived
baby boomers, many people take their "down time"
VERY seriously.
You can visit
Andi and Steve online at:
http://www.fitigues.com
Until Next Time,
Diana Pemberton-Sikes
http://www.FashionJobReview.com
[email protected]
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