Fashion has always been a driver of innovation, only in our era it stimulates the development not of sewing machines and jacquard looms, but of e-commerce and artificial intelligence

IN At the end of February, the well-known research company CB Insights presented a new report, The Future Of Fashion: From Design To Merchandising, How Tech Is Reshaping The Industry.

For people who are far from the world of fashion, and this, obviously, should include most of the male population of our planet, the topic “technological innovations in the fashion industry” stated in the review may seem far-fetched. However, it is worth diving into the details - and skepticism disappears.

Moreover, the initial thesis of the authors of the study - that fashion has always been one of the important centers of the innovation process, from the invention of the sewing machine to the rise of e-commerce - no longer looks like a hyperbole used to attract the interest of readers.

Fast fashion all year round

One of the most noticeable manifestations of the “disruptive effect” exerted by new technologies (primarily in the IT sphere) on the world of the fashion industry has been the rapid blurring of the seasonal schedule, which until recently, the largest fashion houses confidently relied on.

Fashion in facts and figures

The total volume of the global clothing market (apparel market) is currently, according to the Internet portal FashionUnited, about 3 trillion dollars (2% of world GDP). However, this assessment is rather arbitrary. For example, according to the information provided on the website brandongaille.com, the total volume of the global market for the clothing and textile industry is just over $2.5 trillion (total sales in this market, in turn, is just over $700 billion).

As for the estimates of the volumes of the largest segments of the fashion industry market, according to FashionUnited, then 621 billion dollars falls on the share of women's clothing, 402 billion - on men's, about 340 billion - this is the retail market for luxury goods (luxury goods segment); The world market for children's clothing is estimated at $186 billion, the sports shoes market accounts for about another $90 billion, and finally, the bridalwear segment stands out with a volume of $57 billion.

The joint report State of Fashion 2018, released in November 2017 by McKinsey & Company and Business of Fashion, notes that after a period of stagnation in the global fashion market in the past two years, there has been a new revival: for example, in 2018 this market is forecast to grow by 3 .5–4.5% compared to 1.5% in 2016. At the same time, the current year should be a turning point in terms of the geography of sales: for the first time, the share of Europe and North America in global clothing and footwear sales will fall below 50%, while Asia will account for about 40% of sales, and the online component of the Asian market in the next two year should grow to 1.4 trillion dollars.

China has been the largest exporter of clothing and footwear in the world for many years. In addition to it, the top five exporting countries include India, Italy, Turkey and Bangladesh (in total, the share of these five countries in the global clothing market is about 55%, but China accounts for more than a third). In the footwear segment, the top three in addition to China are Vietnam and Italy, and this trio produces about 70% of the total world volume.

The global ranking of fashion companies in terms of total sales is led by Nike and the Spanish giant Inditex, specializing in the fast-fashion segment (its main retail chain is Zara). The top five also includes the French conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), focused on premium segments, the American TJX (its most famous mass brand is T.J. Maxx) and the Swedish fast-fashion company H&M.

In turn, in the ranking of the Top 10 world brands in the fashion world, compiled last year by the research company D&B Hoovers, Louis Vuitton was the leader, followed by H&M, Kering (the group that owns such famous brands as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Brioni, Puma, etc.), The Gap (a leading American retailer), Christian Dior and Richemont (a Swiss holding that also owns Cartier and Montblanc).

For several post-war decades, the fashion industry officially had only two seasons: spring-summer collections were shown on the catwalks in early autumn, and autumn-winter clothing and footwear lines were traditionally presented in February.

These two peaks, providing a stable semi-annual interval from announcements to first retail sales, allowed leading brands to have enough time to probe potential demand for new collections and adjust their planned production volumes accordingly.

However, the era of the prevalence of this classic model, apparently, has already ended - thanks to a new generation of retailers specializing in the cheaper segment of the fashion market, fast-fashion ("fast" fashion).

Business Insider estimates that the average time it takes clothing manufacturers today to go from product design to time to shelf is about 12 weeks. However, for many industry leaders, this figure is much less - for example, the British online retailer ASOS has about six weeks, and the largest Spanish retail chain Zara (part of the Inditex group) has five weeks. Thanks to this accelerated cycle, as well as a focus on the cheaper fast-fashion market segment, the Spanish global retail leader, in particular, managed to achieve a noticeable increase in sales last year (up 10% compared to 2016 at home, while on average industry, it was less than 3%.

Moreover, some brands in the field of fast-fashion today have actually already entered the weekly schedule, managing to represent more than 50 “micro-seasons” on the market in a year. And one of the most famous members of this cohort, British retailer Topshop, which operates both in the live retail market and through various online channels (TV and Internet), recently became famous for announcing more than 400 new clothing lines in just one week.

It should also be noted that many fast-fashion brands very successfully use the tactics proven in many other technological areas to copy ahead of time new lines of clothing and accessories that are demonstrated in advance on the catwalks by classic fashion houses, and often manage to put their versions of these products on store shelves before the original designers themselves. .

