| You know you're destined to be a
fashion designer if you: a) spent most of your
childhood making clothes for your Barbie dolls
instead of playing with your friends; b) read
fashion magazines instead of your school books;
c) ran a boutique out of your basement at age
10. In other words: if you want to be the next
Yves Saint Laurent, it helps to be completely
and utterly obsessed with fashion.
However, there are many aspects of the
profession. Working as a fashion designer can
just as well mean supervising a design team at a
sportswear company as producing a label under
your own name. Although the former career may
not seem as glamorous as the latter, it
certainly will make your life less stressful. To
create your own label takes a lot of time,
dedication and hard work. Not to mention living
just above the poverty line for several years.
Choosing a strategy
There are as many different ways to embark
upon a fashion career as there are styles of
design. Ralph Lauren's Polo empire was founded
on a small tie collection that he sold to
Bloomingdales. Helmut Lang decided to open his
own clothing store when he couldn't find a
t-shirt that he liked. Michael Kors built up a
network of customers by selling clothes in a
trendy NYC boutique. However, most people find
that the best foundation for a design career is
to get a fine arts degree in fashion at a
prestigious school. Besides teaching you the
craft, a good school will also add credibility
to your resumé. "We live in a brandname society,
and having the name of a good school behind you
really does help," says Carol Mongo, Director of
the Fashion Department at Parsons School of
Design in Paris.
There are a lot of colleges that have fashion
programs, but only a handful has the kind of
reputation that can really push your career.
(See separate listings for addresses and web
sites.) It's hard to enter these schools as
competition is high, and they tend to be very
selective. You apply by sending a portfolio of
drawings of your designs. "We can't teach you
how to be creative – you have to bring your
creativity to us and let us lead you on your
way," says Carol Mongo. She recommends students
to get some sewing experience before they apply.
Drawing is also an important skill for a
designer – it is the way you communicate your
ideas. In order to build an impressive portfolio
it's a good idea to have some experience in
sketching; taking art classes will help you
understand form and proportion. But you don't
have to be an expert drawer to get accepted to a
school. "The most important quality that we look
for in our students is that they are truly
passionate and exuberant about fashion," says
Mongo. "If you have wonderful ideas but can't
draw, there are always ways to get around it.
You could for example put your designs on a
mannequin and take pictures of it."
Most fashion programs are three to four years
long. During that time you will take fine arts
classes and study drawing, color composition and
form. You will also learn pattern making,
draping and cutting techniques. One of the most
important advantages of design schools is that
they work really closely with the industry.
Parsons, for example, have "designer critic
projects" where successful designers like Donna
Karan and Michael Kors work directly with the
graduating students. Ambitious students also
have the chance to win prestigious awards and
grants, which bring them a lot of attention as
well as financial support. One very important
event is the fashion show at the end of the last
semester, when graduating students show their
collections. A lot of important people from the
fashion industry attend these shows to scout new
talent. It's also an opportunity to be really
outrageous and get noticed by the media. Hussein
Chalayan, for example, became instantly infamous
when he showed rotting clothes that he had
buried in his backyard for his graduation show
at Saint Martins.
"Let's be realistic," says Carol Mongo at
Parsons, "School's not for everyone. If you're
just looking to get a job in the fashion
industry – not a career as a designer – you
probably don't need to go school." If you want
to work as a seamstress or a patternmaker, the
best thing is probably to apply for an
internship at a fashion house and work your way
up. However, there are many examples of famous
designers who started out as interns with no
formal training. For example, Dior's brightest
new star, men's wear designer Hedi Slimane, had
a degree in journalism when he started working
with men's wear designer José Levy. Balenciaga's
Nicolas Ghesquière is another example of a
brilliantly successful designer who learned the
jobs hands-on, as an assistant at Jean-Paul
Gaultier. Usually, you apply for an internship
by sending a portfolio to a fashion house you're
interested in. But it's a good idea to call them
up beforehand to see exactly what they need.
It's also important to note that competition is
fierce, and unless you have personal
connections, it's very difficult to get an
internship without an education. There are also
designers, like Luella Bartley, who started
their own business after working as stylists for
several years, thus building an industry network
as well as a good marketing sense.
