WORLD OF FASHION - FASH 1082

Unit 1: Basic Fashion and Business Concepts

Chapter 1
• The Importance of
Clothing and Fashion

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Learning Outcomes:
1. Explain & summarize basic reasons people
wear clothes
2. Differentiate why people make various
clothing choices
3. Describe fashion in terms of art and
science, and private and public awareness
4. Summarize economic and political
influences on fashion
5. Define basic fashion terms
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 Let’s Clarify 4 Basic Terms:

MARKETING is the total process of finding/creating a profitable market for goods or services.
•It includes identifying customers; their wants & needs, & providing satisfactory products at
acceptable prices to them.
•Marketing also includes distribution & promotional activities.

MERCHANDISING is a major segment of marketing.

•Merchandising is the process of how products are created (designed, developed &/or
presented for resale) & promoted to the point of sale.
•Merchandising’s goal is to create products to satisfy market demand to make a profit.

CLOTHING are garments, articles of dress, attire, garb, wear, wardrobe, outfit.

FASHION a popular trend, especially in styles of dress and ornament or manners of behaviour.
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 synonyms: vogue, trend, style, mode, fad, fancy, passing fancy.
 1. Reasons for Wearing
Clothing
• Physical Needs
 Protection,
Safety
• Psychological
Needs
 Adornment,
Identification
• Social Needs
 Modesty, Status

B.C.E. B.C.E. B.C.E. B.C.E. C.E. C.E.

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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Physical Needs
 Protection
 Weather; gloves,
coats, boots
 Environmental
dangers; sterile
gloves, space suits,
bike helmets
 Safety
 Occupational hazards;
hard hats, goggles

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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
 Adornment (attractive
decoration)
 Beauty; positive feeling,
attention, artistic
expression
 Culture; desirability of
decoration determined
by standards & traditions
of each society
 Identification
 Uniforms, emblems/
symbols, dress codes 6
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Uniforms

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• 2019 https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/everlane-menswear-fashion
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Uniforms

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• 2022 https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/katie-holmes-button-down-shirt-outfit
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Uniforms

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• 2019 https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/china/the-aftermath-of-hong-kongs-protest-uniform
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Uniforms

• 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/28/fred-perry-withdraws-polo-shirt-adopted-by-far-right-proud-boys
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• 2020 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54380656
 1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Symbols

The Armistice of 11
November 1918 was
the armistice signed at Le Francport
near Compiègne that ended fighting on
land, sea and air in World War I
between the Allies and their last
remaining opponent, Germany.
Previous armistices had been agreed
with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and
the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

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Nov 6, 2020 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/whole-foods-bans-poppies-1.5791
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Symbols
Bill 21 is the law in Quebec, Canada (June 16, 2019 ) that bans individuals
wearing religious symbols from working in certain public sector positions.
This is a law that doesn’t just affect Muslims. It affects those wearing a
kippah, a turban, a crucifix and of course those that wear hijab.
This means that those who wear the hijab cannot be teachers at a French
school, prosecutors, or police officers in the province of Quebec… Is this
unacceptable?
Is this a discriminatory law that creates second class citizenship here in
Canada? Is Bill 21 a law which disproportionately impacts people who are
already marginalized?
Bill 21 does not discriminate on the basis of religion. It applies to all
religions. Is Bill 21 is about secularism, not racism?

We should be able to wear

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religious symbols at work.
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Symbols

JUNE 6, 2022
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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-quebec-bill-21-hijab-fatemeh-anvari/
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Symbols

NOV 28, 2022

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-downfall-of-quebecs-bill-21-could-come-thanks-to-women/
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification
 Dress codes

We should be able to wear

what we want at work.

MNA barred from National Assembly after clothing deemed inappropriate.

2019
https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/female-mna-barred-from-national-assembly-after-clothing-deemed-inappropriate
Here are the clothes that led to MNA Catherine Dorion’s
exit from Quebec’s National Assembly.
2019
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https://ottawacitizen.com/news/canada/here-are-the-clothes-that-led-to-mna-catherine-dorions
-exit-from-quebecs-national-assembly/wcm/1541a445-dd10-48a3-9e78-07abdbdd9bdd
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification 2022
 Dress codes

We should be able to wear

what we want at work.

