Apparel industry Vs Fashion trends

APPAREL INDUSTRY Vs FASHION TRENDS

The apparel industry is a larger commercialized business oriented organisation involving merchandising, marketing, producing and distributing.

Apparel industry entrepreneurs always influenced by the below factors. 

1. Apparel performance 

2. Quality suits to price limitations 

3. Cost structures 

4. Product standards 

5. Profit goals

6. Target customer expectations

The correlation among price, performance and quality may be faulty in today's apparel market, as business stands on fashion trends includes tastes & passion of end consumers.

FASHION TRENDS 

The apparel business is widely known as the fashion business.

According to fashion theory, consumers quickly become bored with whatever is widely accepted. Consumers constantly seek new and different varieties of products. Fashion change and seasonal change are the two eyes of fashion trends.

Fashion change relates to below factors to influence fashion trends.

1. Changes in colour

2. Changes in styling 

3. Changes in fabrication 

4. Changes in silhouette 

5. Changes in performance 

Seasonal changes are influenced by below factors 

1. Weather

2. Holidays 

3. School year

4. Cultural 

5. Religious 

6. Traditions

Seasonal change is often confussed with fashion change. Seasonal changes results in the modification of products available on the market and used by the consumers according to the seasons of the year or climatic conditions of the specific regions.

The combination of fashion change and seasonal change makes the apparel business the most change intensive business in the global market.

Apparel professionals plan and implement product changes based on interpretations of target customer’s expectations.

Apparel manufacturers, retailers, and consumers must ready to accept and expect from changes in apparel

Many global apparel brands develop five products lines a year. Some introduce new styles on a monthly or even weekly basis. So apparel manufacturers must be flexible and completely oriented to change.

Time scheduling on the production floor is the important base for managing change that requires to hit the time based market.

A fashion or seasonal product that hits the market a few days late may be totally unusable.

Thus, apparel manufacturers and retailers must constantly work against deadlines.

Below factors make the apparel business unique 

1. Labour intensity 

2. Soft materials 

3. Fashion trends

4. Seasonal changes

5. Critical timing

To be continued...

Textile and Apparel Industries | An overview

Textile and Apparel Industries | An overview

    Textile has its own history and records marked  at each and every centuries passed by this world with contemporary generations. Clothing essence to the human being are the result hunting the material towards protecting the body against different climatic conditions. Clothing starts thousands of years back in many corner of the world not for the passion but for life essence. Very fine quality clothing in cottons was in Vogue at European continents ,Very fine silk clothing was found at China Continent, Cloths were dyed with natural colors extracted from vegetable plants like indigo specially from Indian continent, wool clothing found at Australian continent. Like many number of exploration in clothing done from innovators from century to century.

    The man who thought of covering his body, slowly discovered the mechanisms to increase the productivity of clothing to make commercialization. In such an adventures, this world saw the yarn spinning technology, fabric weaving technology, coloring technology, printing technology,etc,.All this happened in parallel with human growth from stone age to modern age.

    The technology to be adopted by contemporary textile technician to enhance the productivity, improve the hand feel of cloths and market it at price which should reach the ordinary man was mainly aimed to use available source of the specific continent. The thought of import the material was at sky. The textile technology gained its value, when the emperors or rulers of specific continents  start to get  entry in another continent in the means of politics, foreign trade, wars,etc..In another means there was a need of technology which must be explored to meet the challenges like climatic requirements, war requirements,etc,.On the other means hunting behind technology increased to meet the passion people who wants to enjoy the life.

    The path the textile technology traveled includes spinning yarn from handmade Charaka to High speed whirling spindle machines from coarser count to very fine counts, weaving the fabrics from hand loom to present Auto Air jet looms with from heavier weight to very light weight  range, Tub Indigo dyeing to auto coloring and dyeing machines with very attractive hand feels and comfort. Apart from this man found importance of textile technology to give benefits to the other industries like Aerospace, Ocean, medical, sports, security, etc.,

    History was not marked the mass production of garments but enriched in production of woven and knitted fabrics from 17^th century to 19^th century. Mass garment production appeared in 20^th century. In present 21^st century demand for tailored clothing is losing it value because of the garment technology and designing concepts have taken a lead with creativity and show case ability.  

    Globalization in view of Textiles and Apparels made increased the numbers in entrepreneurs from retail to export.The interest shown by the countries for import and export thought for their benefits in trading of textiles and apparels. This pave them to make tie up with the countries both developed and developing with international laws,rules and regulations,etc..in such an effort   multi fiber agreement was one of the 20^th century trade policy.

    To meet present global market in textiles and apparels, there is a need of technical up gradation and building the strategies in trading are required at the bottom level of the entrepreneurs. That is for the merchants or case worker who plays the main role in the turn over of the   business. The business may be private or public, ultimately the profit or loss of the business depends on the caliber of the employees employed for the purpose of the business. This is one of the important factor the entrepreneurs should understand. The efficiency of the employees of the organization can save the company from loss even at the time of market is in crisis.

    Keeping the above points in view and to boost the apparel business of the company, its required to enlighten the employees by gaining the basic knowledge of Textile Technology to help themselves as well as help the company’s business in terms of growth and profit.

Source:Based on educational qualification and industrial experience of the author, had post graduation in Master of Technology in Textile Technology and has 20 years of experience in both Institutes and Textile & Apparel Industries.

Author/Blogger:Veeranna P Badiger.