An additional help in this process for young fast-fashion companies is that they, as a rule, are focused on a less demanding mass audience, hire cheap labor and raw materials (especially for textile industries), and also often use much more aggressively for promotion of their products by modern mass media (primarily various Internet channels and popular social networks - Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.).

The average time that today it takes for clothing manufacturers to complete the cycle - from the design stage of a product to its appearance on store shelves - is about 12 weeks. However, for many industry leaders, this figure is much lower.

And, as noted in the CB Insights review, traditional fashion brands (which also received the designation slow fashion, "slow" fashion, are now forced to adapt to a new shortened schedule - the debut collections of many high fashion houses are no longer launched twice a year, but almost monthly.

Among the growing list of well-known brands, involuntarily actively experimenting with various schemes and technologies for the accelerated launch of new collections, the American company Tommy Hilfiger should be highlighted (in 2010 it was acquired for $3 billion by Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation).

Thus, the management of this company recently officially announced the launch of a new joint project with IBM and the Fashion Institute of Technology to create a specialized computer system based on IBM artificial intelligence tools for predicting emerging trends in the fashion world in real time, quickly analyzing the reaction of potential customers to announced by the company through Internet new models and accelerated reformatting based on the information obtained from the various design elements of these models.

But in addition to these plans for the future, Tommy Hilfiger has already taken concrete steps to introduce modern IT technologies into the business process, relying on the mass promotion of the new line, which received the telling name TommyNow (“Tommy Now”) through modern Internet channels (emphasis again - was made on the social network), including the live broadcast of the debut show on Facebook Live, as well as by allowing everyone to quickly order the newly demonstrated new models both online and in retail stores.

TOMMYNOW, Tom Hilfinger's new Spring/Summer collection. Milan, February 2018

Photo: Gettyimages

And this scheme, successfully tested by Tommy Hilfiger (according to the company's management, thanks to its launch, time to shelf for the new line was reduced by almost three times compared to previous traditional collections), then was very quickly replicated by leading slow fashion brands.

Another major Italian manufacturer, Gucci, recently officially announced its plans to significantly streamline the supply chain and increase responsiveness to demand. As a concrete step in this direction, Gucci is about to open a new experimental technology site in its native Italy, the Gucci Art Lab, which will specialize in the production of various leather products. The main goal of this new project is obviously to radically shorten the supply chain (and the total number of suppliers), which, ideally, will allow Gucci management to have more flexible operational control over the entire production process, from the design stage to the final release.

The time factor primarily plays into the hands of young start-ups in the world of the fashion industry, which, thanks to new IT technologies, the use of 3D printing, robotics, and the connection of powerful e-commerce channels, are still much faster than the giants of the slow fashion world.

However, the time factor primarily plays into the hands of young start-ups in the world of the fashion industry, which, thanks to new IT, the use of 3D printing, robotics and the connection of powerful e-commerce channels, are so far much faster than the giants of the slow fashion world. And the fast-growing online segment of clothing, footwear and other wearable products plays the first violin in this process.

Amazon and its followers

Analysts unanimously recognize the American e-commerce giant Amazon as the main troublemaker of the fashion world, which is carrying out a massive offensive on many market fronts, and, apparently, the leadership of this company has chosen the fashion industry as one of its priorities.

So, in March 2017, Amazon received a US patent for on-demand apparel manufacturing technology, which is officially described as a system that uses special software to pre-collect and analyze various requests for the creation of new clothing lines from around the world and issue then some "effective plan" for the accelerated mass production of these products.

A month later, Amazon introduced the new Amazon Echo Look multifunctional device, which combines a hands-free camera and a computer-assisted stylist and works in conjunction with Alexa, the company's proprietary voice platform equipped with artificial intelligence.

So far, this device has not yet been put into mass production and is sold exclusively on special requests, but it is already being actively advertised as a revolutionary product designed to ensure the dominant position of the American company in the high-tech segment of the fashion industry.

In another recent landmark decision, Amazon bought Body Labs, a New York-based 3D computer modeling tech start-up last October (one of the company's strengths is its innovative SOMA technology, which effectively combines computer vision, artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling for detailed study movement dynamics of the human body, which is of great interest to fashion designers).

Amazon has unveiled a new all-in-one Amazon Echo Look that combines a hands-free camera and a computer-assisted stylist and works in conjunction with Alexa, the company's proprietary voice platform equipped with artificial intelligence.

Finally, at the beginning of January 2018. Amazon has become the owner of another patent for a prototype of a “magic mirror” (more precisely, a “mixed reality system”, blended reality system), which supposedly will be able to generate virtual three-dimensional models based on complex analysis (3D scanning) of video images of people - potential customers of new clothing lines , presented in various conditions and habitats (apparently, the main developers of this "magic mirror" are specialists from BodyLabs).

But despite the obvious emphasis that the American company places on the development of promising IT and online sales channels, Amazon does not forget about the traditional retail direction in the fashion segment.