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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification 2023
 Dress codes

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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Psychological Needs
Identification 2020
 Dress codes

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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Social Needs
 Modesty
 Standards of
decency
molded by
culture &
society
When university student Gwen Jacob removed her top to cool off on a
sweltering summer day in July 1991, she unwittingly spearheaded a movement
to give all women in Ontario the legal right to expose their breasts — though
most still choose not to
2011 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/women-s-topless-court-victory-20-years-later-1.1026403
 Status
 Rank or position compared to others;
furs, jewellery, designer labels 19
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Social Needs
Status
 Rank or position

There may be a message behind the new Chinese ambassador's clothing choices.
2019 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-xi-jinping-communist-mao-1.5350147
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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Social Needs
Status
 Rank or position
“Poverty is a place where many
challenges—physical, social and
psychological—converge: being
perceived as of lower competence
and disrespected adds to those
challenges, and can exacerbate
cognitive load and hamper
performance, thereby potentially
proving self-fulfilling.”
How We Judge Others by Their Clothes.
2020 https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/finding-new-home/202005/how-we-judge-others-their-clothes
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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
•Social Needs
Status
 Rank or position

The way you dress could impact your perceived competence, new study suggests.
2019 https://globalnews.ca/news/6297810/competence-clothing-princeton-study/

+video (1:00) 22
1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
Combined Needs

• Clothing carries a highly visible

message about who a person is, is
not, or would like to be

• Clothing worn from combination of

physical, psychological & social needs
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1. Reasons for Wearing Clothing

Woman highlights insidious fashion double-standard in spot-on tweet: 'The

women in the picture are real people’.
2020 https://ca.news.yahoo.com/woman-highlights-insidious-fashion-double-133200126.html 24
 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
• Values &
Attitudes
Economic &
social
• Conformity vs.
Individuality
• Personality
Traits
• Needs vs. Wants

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 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes
• Values: ideas, beliefs &
material items important to
individuals
• Attitudes: feelings or
reactions to people, things
What are your thoughts or ideas formed from values
on fur in fashion? • Learned
Which brands have gone • Influenced by
fur-free?  Economics, society, age,
customs, etc.
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 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

2021 https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-goose-products-fur-1.6078356 27
 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

November 5, 2019
• https://www.vogue.com/article/queen-elizabeth-latest-celebrity-to-go-fur-free 28
 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

December 5, 2019
• https://www.apparelnews.net/news/2019/dec/05/california-fur-ban/ 29
2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

JUNE 11, 2021

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 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

• Luxury: Behind the mirror of high-end fashion | (fashion documentary)

• https://vimeo.com/ondemand/luxurybehindthemirror (2:54)
• https://www.facebook.com/victoriaakkari/videos/luxury-behind-the-mirror-of-high-end-fashion-dw-documentary-fashion-documentary/212111083177187/ (42:25)
• Nov 9, 2019

• A Tough Story of Leather

•A http://labourbehindthelabel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/FAIR-CYS-long-report-ENG-nov-EDITION.p
• Tough Story of Leather
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•Feb 3, 2016 http://labourbehindthelabel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/FAIR-CYS-long-report-ENG-nov-EDITION.pdf
 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

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 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
••Values
Values&&Attitudes
Attitudes

33
SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

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AUGUST 10, 2022
 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

https://www.threadsbygbc.com/archives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IhVmPXPEuM

https://www.furcouncil.com/
•Winner of the REMIX 2017 Canada Fur Design Contest
•REMIX International 2017 Student Fur Design Contest- Top
10 Finalist

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 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Values & Attitudes

https://canadianart.ca/essays/wearing-fur-in-the-city/
FEBRUARY 3, 2021
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https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/steering-committee/bryanna-r-brown
 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Conformity Vs. Individuality
• Obeying or agreeing w/ a
given standard or
authority
 Peer pressure, dress
codes (too much = loss of
individuality)
• Self-expression that
makes each person
unique; need to feel
good about who they are
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 2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Personality Traits

• Characteristics that distinguish an individual, behavioural

& emotional tendencies 38
2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
•Needs Versus Wants
• Need
 Required for survival, protection,
modesty, comfort or livelihood
• Want
 Desire for something that gives
satisfaction
 Can get along w/o it
• Success in the fashion business
depends on understanding how
consumers make specific apparel
decisions
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2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
Consumer Buying Choices
• May relate to
 Fashionable styles
 Attractiveness
 Impressing others
 Acceptance by friends,
colleagues & peers
• May also
 Fill an emotional need
 Bolster esteem or confidence
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2. Why People Select Certain
Clothes
Consumer Buying Choices

