Getting Pragmatic about Fashion - a Look at Boutique Stores Tuesday, Jan 12 2010
Riggings 7:05 am
The recession has made us rethink our fashion statements. It’s been well pointed out that the recession has heavily had a negative affect on the fashion industry. Although downturns in the economy occur once every 15-20 years, this recent recession we’re in is going to have a prolonged impact on what we think of fashion. We are living in a very practical period now. It used to be that decadance and frivolousness were part and parcel of the fashion scene - nothing was too extreme or too overpriced. - you only worried about being accused of being too lacklustre. It’s different today though : the fashion catwalks and labels are receiving bad publicity. Even if you look at the mid-range fashion brands, suddenly they’re admonished for manufacturing in offshore sweatshop factories. Is it that everyone has become so very hard to please?
No chance. People love fashion, and always will. It is imprinted in our minds to identify trends! In point of fact, looking online there is huge rivalry between online store sellers (e.g. looking for wholesale fashion accessories) - a sign there is still strong demand and supply. What’s long gone is the now traditional way we thought about fashion - of being dictated to by the established fashiong brands. Fashion has always looked at our lifestyles instead of vice versa, and today many factors are turning us off big fashion labels. First Of All, young people are very much more mindful of globalization, and flaunting your fashion labels makes you look egotistical and uncaring in many peer groups today. Second, we’re hard up! Style has invariably been a luxury, not a necessity. In a recession, luxury items are the first to be forgotten on the store shelves. Finally, people express themselves much more individually these days -we don’t want to be ordered what to wear or how to act, we no longer consider ourselves as being part of large groups, and fashion demands that sort of sheep-like thinking to trade in large amounts.
What is the future for the fashion industry? Like ever, they need to adapt to survive - create a wider range of fashion lines to cater to more corners of the marketplace. If you’re a small shop selling individual clothing at a decent cost, the future looks bright for you despite the gloomy economic days we are experiencing. These days, individuals are blending their styles, buying from marketplaces and smaller, bargain-priced fashion shops.
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