Moreover, the active introduction of Amazon into the "live" market is actually carried out against the backdrop of extremely unfavorable market forecasts regarding the fate of retail chains in the foreseeable future.

Thus, Credit Suisse experts predict that over the next five years, the total number of retail malls in the world will decrease by about 25%. Over the past year, according to some estimates, more than five thousand large malls were closed worldwide, and about half of this number was accounted for by shopping centers specializing in the sale of clothing and electronics.

Nevertheless, apparently, these trends do not scare the Amazon management too much: according to analysts, the company should come out on top in the United States in retail sales of clothing this year (while the retail leader in this segment in the United States remains Macy's network).

Google, in collaboration with German online company Zalando, recently launched a new project, Project Muze, an experiment to build a self-learning neural network that will attempt to "understand" various "aesthetic parameters" and create computer prototypes of new clothing and footwear items.

Amazon launched seven new fashion brands in 2017 alone, and in September spent several tens of millions of dollars on high-profile TV ads for its new fall collection, and an estimated total revenue from sales of various private label clothing items (private label) Amazon has almost reached $20 billion. This encouraging example of Amazon is followed by many other leading online platforms, for example, Zalando, one of the leaders in European online clothing and footwear trade, and Myntra, a leading Indian e-commerce company, also launched their branded lines.

Moreover, these Internet platforms are already being actively introduced into the premium segments of the fashion world, launching specialized luxury services. One such example is JD Luxury Express, a new premium delivery service recently launched by Chinese portal JD.com, another is Luxury Pavilion, a luxury subscription program introduced by Tmall, JD.com's main competitor in the Chinese market (it is an autonomous division of Alibaba Group, which attracts more than 500 million monthly active users/customers, data as of the beginning of 2018, yes). We also note that this Chinese online duo now controls more than 80% of the online clothing sales market in China.

In addition to Amazon, another Internet giant, Google, has recently made attempts to infiltrate the fashion market with new IT, which, in particular, recently launched a new Project Muze project in cooperation with the German online company Zalando mentioned above, an experiment on creating a self-learning neural network. a network that will try to "understand" various "aesthetic parameters" and create computer prototypes of new clothing and footwear.

However, as many fashion industry experts note, so far such experimental projects on modeling smart neural networks with AI, designed to come up with some promising new clothing models (you can also mention that Amazon itself seems to be engaged in this area in a special research unit Lab126 in California ) are still very far from completely replacing human designers. In particular, the early versions of Project Muze designs that circulated on the Internet were completely obscure products that only lovers of ultra-avant-garde fashion would dare to wear.

Personalization, chatbots and augmented reality

Despite the not very convincing early experiments on the direct use of AI in the generation of new lines of clothing and footwear, it must be admitted that computer assistants have already proven themselves well in tandem with the “live” specialists of various fashion brands.

Thanks to the use of various computer algorithms for designing models, many young players in the fashion industry are able to significantly speed up the process of creating new items of clothing, shoes and other accessories and attract increased attention from ordinary buyers.

Thanks to the use of various computer algorithms for designing models, many young players in the fashion industry are able to significantly speed up the process of creating new items of clothing, shoes and other accessories and attract increased attention from ordinary buyers.

Thus, one of the new leaders in online clothing trading, the American company Stitch Fix, which went public in October last year and is already valued at more than $2 billion, is actively promoting its “Hybrid design” technology based on the combined analysis by our own designers and AI of various trends in the fashion world and the subsequent generation of promising new products. According to the company's management, it has already managed to successfully put into production about three dozen products developed using this technology.

But perhaps the most promising direction of using new computer technologies in the foreseeable future is the use of various methods for processing large amounts of data to analyze and predict the personal preferences of potential customers.

And the main drivers of this personalization trend, which, according to a recent joint report released by McKinsey & Company and Business of Fashion, released in November 2017 (State of Fashion 2018), is named as the main one this year, again, there are numerous new players fashion market, although a number of old wolves are trying to keep up with the young growth.

One of the tools rapidly gaining popularity in the fashion industry has recently been the growing use of computer chatbots by various online trading platforms, programmed to direct potential customers to the relevant online pages of clothing and footwear companies.

Particularly active on this front is the young California startup Mode.ai, which only last year developed virtual stylist bots for such whales as Levi's and Louis Vuitton, and recently officially announced the launch of a new big project, a universal platform for small and medium-sized companies. , with which they will be able to launch personal bots running in the Facebook Messenger environment. Mode.ai's main trump card is the company's powerful database of various images (clothes models, etc.), which will allow you to give the right advice based on an analysis of the personal preferences of ordinary Facebook users.

Interestingly, a similar idea is being promoted by the Israeli startup Syte, which offers retailers and fashion brands to equip their Internet pages with a special search button that helps shopaholics, after they have uploaded photos of their favorite clothing samples to these sites, find the right matches online.

California-based startup Mode.ai, which developed virtual stylist bots for Levi’s and Louis Vuitton last year, recently announced the launch of a one-stop platform for small and medium-sized businesses to run their own personal bots running on Facebook Messenger.

