Fashion Seminar

Fashion is popular style of clothing. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person. It is a style of clothing or a way of behaving that is popular at a popular time. It is ever-changing, fast moving.

Fashion changes, if it does not change it is not fashion
—Ann Hollander (Sex and Suits)

Non-fashion = i.e. traditional clothing

Early adopters lead the fashion cycle. i.e. Marc Jacobs

Fashion goes in and out, on and on, like a wave from the ocean.

What drives consumer behavior?

Psychological vs Social needs

Psychological
boredom, seeking adventure, curiosity, excitement, attainment of esteem and envy follow of men

Social
social differentiation, social conformity

Affluenza is the hunger of the pursuant of the top of the line stuff

As wealthy spread, what drives consumer behavior is increasingly neither subsistence nor comfort but the attainment of "the esteem and envy of fellow men."
—Thorstein Veblen

Evolution on consumer behavior

Class differentiation vs Lifestyle
Conspicuous consumption -> Lifestyle, personal taste
Class vs Tribe

(Then)
19th Century C Bustle Style
Trickle-down theory (simmel, 1904)
Top to bottom, the upper class leads the lower class

(Now)
Lifestyle differentiation, finkelstein
Social status > Lifestyle
Class > Tribe
Conspicuous consumption > Lifestyle
i.e. denim jeans being lead as a fashionable item from the lower class up

Denim has evolved from being a work cloth to being seen as a young rebel (James Dean) to a high end fashion item. Denim was never allow to be worn to work in the past but it has be accept.

RTW
Sportswear can mean Ready-to-wear
Active sports wear is what you actually wear to use for sports

High-end fashion designers
Karl Lagerfield / Chole, Fendi, Chanel
Marc Jacobs / Louis Vuitton (used to be an actor)
M Prada / Prada, Miu Miu
Ralph Lauren (jewish)
Alexander McQueen

Bridge designers
Michael Korrs
Ralph Lauren / Polo Jeans, Polo sport
Marc Jacobs / Marc by Marc Jacobs
Tory Birch
Philip Lim
Alexander Wang

Mass market, SPA (Speciality store of private label apparel) direct marketing from their own stores
Debroah Lyod / CD Kate Spade, Bananna Republic
Patrick Robinson / CD Gap Company
Karl Lagerfield collaboration with H&M
Jil Sander with Uniqlo +J

Process
> Concept building — concept, inspiration, raw materials (fabrics yarns), colour, trims
> Design/sketch
> Create technical packages
> Fitting garments
> Fashion show/runway, mood, music, model, hair, make up

Flat sketches is an accurate drawing of a garment that looks like it's laid flat on the ground

Technical packages (drawing with specs) are used to produced garments.

Marc Jacobs and 'Joesph' <3 : )

Rei Kawakubo / Comm Des Garcons / wants to be known as a designer, not CD
Martin Margiela / iconic label of numbers and circled numbers / Anonymous designer

'Bad'
Break from archetype
Rebellious, rock, boehmian, hippie, motorcycle, underground, cool, punk, gothic, contradiction
Jean Paul Gautier / designer for Madonna's cone bra garment in the 90s
Alexander McQueen / skulls / very dramatic / live spray painting of garment during show
Diesel / destroyed jeans in 1978, stone wash jeans, faded, vintage / distortion with noble 90s smoke 145 ciggs a day / '95 2 sailors kissing / '11 be stupid Marc Jacobs / Graffiti bags '01 with Stephen Sprous (late graffiti artist)
Thom Browne / Kindergarten uniform suit '11 spring/summer
Rick Owens / paper-thin skinny fit leather jackets
Gareth Pugh / 2nd gen 'bad' designer / Beyonce and Lady Gaga garment designer / Very original / INSENATE — experimental > 1st fashion film, through collaboration (with Nick Knight)

'Good'
Tradition, pretty, lovely, cute, elegant, look expensive, not very interesting, boring, snobbish
The look of the mother-in-law
HERMES / Carla Bruni (1st lady of France),  Jackie Kennedy O (1st lady of USA)
Black Birkin bag created 1984 by CEO, inspired by Jane Birkin, to use instead of her straw bag
Jason Wu / Designed for Michelle Obama during the inauguration
Ralph Lauren
Celiné / Phoebe Philo (ex CD Cholé, graduated a year after Stella McCartney (both vegetarians) / beautiful cut, great proportion

'Weird'
Don't follow trends, starts from zero, create something that does not yet exist (CDG)
What is this? Are you ready to go? Are you crazy? Creepy, Avant Garde, strange
Comm de Garcon / bisexual designs, does not design from women, but for human
Maison Martin Margela / Lady Gaga / deconstructed style / nasty fungus garment