Understanding the Fashion Cycle: Introduction, Rise, Peak, Decline, and Obsolescence

What is the fashion cycle? Fashion cycle - a period of time or life p during which the fashion exists, moving through the five stages from introduction through obsolescence. - When a customer purchases and wears a certain style, that style is considered accepted. The acceptance leads to the style becoming a fashion! Fashions do not always survive from year to year GOAL: The ability to gauge the timeliness or occurrence at the right time, of a fashion is critical in the development and marketing of fashion products. Stages of the Fashion Cycle Fashion moves through different stages during its cycle of existence.

Not only design but special features also go through a cycle such as color, texture, and fabric Introduction Stage Designs first previewed during fashion weeks at the major design centers New styles, colors, or textures are introduced - begin an upward slope Limited number of people accept them Fashion leaders wear the styles Offered at high prices and produced in small quantities. Rise Stage Manufacturers who copy designer clothes will reproduce the styles as apparel that costs less by using less expensive fabrics or minimal detail. In the initial incline, fashions are accepted by more people because they can afford hem.

Mass Production reduces the price of the fashion, and more sales result Peak Stage Top of the hill Fashion is at its most popular and accepted stage. Mass production but prices are not necessarily low, prices vary at this stage It can survive longer if the fashion becomes a classic. Updating or adding new details of design, color, or texture to the look can keep it in the peak stage. Decline Stage Consumer demand is decreasing, going down the slope. Fashion items available have saturated the market. People do not want to pay a high price. Fashion retailers mark down the rice of merchandise.

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Obsolescence Stage The end of the fashion cycle, the bottom of the hill Consumers are no longer interested in the fashion and find new looks. Price of the fashion product may be low at this point, but consumers may not buy the product. Fashion-cycle Life Span All fashions follow the life-cycle pattern, but it varies with each fashion. Very difficult for fashion marketers to predict the life p The length of time is determined by the consumer's willingness to accept the fashion. Fashion Movement Fashion movement - the ongoing motion of fashions moving through the cushion cycle.

Economic and social factors influence consumer interest in fashion. New fibers and fabrics Advertising techniques can cause consumers to change in fashion. Budget Fashion for Bargain Hunters Budget brands include Joe Fresh, Walter, and Sellers, as well as Maroons and Old Navy. These stores have done a good Job of challenging the fashion cycle and offer fashion that would be classified more at the peak area of the cycle. However, before Jumping into a budget buy keep in mind the quality aspect, budget items aren't always made of the nicest fabrics or constructed ell, so don't buy anything budget that you want to last.

Moderate Fashion for the Masses Moderate falls under the beginning of the name brand category, stores that offer at the Moderate price point have seemed to explode on the scene recently, possibly in an attempt to appeal to a wider market. This category is a little harder to define and usually includes stores like the Gap, RAW & Co, and Smart Set; They carry fashion that is appealing to a mass market, they feature fashions in the "peak" section and basics. The quality in this category improves somewhat but not greatly from some of the Budget lines.

These stores are definitely popular as they are affordable to a wide variety of consumers, and don't come with the stigma of being a budget retailer. Better Merchandise for the Brand-conscious Better merchandise falls into the peak section of the fashion cycle but can also be found in the fashion forward Rise section; items here are beginning to enter higher fashion. Garments are constructed with more natural fibers, more attention has been paid to the fit, and garment details like buttons, beads, and special stitching are of a better quality.

Lines of this nature pour ore money into advertising and have a high value for brand identity, lines like Lactose, Jones New York and Lucky Brand Shares fall into this category. People spend money on these lines based on a mixture of brand loyalty and prestige, they have cost the consumer a more than average amount of money for the item and the tag says it all. Bridge Apparel for Lovers of Contemporary Designer Labels Bridge apparel is another booming section of the fashion industry; it is the attainable designer merchandise that keeps on trend.

Usually provide the quality, style and cut of a designer item without the couture price tag. This fashion includes designer merchandise that couture labels have created in the form of secondary lines which mimic their current collections at a smaller price, by way of using less expensive materials and add ones. Lines of this category include Marc By Marc Jacobs, DENY, Ralph Lauren Classics, and Perry Ellis Portfolio.

Other designers who don't produce couture can also fit into this category, they directly produce garments to the requirements of this section and they include labels like lisle, By Malone Berger, and Tara Jargon. These designers can be classified as "Contemporary' their lines are not serially categorized by their price point but by their fashion forward nature. This class of fashion is aimed at women who are style conscious and are looking for high quality apparel; contemporary lines are a combination of classic and trend making them wearable for years to come.

Quality is still a priority in these lines, and the cut of the garment is at its best form in terms of standard sizing. Silhouettes, color palettes and general styling reflect their couture counterparts in these collections and while they may not be the original couture pieces, they are more functional and wearable for everyday life. Designer Haute Couture Fashion - the Creme De la Creme Designer Couture is every woman's dream; it comes with a certain prestige due to its limited availability and the limited amount of people who can afford it.