As for more serious high-tech projects in the fashion industry, it is worth highlighting two very interesting experiments promoted, respectively, by the British women's clothing manufacturer Maggy London International along with the American IT startup Code and Craft and another British brand Rebecca Minkoff in cooperation with the computer company Obsess.

Both ambitious projects aim to create a universal platform for augmented virtual reality, with the help of which the clients of these British clothing manufacturers will be able in the near future, without looking up from the screens of their home computers (or mobile devices), to try on themselves (more precisely, on their virtual doubles) various samples of clothes from catalogs. Moreover, it is very significant that a specialized technical incubator of the American retail giant Walmart (Store No. 8) has already joined the Rebecca Minkoff and Obsess project, whose management seems to really want to keep up with its main competitor Amazon in the world of high-tech fashion.

How trends change is a dark forest, and not just for people outside the fashion industry. The system is so complex and mobile that predicting its behavior is an almost impossible task. No, it's not Anna Wintour who decides what's in fashion. And not Karl Lagerfeld. Conspiracy theorists will be disappointed, but the decision is made not only by designers and editors in chief, but also by people about whom we know nothing. There is no leader among them, but they all influence what we wear.

Designers

The designer is the core around which the brand concept is built. Its role is to generate ideas, such that in the future will become trends. Diktat in this situation is not an option, the main task is to catch the mood. The designer does not just propagate, he guesses desires, he is not autonomous. To some extent, he is also a victim of fashion: his goal, like the goal of a girl leading a fashion blog, is to catch changes and respond quickly to them. The growing popularity of sports, for example, in the 1920s led to the emergence of sportswear, and in the 1940s Vogue proclaimed a jacket dress as a universal model, which saved women from having to spend money on sets for various events in wartime. There are many such examples: the well-known new look Dior, which returned the woman the opportunity to be feminine, Levi's jeans, which emphasize the figure and are comfortable at the same time, the Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dress, which corresponded to the business dress code, but did not turn into an authoritarian boss.

Models on Bond Street, London, 1942

Fabric manufacturers

Unlike designing a silhouette, choosing a fabric isn't just about design. The dominant factor is textile manufacturers. The appearance of the future collection largely depends on the available materials and accessories. Some brands, such as Missoni, make their own fabrics. But in this case, the uniqueness of the pattern and color is a calling card. Not everyone sees the point in this, and not everyone has the opportunity to have their own production. Most companies buy fabrics, and order them for haute couture collections at exhibitions, of which the most famous is Premier Vision. The presented materials largely form the trends in textures, textures and colors of the season.

Consulting companies

The probability of missing the mark and releasing a collection that does not fit into seasonal trends is a serious risk. The analogues of KPMG and BCG in the fashion world help to predict trends. The main player in this market is WGSN. Their services cost a minimum of 9,000 pounds, but the client receives a long-term forecast, including an analysis of the economic, political, demographic situation, values, consumer expectations. Pantone's product is even more specific - monitoring color preferences. The EDITD program analyzes the pricing and sales dynamics of competitors, selects the models that are in the greatest demand. In addition, a magazine is available on the official website, in which, of course, not so detailed, but no less useful data is published. Of the latter, kimono sales, a bright trend over the past two seasons, have risen 9% since April.

pop culture

Pop culture creates a demand for iconic looks, and magazine retailers can't ignore it. Think of The Great Gatsby and the parallel boom of the 1920s in designer collections. Long before the premiere, information about the theme, release date and budget of the picture was known - the upcoming surge of interest in the era was obvious. In addition, people always strive to be like their idols. Therefore, when Rihanna entered the stage, fifteen-year-old girls were fans of hip-hop paraphernalia, and with the advent of Lana Del Rey, they dressed in high-waisted blue jeans, white T-shirts and bombers. Gaga remain unique.

Fashion editors and stylists

In any fashion publication, be it Vogue or Be-in, there is a conflict between the editors and the sales department. The editorial selection should include clients, because commercial purposes cannot be ignored. But this does not mean that there is no place for individual recognized designers and new talents. As a rule, reviews include both things of partner brands and those chosen by the editors. The ratio may be different, but this choice is the result of editorial policy, personal vision, taste and professionalism of the editor or stylist. It is from their submission that the iconic things of the season appear, setting trends. And in the case of Anna Dello Russo, you can not buy a magazine, but just watch what she wears.

From the autobiography of Grace Coddington, creative director of Vogue: “For me, fashion collections fall into two categories. Some cause admiration and desire to wear these clothes; others do not even want to try on, but nevertheless they stimulate forward movement. This is the reason why I love Comme des Garcons. Everything designer Rei Kawakubo comes up with is intriguing. Sometimes you look at her collections and wonder - how did she have enough imagination, how did she manage to cut a dress out of politics?

innovators

In any field, and the fashion industry is no exception, there are innovators. Ideas are always in the air and those who manage to catch them, it is no longer difficult to get on the cover of any publication. Some people are so authentic that they captivate literally everyone: from chief editors to ordinary people. Frida Kahlo, for example, lived for several years in the United States and France, where no one knew about her, and during this time managed to get on the cover of Vogue. A clear example of how identity becomes the object of love of millions at ease, simply because the world has never seen such a thing.