Unfortunately, it's not enough for a designer
to be creative; you also have to have some
business sense. As fashion gets more and more
corporate driven, it's important to be aware of
the business climate and understanding the
mechanics behind it. By religiously reading
trade papers like "Women's Wear Daily" you will
get a lot of valuable information. If you want
to run your own company, you need to be
extremely organized and learn at least the
basics of economics. A lot of fashion schools
are currently increasing business classes in
their curriculum. "Our students have to be smart
enough to know how to negotiate a contract, or
to pick a business partner," says Carol Mongo.
It's perhaps telling that many of the designers
that are really successful today, like Calvin
Klein or Tom Ford, are involved in every aspect
of the business – from licensing strategies to
ad campaigns to actually designing the clothes.
Imagine for a moment that you are an
up-and-coming fashion designer, and someone has
given you the chance not only to have your
designs featured in a retail store, but also to
run part of the store. This is the opportunity
four young New York City designers found in
Forward, a retail incubator for start-up fashion
designers.
Funded by the Lower East Side Business
Improvement District (BID), Forward was created
as a place where young entrepreneurs could
combine their passion for fashion and clothing
with the business side of retail. Forward's
first four participants, chosen from among 60
applicants, each paid $4,200 to be part of the
six-month program, which organizers dubbed "The
Real World of Fashion."
Angela Kettler had already been designing a
line of clothing from her home when she learned
about Forward. And while she had a good feel for
fashion and design, learning about the business
side presented a challenge. "Doing business [at
Forward] gave me better [knowledge] of
financials and pricing," she says.
Getting in sync with the other three
participants presented some logistical
challenges, according to Kettler, 24.
Coordinating four different schedules and
ensuring everyone did their part in keeping the
store looking good and running smoothly were
just a few of the hurdles. After all, there
weren't any employees to help with the workload.
But, says Kettler, "There's a lot that working
with [the others] had to offer-their skills,
contacts and business information."
That's a sentiment echoed by Forward
participant Franklin Rowe, founder of Franklin
Rowe International. "It's great to work in an
artistic environment where everybody is doing
the same thing but has different
interpretations," he says. "You have to leave
[your] egos at the door and realize we're all
after the same thing."
Rowe, who had a little more experience in the
fashion industry, heard about Forward through a
friend at BID. He'd always wanted to own a
retail establishment-but up until then, he'd
largely been designing custom pieces for
clients.
Sharing a storefront with other hip designers
brought in all sorts of clientele-including
famous faces like actor Robert DeNiro and Sex
and the City costume designer Patricia Fields.
The Forward program itself also garnered a lot
of publicity for the store, including an article
in The New York Times that generated serious
foot traffic and calls from customers worldwide.
From that, says Rowe, "I learned what people
actually want and spend money on-what women buy
and what the average consumer wants in terms of
price, fit and fabrics." Rowe plans to use this
newfound knowledge as he continues to build his
business.
The store was originally slated to open at
the end of 2001, but Forward delayed its launch
until January 2002 due to the terrorist attacks
and troubled economic times. Still, the
participants have learned a lot since then-and
they all point to a noticeable increase in sales
since opening the store. Jennifer Dwin,
26-year-old founder of Dwin Design Group Inc.,
is a graduate of the Pratt Institute of Art &
Design in New York City (as is Kettler). In her
last days at Pratt, someone at her senior show
mentioned Forward. Of launching her company
after getting out of school, Dwin says, "It was
perfect timing."
And the fact that Forward hooked her and the
other participants up with some entrepreneurship
courses has certainly helped. "Working in the
store has been a huge learning process," she
explains. "Coming right out of school, I really
had no clue in the beginning."
Cooperating with other designers benefited
her as well-especially her collaboration with
Siri Wilson, who had already designed the Sirius
line of clothing before joining the Forward
program. The two created a line of home accents
to sell at the store. Wilson, 29, didn't have a
fashion design background when she started her
business; she had gone to film school and then
worked as a graphic designer. "I was taking
[fashion] classes at night and I started
thinking 'I could do this as a real business.'"
