Publisher’s note BASICS BASICS fashion management fashion management Virginia Grose Ethical practice is well known, 01 AVA Academia’s Basics Fashion 01 Virginia Grose originally trained as a Virginia Grose Basics Fashion Management 01 Featured topics taught and discussed in the domains context and concept Management titles are designed fashion designer and has worked in the from couture to high street of medicine, law, science and designer typology to provide visual arts students fashion industry for over 25 years within sociology but was, until recently, rarely discussed in terms of the Applied Visual Arts. Yet design is research and idea generation trend forecasting product development the role of design in business with a theoretical and practical exploration of each of the fundamental topics within the FASHION supply chain and product development. She gained her professional experience with Courtaulds Textiles, supplying several becoming an increasingly integral part of our everyday lives and its influence on our society ever-more prevalent. the product mix garment specifications: sampling defining retail strategy the marketing mix discipline of fashion management.
Packed with examples from students and professionals and fully illustrated with clear diagrams MERCHANDISING major UK and international retailers. Virginia has worked with a wide range of clients from Marks & Spencer to Walmart, as well as a range of luxury position and inspiring imagery, they offer an designer cashmere brands. AVA Publishing believes that our place price essential exploration of the subject. world needs integrity; that the Virginia took an MBA in retailing at people ramifications of our actions upon the supply chain Fashion Merchandising is a Stirling University, Scotland, specializing others should be for the greatest the textile industry comprehensive guide to the fashion in international retailing and marketing happiness and benefit of the greatest supply chain management industry, which is an exciting and with a strong fashion bias.
Virginia is global sourcing number. We do not set ourselves risk management challenging environment in today’s currently the course leader at out as arbiters of what is ‘good’ or logistics and outsourcing in the global marketplace. The business Westminster University in MA Fashion FASHION MERCHANDISING ‘bad’, but aim to promote discussion supply chain of fashion can be viewed as a Business Management. She is still ethics in the supply chain in an organised fashion for an branding critical path and each milestone involved in the fashion industry and acts individual’s understanding of their customer profiling in it, from product concept to end as a consultant for fashion brands.
own ethical inclination. building a brand consumer, is specifically designed luxury brands brand promotion to add value. The key stages in By incorporating a ‘working with brand protection this critical path are: concept, ethics’ section and cover stamp trend and idea generation; design on all our titles, AVA Publishing aims Featured contributors Belinda Dickson strategy and product development; to help a new generation of students, George Sharp retail strategy; supply chain and educators and practitioners find Kim Mannino logistics; promotions, sales and a methodology for structuring their Louis Vuitton Marks & Spencer customer reaction. thoughts and reflections in this Nicky Lovell vital area.
Rob Hendry Each chapter in Basics Topshop Fashion Management: Fashion Walmart Merchandising aims to recreate WGSN the milestones in this critical path and in doing so is invaluable for fashion design, marketing, buying and merchandising students. To help bring the theory to life, case studies and interviews with industry professionals are included, as well as self-reflective ava publishing sa 9 782940 411344 questions and exercises.com http://blog.com enquiries@avabooks.indd 1 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 8/1/11 6:17 PM US Text Page:US_Cover BASICS fashion management Virginia Grose 01 FASHION MERCHANDISING 001_US 02948.indd 1 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 11:51 AM Page:US_1 An AVA Book Published by AVA Publishing SA Rue des Fontenailles 16 Case Postale 1000 Lausanne 6 Switzerland Tel: +41 786 005 109 Email: enquiries@avabooks.com Distributed by Thames & Hudson (ex-North America) 181a High Holborn London WC1V 7QX United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7845 5000 Fax: +44 20 7845 5055 Email: sales@thameshudson.com Distributed in the USA & Canada by: Ingram Publisher Services Inc. La Vergne TN 37086 USA Tel: +1 866 400 5351 Fax: +1 800 838 1149 Email: customer.com English Language Support Office AVA Publishing (UK) Ltd. Tel: +44 1903 204 455 Email: enquiries@avabooks.com © AVA Publishing SA 2012 All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission of the copyright holder. ISBN 978-2-940411-34-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Grose, Virginia. Basics Fashion Management 01: Fashion Merchandising / Virginia Gross p. Includes bibliographical references and index.Clothing trade--Study and teaching.Fashion design--Study and teaching.A2 G767 2011 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Design by Pony Ltd.uk Production by AVA Book Production Pte., Singapore Tel: +65 6334 8173 Fax: +65 6259 9830 Email: production@avabooks.indd 2 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 11:54 AM Page:US_2 1 1 CAREERS IN FASHION MANAGEMENT New roles are continually being created in the fashion industry, from buyers and merchandisers to product developers, sourcing managers, textile and fabric technologists.