Bayers

The profession of a buyer has recently become especially popular, which has become an occasion for articles exposing the romanticism of this work. They write that buying is pure statistics: analyzes of demand, sales, and so on. But if this were true, machines would easily cope with it without people. Whatever one may say, intuition, the ability to predict a trend, choose what to fall in love with, or even make people fall in love with, are skills that influence what we see in stores every day.

The choice of buyer depends heavily on the country. For example, in the Scandinavian countries, buyers are more likely to pay attention to things with a claim to the concept, in the UAE - to everything that glitters and indirectly indicates wealth. In Russia, people love heels much more than in any other state, which also affects local trends.

fashion weeks

Despite the fact that the format of the event has recently changed: fashion houses invite famous guests to shows, and bloggers stand in one position for an hour to get into the lenses of Scott Schuman and Bill Cunnangham, Fashion Week is a meeting place for all trendsetters. Designers look at the work of competitors, representatives of the mass market soak up ideas for their lines, magazine editors evaluate, and buyers hunt for hype things. Fashion Week is a summary of the events that have taken place in the fashion industry over the past six months. Do not forget about the gray cardinals - those who decide which designers and in what sequence will show their collections.

Streets

The classic pattern of changing trends goes from top to bottom: from designers to people. Most reduce the reverse process to a streetstyle chronicle, which is not true. The guys and girls we see at Fashion Weeks and even The Sartorialist don't create aesthetics, they adapt and broadcast trends. The real trendsetters from the streets are representatives of subcultures, which are not so many now. Punks, skinheads, hippies and even rappers remained in the 20th century. They were replaced by surrogates, juggling with the ideas of the past, but not carrying any ideology. And in order to go down in history, a good outfit is not enough, the image must reflect the worldview.

On the one hand, trends narrow our horizons. "Smart" books and articles advise not to blindly follow fashion, but to develop your own sense of style. Easier said than done. Firstly, all our ideas about beauty are the result of the work of not only designers, stylists and fashion editors, but also marketers, economists, PR people, and financiers. Secondly, most of the things in democratic stores are made like a blueprint. There is little material for self-realization, and what is available is not in the mass market category, therefore, it costs money. Which makes breaking trends a difficult task. But the period of desperate love for H&M, Zara and Topshop has passed. People want something unusual, so local designers are multiplying like mushrooms, and the “markets” format has gained popularity dramatically.

On the other hand, trends satisfy the psychological need for novelty. Like it or not, they are not pure imposition, trends are a response to existing demand. After all, H&M will never stand out, and the Chanel-orientation is unlikely to go anywhere, but blaming the system is not an option. It works to please not only those who deceive, but also those who want to be deceived. In the world of fashion, everyone is a victim: both the designers who go out of their way to catch the trend by the tail, and those who blindly follow them. Someone needs a pill from Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar, a ready-made answer: what to buy to get into Gipsy and Dom Byta, promote your blog or become an it-girl of a class / course / district. And someone listens to himself and develops his own style.We are for the latter.

The history of fashion is very rich and entertaining: even in ancient times, different styles of clothing were already invented, new materials were created, new elements were added to hair, accessories, hands, ears. Undoubtedly, the beautiful half of humanity is more interested in fashion, but men do not go far from it either. Therefore, the range of fashion products is expanding every year, and the fashion industry has worked and will continue to work for humanity.

Fashion as a phenomenon

It is known that fashion is one of the social phenomena, since it is aimed at satisfying the aesthetic needs of society. And fashionable things, in turn, themselves demonstrate their owner.

Fashion as a phenomenon was explained as early as the beginning of the twentieth century, when the term "leakage" appeared. According to the American and the German, the fashion industry initially aimed to single out the elite from the general mass, which always tries to be different from ordinary people. Therefore, all new currents appear among the upper class, and the middle and lower strata of society try to imitate the elite stratum and adopt any innovations from it. In other words, fashion trends "seep" from the top down and cease to be novelties, moving into the category of "consumer goods". Then again it is necessary to create something new and fashionable so that the elite still stands out. There is a process of the so-called "cycle of prestigious consumption", which does not stop.

Modern fashion

To date, class strata in society have practically disappeared, but the purpose of fashion has remained the same - to emphasize a person's belonging to a particular social group. The modern fashion industry creates things in such areas as youth fashion, street, office, etc. At the same time, each person is able to choose personal clothes for himself, which is a way of self-expression. Dressing fashionably and stylishly, you can stand out from the crowd and demonstrate to others the presence of taste and individuality.

