Fashion Design and Merchandising

The major developments in fashion can be outlined in sequence:

- In ancient and medieval times, styles remained almost unchanged for long periods, sometimes for a century.
- During the Renaissance, Western civilisation came into contact with different cultures, customs and costumes, which led to faster changes in fashion.
- France became the centre of fashion in the early 18th century. King Louis XIV's court made Paris the fashion capital of Europe, and France’s silk industry supported fashionable dress.
- At that time, clothes were hand made and custom made.
- The Industrial Revolution brought technological advances in textile and apparel production. Inventions like the spinning jenny and power looms increased fabric production and helped the growth of the American textile industry.
- The sewing machine turned handcraft into an industry and made fashion more widely available.
- In 1849, Levi Strauss used sturdy fabric for long-wearing work pants, which became denims.
- In the 1880s, women started wearing separate skirts and blouses, which helped the growth of ready-to-wear clothing.
- By the 19th century, affordable fashions reached the public through fairs, bazaars, and retail stores.
- In the 1960s, prêt-à-porter or ready-to-wear clothing became an important alternative to couture, and Yves Saint Laurent introduced a full prêt-à-porter line.

These developments show how fashion changed from slow, hand-made clothing to industrially produced and ready-to-wear fashion.

The fashion cycle is the way fashion changes over time. It has five stages:

1. Introduction of a style – Designers create new styles from research and creative ideas and present them to the public.
2. Increase in popularity – As people buy, wear and see the style, its popularity rises.
3. Peak of popularity – The style becomes highly popular and many manufacturers copy it or make variations at different price levels.
4. Decline in popularity – When too many copies are produced, fashion-conscious people lose interest and look for something new. The old styles go to sale racks.
5. Rejection of a style or obsolescence – Consumers shift to new looks, and the old style is no longer accepted, beginning a new fashion cycle.

So, fashion moves in a bell-shaped curve through introduction, rise, culmination, and decline.

Fashion merchandising refers to the planning required to have the right merchandise, at the right time, at the right place, at the right price and with the right sales promotion. If these conditions are planned properly, maximum profits can be achieved.

In simple words, it includes planning, buying and selling fashion merchandise. It also involves understanding fashion trends, target markets, production, promotion and distribution so that fashion goods reach consumers effectively.

The chapter describes three levels of merchandising:

1. Retail organisation merchandising – This is the planning and management that moves fashion goods from designers’ showrooms to the retail sales floor and then to consumers. It ensures that enough merchandise is available and sold at prices customers are willing to pay, so the store remains profitable.

2. Buying agency merchandising – This provides goods-buying consultancy. A buying agency works as a procurement office for buyers. It helps exporters save cost and time. The buying agent identifies vendors, negotiates costs, checks quality during production, and conducts pre-shipment quality inspection.

3. Export house merchandising – In an export house, there are two types of merchandisers:
- Buyer merchandiser: acts as a link between the buyer and the manufacturer and is responsible for sourcing, sampling and communication with the buyer.
- Production merchandiser: acts as a link between production and buyer merchandising and ensures production follows the buyer’s requirements and schedule.

These levels show how merchandising functions in retail, buying, and export settings.