1. Chapter 4: Fashion Centers
Chapter 4.1: Design & Buying Centers
Chapter 4.2: Global Impact of Fashion

2. Key Terms Design Center Fashion Weeks Haute Couture Couturiers
Buying Center
Market Weeks
Mart

3. What is a Design Center?
A design center is a district in a city where fashion design and production firms are clustered together
Designers join together to make their city and country important in the fashion world

4. What is a Design Center?
Design centers host important fashion shows during fashion week
Fashion weeks are periods each year when fashion designers present new designs or collections
The most important collections shown are: spring-summer and fall-winter

5. Impact of Design Centers
Local governments often support design centers through favorable regulations
Cities benefit directly and indirectly from the industry

6. International Design Centers
The fashion industry found in cities around the world, including cities that are the major design centers
Paris, France
Milan, Italy
New York City
London, England
Tokyo, Japan

7. Design Center: Paris Since the 1700’s, fashion capital
Synonymous with haute couture
Haute couture is a French term for high fashion, which is expensive, trend-setting, custom-made apparel
The city is home to couturiers
Couturiers are professional fashion designers involved in designing, making, and selling high fashion

8. Paris Fashion Shows
King Louis XIV used dolls to display the latest fashions
Today the fashions are seen in extravagant fashion shows
People who attend:
Fashion Writers
Editors
Celebrities
Apparel Manufacturers
Retail Buyers
Patternmakers

9. Fashion Ideas For Sale
The attendees acquire ideas to take back to their companies and then translate the ideas into fashions that their target customer will purchase and wear.

10. The Importance of Fashion In Paris
High exposure, and global reputation
France’s top 3 export industries
City is home to several design schools

11. Design Center: Milan
The Italians show their fashions during fashion fairs
Alta moda is the Italian term for high fashion
Its centered in Rome, but designers in Milan concentrate on ready-to-wear garments
Known for beautiful fabrics and sophisticated prints

12. Design Center: Milan
Milan fashion industry began with making leather goods, such as shoes and handbags
In the 1940’s, garment design and production were limited to men’s wear but later expanded to other markets
Italian fashion houses are family businesses that pass the craft of designing on from generation to generation

13. Design Center: New York City
During World War II, American fashion was isolated
New York City emerged as the main fashion design center
2/3 of manufacturing is in NYC
8 schools dedicated to fashion
New York fashion shows follow the French collection showings in Paris

14. Design Center: London Noted for men’s business-suit classic styles
Ready-to-wear garments
Popular look of Twiggy
Princess Diana promoted style of many British Designers

15. Design Center: Tokyo
After WWII, Japanese women became interested in adopting western styles
1960’s Japanese designers emerged
Influences on the world include:
Color
Asymmetrical balance
Unusual shapes
Use of fibers

16. U.S. Design Centers Los Angeles, California Dallas, Texas
New York City

17. U.S. Design Center: New York City
Important for garment production and wholesale business
Produce 18% of women’s outerwear
Dresses
Coats
Suits
Sportswear
28% of all dresses
Fashion Week in Bryant Park

18. U.S. Design Center: Los Angeles
Located in the heart of downtown
Designers, wholesalers, retailers, sewing contractors, patternmakers, manufactures, market centers, and apparel marts all exist in an 82-block business district known as the fashion district

19. Focus On Women’s Fashion
Women’s apparel is the main component of this industry, with a focus on moderately priced sportswear.
Surfwear
Hollywood-style Eveningwear

20. U.S. Design Center: Dallas
More notable as a buying center
Produces moderately priced apparel lines
36% of apparel manufacturing in Texas consist of:
Men’s and boys’ clothing
Shirts
Trousers
Jeans
Neckties

21. What Is a Buying Center?
A buying center is a central district in a city where fashion businesses sell products to retail buyers
Manufacturers:
Promote new lines, styles, and designs
Produce new selections

22. The Importance of Buying Centers
Most cities have not-for-profit corporations that help promote a particular city’s industry
Buying centers must update and increase showroom capacity
Directly promote Fashion Weeks

23. U.S. Buying Centers
Market weeks are the major times scheduled by fashion producers to show fashions to buyers
The apparel industry designates particular weeks to present different components of fashion.
A mart is a building that houses thousands of showrooms for a specific merchandise category