Based on this, the conclusion suggests itself that only those that are put on display, are demonstrated, are fashionable things.

fashion goods

Of the total number of industrial goods, the fashion industry contains only those that are considered fashionable and satisfy the personal needs of a person. These include:

• cloth,
• accessories of a personal nature (handbags, hats, watches, belts, stockings, gloves, etc.),
• cosmetics and perfumery,
• jewelry (jewelry and bijouterie),
• household goods (dishes, bedding, linen, carpets).

The production of all of the above is engaged in a certain - the so-called "fashion industry". This sector includes the manufacture and sale of goods. Several are involved here, among which it should be noted textile, hairdressing, perfumery, as well as modeling business. As statistics show, over time, the number of fashion products is gradually expanding.

Trends in the fashion world

If earlier fashionable things included only goods for the beautiful half of humanity, then in the twentieth century this trend was refracted, and fashion touched men too.

Around the same time, the fashion industry expanded its range of fashion products due to the fact that lifestyles changed and became public. For example, our great-grandmothers and grandmothers did not attach much importance to washing, as well as eating. Now, most of us buy food and laundry products in the store. As a result, fashion goods now include almost all items of personal consumption, including drinks, cars, motorcycles, furniture, stationery, etc.

Stages of development of the fashion industry

There are several stages of development that the fashion industry has gone through. Until the end of the nineteenth century, such a direction did not exist, although the concept of fashion was. Beginning in the 1890s, manufacturers of clothing and accessories began their activities, in the process of which a small business turned into a real large-scale production. Even fashion magazines were published, where it was about trendy things that are customary to wear in an elite society.

In the 50s of the last century, they headed for mass consumption, which means that it was required to predict fashionable phenomena. There were firms that specialized in the analysis of new products and trends in the fashion world. The large-scale production of fashionable clothes put forward its own requirements - to make decisions on mass purchases, release, etc. As a result, the companies producing ready-made items already depended not only on the “inventions” of fashion designers, but also on raw material manufacturers. Later, a trend forecasting system appeared.

Fashion branching

Since the 60s of the twentieth century, serious changes have taken place - fashion (fashion) has been divided into two branches: haute couture and ready-to-wear. During this period, fashion designers such as Christian Dior, Hubert Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel and others gained world fame.

In the 90s, the term “pluralism” appeared in the fashion environment, meaning the absence of a single style and a commitment to fragmentation into a number of different directions. The speed at which new products are introduced changes. In parallel with this, fashion is “rejuvenated”, that is, the opportunity to buy fashionable things has appeared not only among rich people, but also among ordinary youth. Stylists no longer have a dominant influence on fashion, more well-known brands are engaged in propaganda.

It should be noted that if until the end of the 20th century the fashion industry affected only Europe, then in the 21st century fashion has become global, and designers from different countries offer their ideas. Today, there is already a huge influence of oriental cultures, and this is reflected in consumer goods.

INTRODUCTION

The most famous and successful design brands were led not only by talented designers, but also by talented managers. The phrase “fashion business” itself combines two, at first glance, unrelated social phenomena - fashion (fashion) and business (business, entrepreneurship). However, it is precisely the mutual interaction of these two phenomena that has revealed to the world works of art that affect the economy of entire countries and examples of entrepreneurial activity that are a work of art. That is why the study of the fashion business, its structure, processes, tools, traditions that have developed in it, can be useful and interesting not only for people who study or have a specialty related to economics or design, but also for everyone who is somehow interested in art and comes into contact with fashion.

The purpose of this work is to study the complex of marketing communications used in the fashion business. The goal is achieved through the following tasks:

Disclosure of the concept of fashion business;

Disclosure of the concept of designer brands;

Disclosure of the concept of marketing communications of the fashion business;

Description of the tools of marketing communications applied in the fashion business.

The subject of this course work is a set of marketing communications tools used by the main object of the fashion business - designer brands. The main sources of information are: the book of Ph.D. A.N. Andreeva "Designer brands in the fashion business", publications by A.N. Andreeva in various periodicals, as well as information Internet portals, both entirely devoted to the issues of the fashion industry, and containing articles on this topic.

FASHION BUSINESS AND DESIGNER BRANDS

Concept of fashion industry, fashion product and fashion business

"The fashion industry is a set of creative, economic and managerial activities, which is a process aimed at the design, production, marketing and sale of a fashion product, with the constant movement of conditional boundaries between the stages of this process." Andreeva A.N. Designer Brands in the Fashion Business - 2nd Ed. / A.N. Andreeva; Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University. - St. Petersburg: Publishing House "Higher School of Management"; Publishing house house St. Petersburg. state un-ta, 2008. - p. 80 The fashion industry can be divided into the following four segments:

l Primary segment- manufacturers of raw materials, materials, special equipment, software for the design process CAD(Computer Aided Design)-CAM(Computer Aided Manufacturing);

l secondary segment(fashion business) - manufacturers of finished fashion products. This segment is divided into three groups:

Ѓ Direct manufacturers - as a rule, not large companies that produce all elements of a fashion product (from development to production) at their own production facilities, for example, the American company Levi Strauss & Co .;