Today’s graduates have more opportunities than ever before.indd 3 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:3 Introduction ` TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 Introduction 10 Chapter 1 CONTEXT AND CONCEPT 12 From couture to high street 16 Designer typology 18 Research and idea generation 24 Trend forecasting 28 Interview: Kim Mannino 34 Case study: WGSN 38 Chapter 1 summary 40 Chapter 2 PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 42 The role of design in business 46 The product mix 50 Garment specifications: sampling 54 Interview: George Sharp 60 Case study: Marks & Spencer 64 Chapter 2 summary 66 Chapter 3 RETAIL STRATEGY 68 Defining retail strategy 72 The marketing mix: position 74 The marketing mix: place 80 The marketing mix: price 82 The marketing mix: people 88 Interview: Belinda Dickson 94 Case study: Topshop 100 Chapter 3 summary 003-176 02948.indd 4 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:4 102 Chapter 4 164 Conclusion THE SUPPLY CHAIN 166 Glossary 104 The textile industry 170 Bibliography 106 Supply chain management 171 Useful websites 110 Global sourcing 172 Index 114 Risk management 176 Acknowledgements and 116 Logistics and outsourcing picture credits in the supply chain 177 Working with ethics 120 Ethics in the supply chain 126 Interview: Rob Hendry 132 Case study: Walmart 136 Chapter 4 summary 138 Chapter 5 BRANDING 140 Customer profiling 142 Building a brand 144 Luxury brands 148 Brand promotion 150 Brand protection 152 Interview: Nicky Lovell 158 Case study: Louis Vuitton 162 Chapter 5 summary 003-176 02948.indd 5 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:5 _ Table of contents Context and concept ` 6 1 003-176 02948.indd 6 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:6 7 INTRODUCTION The fashion industry encompasses anything Much like the products and designs that sold in a fashion retail store, which may (or are created, each function within this may not) have a recognizable brand name. vast industry is unique. Even at the end of Fashion designers are both product a major global recession, new markets managers and innovators; they might work continue to open up in the fashion industry on a freelance or an independent basis or because customers still want to grab a as part of a larger design team, such as in a bargain, purchase something unique to retail business or within the supply chain wear or be seen wearing the latest trends. at a manufacturer’s or agent’s headquarters.
Fashion design and product development But the business of fashion is not built on adds value to a retailer or fashion brand’s the design function alone: areas such as business. However, the industry needs forecasting, product development, innovation, generated at the same rate as manufacturing, retailing, marketing, product consumption, or it will become branding and promotion combine to stale; the fashion industry is one that plans create a multi-billion dollar industry that for its products to become obsolete at the employs millions worldwide. end of each season. ‘Innovation occurs as a result of the interaction of the market, science and an organization’s capabilities.’ Trott, 2005 1 FASHION RETAIL The fashion industry is made up of the design, production and retail of seasonal ranges.
By its very nature, fashion becomes obsolete at the end of each season, which feeds the industry and keeps the cycle moving.indd 7 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:7 _ Table of contents Context and concept ` 8 Introduction The fashion business continues to evolve The business of fashion might be viewed as retailers create new roles within the as a critical path and each milestone in it, industry; buyers and merchandisers, from concept to customer, is specifically product developers, sourcing managers, designed to add value to the product. textile and fabric technologists are some The key stages in this critical path are: of the industry’s key roles. All of this means × Concept, trend and idea generation that for today’s graduates there are many × Design strategy opportunities for varied career paths in × Design and product development the fashion business; all over the world and × Retail strategy within different types of organization. × Fabric development The speed of this evolution has highlighted × Sampling a number of emerging, important, × Range planning considerations for the industry, including × Sourcing strategy issues surrounding sustainability and × Production ethics.
The appetite for fast fashion set by × Shipping certain brands is yet to slow down, as too is × Distribution consumer enthusiasm for designer goods × Promotion and branded products within the luxury × Sales goods sector. These consumer trends have × Customer reaction emerged in the last decade and look set to continue in the foreseeable future. THE FASHION BUSINESS: A CRITICAL PATH RESEARCH AND IDEA FABRIC AND YARN GENERATION RANGE PLANNING DEVELOPMENT INITIAL CONCEPT RANGE DESIGNS SAMPLE SIGN-OFF SIGN-OFF 003-176 02948.indd 8 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:8 9 This is a generic pathway: every fashion retailer or brand will adapt and develop its own version of these stages to ensure that they are tailored to the requirements of its product ranges and customer base. The aim of this book is to recreate this blueprint for fashion design, marketing, buying and merchandising so that you gain an appreciation of the critical path and key stages of the fashion business.
Each of the five chapters explores a milestone in the fashion pathway. To help bring the theory to life and make the content immediately accessible, each chapter also contains a relevant case study and an interview with an industry professional. There are also self-reflective questions and exercises at the end of each chapter to help you to develop their ideas further. SALES AND DISTRIBUTION CUSTOMER MANUFACTURING TO STORES EXPERIENCE SHIPMENT VISUAL OF BULK MERCHANDISING PRODUCTION 003-176 02948.indd 9 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:9 _ Introduction Product development ` 10 1 003-176 02948.indd 10 Job: 02948 Title: Fashion Management (AVA) 7/19/11 12:34 PM Page:10 11 CONTEXT 1 AND CONCEPT This chapter will provide an insight into the creative activities and design concepts of the fashion process.
The creative activities in any business setting will form part of a broader operational process that is designed to turn innovative and intangible ideas into a profitable reality. The fashion industry is no exception. Creating fashion is an exciting, challenging and, at times, risky business, but this highly creative industry is underpinned by a solid business model and operational workflow. It is important to bear in mind that any retailer is in the fashion business to make a profit, and that fashion is a for-profit industry like any other.
1 PETER PILOTTO AW10 Fashion designers and the concepts they create form the starting point of the industry’s pathway. The designer is the crucial link in the chain of buyers, merchandisers and apparel manufacturers.