Fashion Industrial Overview

Today, fashion means big business. The fashion industry is one of the most exciting, fascinating industries. No other industry is as glamorous or creative. To understand how this industry works, let's take a look at the following.

What is fashion?
For some women, fashion is a way of life. It reflects their personality, their attitude, their approach towards life, and their lifestyle. A closer look tells us that it refers to a particular style of clothing which is worn by people on a national/international level.

Fashion is not restricted to clothing alone. Anything with a touch of class, and a hint of the extraordinary, something that catches the eye instantly, and is visually appealing, is fashionable. Thus, fashion is a phenomenon that continues to change women's lives all over the world. Today women have access to a wider range of fashionable clothes, accessories and gadgets which they would not even have dreamed of, a decade or two ago.

Over the years, women have embraced fashion to project themselves the way they want to. Whatever women wear or use today, is a matter of great speculation and scrutiny. Fashion has entered all arenas of women's lives, right from veiled hats to high-heeled shoes. Their fashion consciousness, and the need for fresh, new concepts and ideas from time to time has given the fashion industry a major boost.

Fashion is revealing on an individualistic level. Fashion provides an insight as to who a person is. It also lends an insight of the idealistic goals of what one aspires to be. Women's fashion defines ethnicity or occupation too. Some people feel it is not necessary to follow the latest fad in order to appear fashionable. Fashion is a personal expression of attitude, mood, status, or an individualistic concept of style.

Fashion trends
A fashion trend can be described as the current style being followed at any given point of time. Fashion trends keep changing from time to time. This ever-changing quality makes it a challenging, dynamic industry. What is considered 'hot' today, is not 'happening' two months, or maybe a year down the line. Fashion thrives on the process of identifying the intangible needs of women on a global level, and materializing these very needs into trends.

Factors influencing fashion trends

• Celebrities/movies and other media
• Festivals/fashion events
• Geographical location/weather
• Increase in household income
• Innovative technologies
• Need for change

Fashion industry
The fashion industry is a huge platform which provides access to a wide range of fashionable goods. It not only constitutes the textile and apparel industries, but also the accessories that feature in a woman's wardrobe including headgear, jewelry and footwear. This industry is a creative industry which involves continuous change, innovativeness, and state-of-the-art technology.

Women's fashion industry comprises:

• Designers
• Manufacturers
• Sellers/Marketers
• Buyers
• Others (colorist, forecaster, illustrator, models etc.)

Let us focus on some of the major sectors in the fashion industry:

• Footwear industry
• Textile industry/garment industry
• Handbag industry