Ѓ Contractors - companies engaged exclusively in the production of a fashion product already developed by another organization. In this case, customer organizations are engaged only in the intellectual, creative and managerial parts of the process, as well as in quality control of the fashion product produced. Cooperation with contractors is most common among large companies in Europe and the USA;

Ѓ Licensing group - companies that, in addition to the development and production of a fashion product, are engaged in the sale of licenses to use their brand name for non-competitive products. For example, the sale by Pierre Cardin of over 800 licenses to use its brand name in the 70s brought in annual revenues of about $1 billion a year;

l Trading segment- fashion product retailers (retailers). These can be boutiques, specialty stores, malls, stock outlets, factory outlets (most often owned by contractors), mail order catalogues, online stores and TV stores. A separate group among retailers should be franchising companies that receive from the manufacturing company, in addition to the fashion product itself, a marketing communications strategy, design of retail premises, the concept of visual merchandising and management principles within the company;

l Auxiliary segment- specialized media (glossy magazines and television), advertising and PR agencies, fashion consulting agencies and independent fashion consultants. The essence of fashion consulting is the collection and systematization of information related to current trends in the fashion industry and forecasting or summarizing fashion trends for a particular product or industry as a whole. Examples include companies such as The Fasion Service (fashion trends forecasting), Stylists "Information Service (analytical reviews and forecasts for various segments of the fashion business) and The International Color Authority (fashion color forecasting).

Despite the fact that there is a fairly clear division of activities in the fashion industry, there are companies that operate in several segments at once. An example is the Italian company Ermenegildo Zenga, which produces both fabrics and classic men's suits. In addition, almost every large company has its own network of retail stores.

In this paper, the secondary segment is considered, because It is in this segment that the key assets of the fashion industry are located - designer brands that create and sell a fashion product. In other words, the secondary segment is the fashion business, i.e. "activities that unite companies or individuals, focused on the design, production and marketing of fashion products" Andreeva A.N. Designer Brands in the Fashion Business - 2nd Ed. / A.N. Andreeva; Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University. - St. Petersburg: Publishing House "Higher School of Management"; Publishing house house St. Petersburg. state un-ta, 2008. - p. 88.

The fashion product itself can be divided into three categories, according to the classification proposed in 2002 by British marketer Mike Easey: clothing is the basic fashion product; related fashion services; related fashion products (see Table 1).

fashion marketing communication business

Tab. 1. Classification of fashion products and services Andreeva A.N. Designer Brands in the Fashion Business - 2nd Ed. / A.N. Andreeva; Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University. - St. Petersburg: Publishing House "Higher School of Management"; Publishing house house St. Petersburg. state un-ta, 2008. - p. 17

For a better understanding of the essence and boundaries of the concept of "fashion business", it is necessary to consider such a concept as a fashion object. All of the above fashion products are a fashion object, in the narrow interpretation of this concept. In a broader interpretation, a fashion object, as an object subject to changes in fashion, includes the exteriors and interiors of residential premises, cars, food and gastronomy, music, philosophy, ideology, politics, funeral services, naming and many other aspects of life. The American specialist in fashion theory J. Sproles in the article “Fashion Theory: Conceptual Framework” gives the following definition of a fashion object: “A fashion object is any specific stylistic product, and in some cases, a technological/functional innovation or consumer service. As a material “social” product, a fashion object can also be any behavioral practice, ideology or philosophy” Sproles G.B. Fasion Theory: a Conceptual Framework // Advances in Consumer Research. 1974 Vol. 1. No. 1. P. 465..

J. Sprols also offers seven basic characteristics of a fashion object that allow you to accurately identify a product / service as a fashion object:

l Fragility - a fashion object can become obsolete and be replaced by newer objects before its physical or functional obsolescence;

l The dominance of psychological qualities over functional utility - utility is not the dominant function of the fashion object, while psychological qualities - style, aesthetics, social acceptability, ego satisfaction, status symbolism, are dominant;

l Reflection of the "collective taste" of the social system - a fashion object reflects the tastes of the social system that accepts or rejects this fashion object;

l Exclusivity - a new fashion object is always exclusive relative to already existing, accepted fashion objects, and loses its exclusivity when accepted and used by a large number of people;

l Psychosocial motivation - fashion objects play the role of status symbols;

l Luxury - a fashion object almost always belongs to the category of luxury;

l Social differentiation - the functions performed by a fashion object change in different social contexts.