24. Buying Center: New York
The Nation’s leading buying center
5000+ fashion showrooms
$14 billion annually
$12 billion in wholesale apparel sales
Retail buyers go from building to building, visiting offices/ showrooms to consider different lines of apparel

25. Business Improvement
The fashion Center Business Improvement District is a not-for-profit corporation
Established in 1993 to promote NYC apparel industry

26. Business Improvement
New York Fashion International- address needs of companies wanting to export, explores foreign markets, promotes internationally
The Fashion Walk of Fame- celebrates the fashion designers who established NYC as a world fashion capital
Fashion Center Banners- banners bearing the garment district’s button logo to increase unity and pride

27. Buying Center: Los Angeles
Formally known as the Garment District
Largest concentration of fashion-related businesses
Home of California Market Center showrooms
$8 billion in business

28. Business Improvement
The diversity of fashion businesses cover every stage of apparel production
Ideal for small to mid-size businesses
Funded by property owners

29. The California Market Center
Formally known as the California Mart
1,800 showrooms
10,000 product lines
13-story building
The center hosts various activities and events:
5 Major Fashion Markets
2 Textile Markets
The Los Angeles gift-and-home markets
Market Days
Fashion Weeks
Educational Events
Seminars

30. Buying Center: Dallas Home of the Dallas Market Center
Host events that help retailers expand their business
$7.5 billion in transactions annually
Opened in 2004
550 permanent showrooms
Focus on sportswear and western wear
Hosts 50 markets a year
Draws 200,000 buyers annually

31. Buying Center: Chicago
Home to the Merchandise Mart and Chicago Apparel Center
525-room business-class hotel
300 wholesale showrooms
Serves clothing retailers by:
Hosting Market Events
Fashion Shows
Seminars
Promotional Programs to attract buyers

32. Buying Center: Atlanta
Home of AmericasMart
Features include:
Aerial walkways
Showroom space
Exhibit halls
Convention rooms
Meeting rooms
Known for home-furnishing
apparel

33. Buying Center: Miami Home of the Miami International Merchandise Mart
300 showrooms
Features sportswear and children’s wear
It is accessible to apparel production in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean

34. Heart of the Fashion Industry
Design centers and buying centers are different yet closely related
Together they form the heart of the fashion industry
Design center = creativity
Buying center = commerce

35. Chapter 4.2: Global Impact of Fashion

36. Key Terms:
Global Sourcing
Culture

37. How Fashions Travel
Globalization is the trend toward increasing integration of the world economy
The global chain of production must remain flexible
Complex sourcing and production strategies are needed to keep up

38. Global Sourcing and Production
To reduce cost, and maximize profits, many textile and apparel manufacturers have begun global sourcing
Global sourcing is the identifying and negotiating of supply chains in numerous world locations
Manufactures must maintain control of the sourcing cycle

39. Global Sourcing Risks Increased risks come with global sourcing
The lack of economic stability in developing nations is challenging
Economic and political factors around the world play a major role in establishing fashion businesses

40. Global Production Production is global
Companies take advantage of the skills of workers in specific regions
Changes in customer taste indirectly affect production jobs around the world

41. World Fashion
Many countries are eager to export their fashions to other countries and host their own exhibits and trade fairs
Designers and apparel companies establish promotional offices in major fashion cities around the world

42. Culture and Fashion
The global nature of the fashion industry today requires cultural awareness and adaptability
Culture is the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts attributed to members of a specific society
Fashion trends may begin “on the street” and become popular
Some ethnic styles also become classic, or standard

43. Cultural Styles
Smart fashion marketers are aware of cultural influences on current fashion
Designers find inspiration in diverse communities

44. Styles From The East The impact of Asian fashion has been significant
1970’s- Nehru jacket from India
2003- Indian-henna skin art
Indian Sari styles were sold mainstream
Madonna adopted a Japanese geisha style

45. Western Styles
During the 1980’s and other times, the western or cowboy style of boots and denim moved to the big city
“Urban cowboy” style appeared in urban areas

46. Urban Styles
In the late 1990’s, the hip hop look moved out of the African-American inner cities and around the world

47. World Fashion at Home
Consumers can buy an inexpensive outfit from a French e-tail store
Order shirts from a London catalog
The world of fashion is at your fingertips
Global production, fashion centers, catalogs, home shopping television, and the internet continue to make fashion readily available

48. The End