• May also
 Fill an emotional need
Dopamine
Dressing 41
 3. Fashion is . . .
Ongoing Fashion Perspectives
• Both an art & a science
 Thrives on creativity, innovation &
the use of principles & elements of
design
 Through textile development &
technological advancement
• Dependent on change
• Not capable of survival w/o
change
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 3. Fashion is . . .
Ongoing Fashion Perspectives
•“Sustainability
Both an art &
is meeting a
the science
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their meets.”
 Thrives on creativity, innovation &
- United Nations
-Our Common Future aka Brundtland Report, IISD 1987 International
the use of principles Institute&forelements of
Sustainable Development
design
Sustainability seeks to balance the economic, social responsibility
 Throughimpact,
and environmental textile development
recognizing that population&growth will “Triple Bottom Line” sustainability
continue. model - Elkington 1994
technological advancement
• Dependent on change • Therefore, can fashion
• Not capable of survival w/o be sustainable?
change • How do you define
sustainability? 43
 3. Fashion is . . .
Fashion Insights
& Viewpoints
• Satisfies basic
consumer wants &
needs on a private
level
• Influenced by the
public economy &
makeup of the
population
• Social statement, both
private & public 44
 4. Influences on Fashion
Economic,
Political, and
Other Influences
on Fashion
• Economic conditions
• Political issues
• Current events
• Entertainment
• Lifestyles
• Social structure
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4. Influences on Fashion
• Popular entertainment causes
fashions to imitate a character of
a movie, an actor, or a rock star
• As movies, concerts and other
modes of entertainment are
publicized, consumers want to
identify with them
• Fashion professionals stay aware
of all the ways that apparel
relates to society

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5. Fashion Terminology

• Garment
 Article of apparel
• Accessories
 Articles added to complete
or enhance
• Style
 Distinct features that
create an overall
appearance
• Fashion
 Current popular style
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 BREAKOUT SESSION
• How many styles of pants can you name?

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The Language of
Fashion

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5. Fashion Terminology
More Fashion Terms
• High fashion
 Very latest or newest fashion
• Mass fashion
 Majority of fashion sales; all
very similar
• Design
 Unique version of a style

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5. Fashion Terminology
Language of Fashion
• Avant-garde
 Unconventional, wild, daring;
short life
• Fad
 Temporary fashion; unusual;
lasts a short period of time
• Classic
 Style or design that continues
its acceptance over extended
period of time
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 5. Fashion Terminology
Other Terms to Know
• Ford (in case you work with a boomer!)
 Same basic look that sells in large
quantities & all price levels; aka best-
seller, runner – “your bread & butter”
• Fashion look
 Total, well-coordinated & accessorized
outfit
• Taste
 Prevailing opinion of what is attractive
& appropriate

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 5. Fashion Terminology
• Taste
 Prevailing opinion of what is
attractive & appropriate

Justin Bieber Is Spotted Out in LA in White Slippers and Socks By His Drew House Brand.
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2019 https://footwearnews.com/2019/fashion/celebrity-style/justin-bieber-drew-house-tshirt-slippers-new-balance-sneakers-los-angeles-1202841240/
 5. Fashion Terminology
• Taste
 Prevailing opinion of what is
attractive & appropriate

Bella Nails The Divisive Socks And Sandals Combo

June 8, 2022
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https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/bella-hadid-socks-and-sandals
 5. Fashion Terminology
• Taste
 Prevailing opinion of what is
attractive & appropriate

Look of the Week: Kanye West is apparently team socks and sandals
Sept 30, 2022
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/kanye-west-ye-socks-sandals-diamante-ltw/index.html55
 In Summary…

• Fashion, throughout history, desires to make, shape,

model, adapt, embellish & adorn the wearer 56
 In Summary…
•People wear clothing to satisfy physical,
psychological, and social needs
•A person’s values and attitudes play an important
part in clothing selection
•Fashion is both an art and a science, involving
creative thinking as well as technology
•Success in the fashion business requires the
understanding of clothing and fashion terms

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 Review Question
Fashion professionals who make or sell clothing
items try to identify the values and attitudes of
their customers so they can:

a) produce and stock the items that will be

preferred and bought by those consumers.
b) evaluate the balance of conformity and
individuality in all consumers’ clothing.
c) learn more about avant-garde designs in
relation to good taste.
d) All of the above are correct.
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