Designer merchandise is carefully constructed of the finest materials and provides the wearer with a custom fitted, high quality investment garment that is sure to last them a lifetime (providing they don't fluctuate in size). However; these pieces come with a hefty price tag that can soar upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and maintaining a constant body size for the rest of your life is an almost impossible task. Designers of this category include YES, Christian Dior, Christian Laconic, and Viviane Westwood to name a few.

So realistically we can admire their designs from afar and wait until the "trickle down effect" takes over the ready to wear collections. Leading the Fashion Way Fashion leaders - the trendsetters, or individuals who are the first to wear new styles, after which the fashion is adopted by the general public. May be high profile people who get media attention. Used to be royalty or the very wealthy, but now they are media celebrities. Theories of Fashion

Movement Trickle-Down Theory Trickle-Up Theory Trickle-Across Theory Each theory focuses on a different set of fashion leaders Trickle-Down Theory A hypothesis that states the movement of fashion starts at the top with consumers of higher socioeconomic status and moves down to the general public. The oldest and most accepted theory of fashion change Trickle-Up Theory A hypothesis that states the movement of fashion starts with consumers on lower-income levels ad then moves to consumers with higher incomes. Athletic Apparel Style - during the sass and sass Hair Style - "Beetles", Punk Style

Trickle-Across Theory A hypothesis stating that fashion acceptance begins among several socioeconomic classes at the same time, because there are fashion leaders in all groups. Elements of Design When you describe something you see, you use words that tell about the lines, shapes, colors, textures, and spaces. Line Lines can be horizontal, vertical, dotted, gig-gag, curved, straight, diagonal, bold, or fine. Lines can show direction, lead the eye, outline an object, divide a space, and communicate a feeling or emotion. Shape Shapes are made by connecting lines. Circle, square, triangle, and freedom are words used to identify shapes.

Look at the objects around you and describe their basic shapes. Are they one shape, or are they a combination of many shapes? After doing this several times, you will begin to understand what shape really is. Line creates two dimensional or flat shapes. When shapes are three dimensional, we call them forms. A circle is a shape; a ball is a form. A square is a shape; a cube is a form. A drawing is a flat shape; a sculpture is a three-dimensional form. Color Color is described with the words hue, value, and intensity. Hue refers to the name of the color?red or blue, for example. Value tells the lightness or darkness of a hue.

Intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of a hue. You can use a color wheel and learn how colors work together. Texture Texture is the surface quality of an item. It's how something feels when touched, or looks like it would feel if touched. Sandpaper is rough. Velvet is smooth. A drawing of a tree stump could show rough outer bark and a smooth inner surface. Search for ways to add texture to your projects. Texture adds variety and interest. Space Space refers to the area that a shape or form occupies. It also refers to the background against which we see the shape or form. Space can be defined as positive and negative.

The positive space of a design is the filled space in the design?often it is the shapes that make up the design. Negative space is the background. The negative space in design is as important as the positive area. Rhythm You have felt rhythm in music. Rhythm is also a part of things you see. It allows the eye to move from one part of a design to another part. Rhythm can be created by: Repeating a color, shape, texture, line, or space when designing. Varying the size of objects, shapes, or lines in sequence (small to large). Using a progression of colors from tints to shades (light blue to dark lull). Ђ Shifting from one hue to a neighboring hue (yellow to yellow-orange to orange to red-orange to red). Principles of Design Some combinations of design elements (line, shape, color, texture, and space) work better than others. Here are some guidelines to help you understand why some combinations work and others do not work as well. These guidelines?rhythm, proportion, emphasis, balance, and unity? are the principles of design. Proportion Proportion refers to the relationship between one part of a design and another part or to the whole design. It is a comparison of sizes, shapes, and quantities.

For example, the relationship between the vertical and horizontal measurements of a wall hanging may be pleasing because the unequal lengths produce an interesting contrast. Emphasis Every design needs an accent?a point of interest. Emphasis is the quality that draws your attention to a certain part of a design first. There are several ways to create emphasis: Use a contrasting color. Use a different or unusual line. Make a shape very large or very small. Use a different shape. Use plain background space. Balance Balance gives a feeling of stability. There are three types of balance.

Symmetrical, or formal balance, is the simplest kind. An item that is symmetrically balanced is the same on both sides. Our bodies are an example of formal balance. If you draw an imaginary line from your head to your toes dividing your body in half, you will be pretty much the same on both sides. Designs that have a radial balance have a center point. A tire, pizza, and a daisy flower are all examples of design with radial balance. When you look through a kaleidoscope, everything you see has a radial balance. Asymmetrical balance creates a feeling of equal weight on both sides, even though the sides do not look the same.

Asymmetrical designs also are called informal designs because they suggest movement and spontaneity. Asymmetrical balance is the hardest type of balance to achieve and often takes experimenting or moving elements around until balance is achieved. Unity When things look right together, you have created unity or harmony. Lines and shapes that repeat each other show unity (curved lines with curved shapes). Colors that have a common hue are harmonious. Textures that have a similar feel add to unity. But too much uniformity sometimes can be boring. At the same time, too much variety destroys unity.

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