Fashion Industry: 3 Key Sectors of the Fashion Industry

The fashion industry is a multi-billion dollar global industry that is devoted to the business of making and selling clothes. But the fashion industry is not just limited to these two only, it encompasses many different niches and smaller industries. It is one of the most dynamic industries, changes happen and it does so at a very fast rate.

The fashion industry constantly evolves and so does the consumer’s choice and taste. Some differentiate between the fashion industry which makes “high fashion” and the apparel industry which makes” mass fashion”.

The fashion industry includes all the activities pertaining to the design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, retailing, promotion, and advertising of all types of clothes (men’s clothing, women’s, and children's clothing). From the most unique and expensive “haute couture” and designer fashion to the regular, ordinary everyday clothing.

The fashion industry consists of four levels-the productions of raw materials primarily fibres and textiles but also including leather and fur; the production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors, etc, and retail sales; including the various forms of advertisements and promotion. The fashion industry inarguably and undoubtedly accounts for a significant share of world economic output.

Key sectors of the fashion Industry:

Textile design and Production - Mostly; fashions are made using textiles. In the 21st century, processes like spinning and weaving of wool, cotton, and other natural fibres are highly automated and carried out by computer-controlled high-speed machinery unlike in the 18th century when the partial automation of spinning and weaving, etc was one of the bigger accomplishments.

A large sector of the textile industry produces fabrics for use in apparel; fabrics as in natural fibres like wool, cotton, silk, and linen as well as synthetic fibres such as nylon, acrylic, and polyester. In the current times, people are becoming more aware and demanding sustainable fashion or eco-fashion which has led to greater use of environmentally friendly fibres such as hemp.

The fabrics are produced with a wide range of effects through the process of dying, weaving, printing, and other manufacturing and finishing processes. Along with the fashion forecasters, textiles manufacturers work well in advance of the cloth production cycle to create such fabrics with colours, textures, and other qualities that are demanded and anticipated by the consumers.

Fashion design and manufacturing - fashion designers draw inspiration from a variety of sources, including film and television costumes, street styles, and active sportswear. The majority of the designers work with the manufacturers as a part of the design team, adapting trendsetting styles into marketable clothes for the average consumer.

For most designers, traditional design methods such as doing sketches on paper, draping fabrics on mannequins, etc have been replaced by computer-assisted design techniques; these allow the designers to instantly make changes to a proposed design’s fabrics, silhouette, and other elements.

An important stage in the entire process is the conversion or rather than a translation of clothing design into a pattern in a range of sizes; because the human body comes in various sizes and shapes; it requires determining how the fabric should be cut into the pieces that will join to make a garment.

The next step involves the assembly of the garment which further goes through various processes collectively known as “finishing.” These include the addition of embroidery, beadings, buttons, and buttonholes; snaps and zippers; hooks and eyes; hems and cuffs; brand name labels and other labels specifying the fibre content, laundry instructions, and the country of manufacture. These finished garments are then pressed and packed for shipment.

Fashion retailing, marketing, and merchandising - Making the clothes are not the end, it's just the start of an entirely new phase. Now that the clothes have been designed and manufactured, they need to be sold. The process of buying clothes from the manufacturers and selling them to the customers is known as retail; retailers make the initial purchase for resale three to six months before the customer can buy the clothes in the stores.

Fashion marketing is the process of managing the flow of merchandise from the initial stages to the end stage which is the presentation of products to retail customers to maximize a company's sales and profitability.

Conclusion

The fashion industry is one of the biggest industries across the globe and contributes a huge amount to the economic sector. It is a dynamic industry as it constantly keeps on changing and moving.

Written by - Aayushi Kumari Singh