A classic example of a fashion object that satisfies all of the above characteristics is clothing created by designer brands. Using clothes as an example of a fashion object, we can distinguish the following trends in the development of the fashion business that distinguish it from any other type of business:

l The influence of the social and cultural environment - in society there are certain stereotypes regarding the social significance of clothing and the situations in which it is used. Satisfying or changing these stereotypes is the main mission of the fashion business as a whole (an example of changing stereotypes under the influence of social and cultural factors is the emergence of a women's business suit);

l Rigid time frames - the traditional time frame for such a fashion product as clothing is six months, after this period the fashion product loses its relevance, becoming just a wardrobe item and therefore ceasing to be a fashion product. The only exception is “vintage”, which means the re-release of a fashion product that has necessarily retained its individuality for 10 years or more (for example, Dolce & Gabbana, which released the Dolce & Gabbana Vintage collection in 2004, which completely repeats the collections of the 1990s gg.). It is the time frame that determines the use of certain marketing communications (closed screenings, open screenings, advertising in the media) at a clearly defined time (see Appendix 1);

l Inseparable connection with art - fashion products of the highest quality (in the case of clothes, this is the category "haute couture"), provided that their individuality is preserved for a certain period, they become full-fledged works of arts and crafts. The best fashion products are exhibited in classical museums (Yves Saint Laurent exhibition in the Hermitage in 1986) and specialized fashion museums (Musee de la Mode (France), Costume Institute Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA)) houses (Christie "s and Sothbie" s). The use of fashion products in theater and cinema has long been one of the forms of marketing communications of designer brands (for example, the filmography of designer Giorgio Armani includes more than 150 films). The most important contribution of the fashion business to art is the preservation and development of unique craft traditions in the production of fashion products;

l The role of buyers Bayer- professional buyer and designer of fashion collections for high fashion stores, boutiques. The purchase is usually made before the start of the season at exhibitions, shows of new models within one or more brands. // Economic Internet Dictionary "Assistant Dictionary Prof" // http://yas.yuna.ru/ in fashion business - the main task of buyers is to determine the principles and volume of purchases of fashion products, as well as directly purchase. At the same time, buyers need to be guided by consumer preferences, the concept of the boutique they work for, fashion trends and forecasts (at least six months in advance), as well as the range of closest competitors. Buyers directly influence the profit margin of boutiques and the number of sales of designer brands;

l Attention to the consumer - on the one hand, the modern fashion industry no longer dictates to the consumer what to wear, what not to wear, on the other hand, many designers draw ideas from the clothing style of various subcultures (collection of Russian designer Anastasia Z. - "Grunge", -winter - 2009/10), in the usual street fashion "casual" (as an example, the motto of the Japanese designer Kenzo Takada, the founder of the Kenzo fashion brand: "Constantly keep in touch with the street. I walk and watch the evolution of fashion. Internet portal about fashion "Be-In" // http://www.be-in.ru/journal/people/5569").

Another important feature of the fashion business is the specific structure of designer brands, which distinguishes them from brands in other industries. As mentioned above, the most striking example of a fashion product is designer clothing, therefore it is clothing that will be understood by the term "fashion product" in further work (exceptions should be specified in brackets).

Do you want to start a career in the fashion industry, but don't know how to approach it? In this article, I will share some tips with you.

Many people notice that their weekdays are too boring and immediately remember the fashion industry. This sparkling world seems perfect to us, but in fact it hides a lot behind camera flashes and bright magazine covers. If you want to build a career in this "perfect" world, you need to be prepared for a lot.

Do not complain about being an intern

Gaining initial experience (not only in the fashion industry) will be a difficult path. You initially need to be ready to drive around the city in one direction or the other, respond to “hey you”, constantly hear “bring tea / coffee”, go to a photo shoot with a 15-year-old model, who in one photo session will receive the fee is several times your salary. This is a harsh reality, and if you don’t like it from the very beginning, then it’s better not to go down this path and not try to make a career in the fashion industry.

Striving for a goal

It is not enough just to know the people who will help open the doors. It is necessary to constantly maintain contacts, try to perform the most difficult work at a high level, so that even acquaintances of acquaintances talk about it. If you are, then why not show off such knowledge?

Internet expanses

Many agencies do searches on the Internet, they look at Facebook profiles, etc. Very often, information about a person on the Internet is full of errors and patterns. No need to write: "Fashion is my whole life" or "The only passion in life is fashion." Make your story interesting and memorable, and check for errors before posting to your profile.

At the right place at the right time

It’s not worth distracting your leader at important meetings and following him on the heels. Proposals need to be correctly put into words, thought through everything on their own, and only after that they should be offered to the authorities. Ideas shouted out on the go are not needed by anyone and will not help you make a career in the fashion industry.

Excitement

Success will come with time, you can not get everything at once. It is impossible to study the fashion industry from all sides, but you can discover new facets only if you learn to notice them.

Origin is not an indicator

Even if you come from a small village and never knew the names of famous brands, but you have impeccable taste, natural charm, kindness and intuition, then you will succeed, believe in yourself!

Nerve cells do not regenerate

You will not leave the feeling that the work on the project will not end soon. The saying “do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today” does not work here, anyway, something will remain the next day, but the correct prioritization will help you cope with any tasks and prove yourself in the fashion industry.

Initiative is not punishable

Intuition often helps us out. Sometimes there come moments when you need to say “No” and change the trajectory of the path. No matter how many subordinates there are, one should not forget about the search for business improvement. Succeed!