In addition, Wilson wholesales to other stores.
Luckily for the participants, Forward
provides various avenues that let them continue
to participate. At press time, Rowe planned to
stay for another six months to grow his
business, while Kettler had agreed to rent
showroom space from the program. Forward also
keeps an alumni rack in the store where former
participants can sell their designs. "It's not
like you're here for six months, then it's 'OK,
bye!'" says Kettler. "[BID] is working with us
to figure out our next steps."
BID is currently seeking a new group of
designers to take part in the program. Think you
have what it takes? Log on to
www.lowereastsideny.com for more information.
I want to be a fashion designer. How do I get
started? What should I know and how will I find
out? Should I go to school or try to get a job?
Do I want to start my own company? So many
questions in my head, where do I start and where
will I end up? Sound like you? I remember the
feeling exactly like that myself!
Where are your answers? After witnessing both
success and failure, I believe that most
importantly you must first discover if this is
really what you want to do! Start by getting
involved in this industry. Your local mall
probably has someone on staff that's involved in
fashion show production and fashion promotion.
Make an appointment and let them know what
you're interested in and volunteer to help on
the next project. This is a great introduction
to the glitz and glamour side of the business,
however, you will still need to get a broader
picture.
Look for a store in your neighbourhood that
makes and sells its own clothes and see if you
can meet the owner and a designer (often one in
the same).
Ever wonder what Giorgio Armani, Betsey
Johnson, Donna Karan, and Ralph Lauren do all
the time? Work! Few other professions depend so
much on keeping on top of fickle popular opinion
and watching what competitors produce.
The life of a designer is intimately linked
to tastes and sensibilities that change at a
moment’s notice, and she must be able to
capitalize on, or-even better-influence those
opinions. Designers reflect society’s
sensibilities through clothing design. “You have
to know just about everything that’s been done
before, so that you can recognize it when it
becomes popular again,” wrote one respondent.
Fashion designers are involved in every phase
of designing, showing, and producing all types
of clothing, from bathing suits to evening
gowns. Those with talent, vision, determination,
and ambition can succeed in this difficult,
demanding, and highly competitive industry.
Fashion design can be more glamorous than a
1940s Hollywood musical or drearier than a bank
statement, but it’s always taxing. A designer’s
day includes reading current fashion magazines,
newspapers, and other media that reflect current
trends and tastes. She looks at materials,
attends fashion shows, and works with other
designers on projects. A designer should be able
to communicate her philosophy, vision, and
capabilities clearly and comprehensively through
sketches, discussions, and, occasionally,
samples.
No matter what her personal style is, a
designer must produce a creative, exciting, and
profitable product line. As in most professions
that produce superstars, it is easy for a
competent but otherwise unremarkable designer to
wallow in obscurity, designing small pieces of
collections, generic lines (the plain white
boxer short, for example), or specialties
(cuffs, ruffles, etc.). The personality that
raises itself above this level must be as large
as the vision of the designer; perhaps that’s
why the word “crazy” showed up in over 75
percent of our surveys as a plus in fashion
design.
Paying Your Dues Those entering the field
should have a good eye for color, style, and
shape, an ability to sketch, and some formal
preparation in design. An excellent portfolio is
a must for the job search. A two- or four-year
degree in fashion design is helpful, as is
knowledge of textiles and a familiarity with the
quirks of a variety of fabrics, but no formal
certification is required.
Candidates should have a working knowledge of
business and marketing. Hours are long for a
fashion designer and the initial pay is very
limited. This is one of those hit-or-miss
occupations where beginners work as someone’s
assistant until, when they can muster up enough
confidence in their abilities and sell that
confidence to their superiors, they design a few
pieces themselves. The superstar rise is an
unlikely event, but it happens. Based on the
number of “international star designers” in the
last ten years and the number of people who have
entered the profession, the estimated odds of
becoming an internationally famous designer is
roughly 160,000:1.
Associated Careers Fashion designers who
become unhappy with the lifestyle (low pay, long
hours, hard work, low chance of advancement)
leave to do a variety of things. Some use their
color and design skills to become interior
designers, graphic designers, or fashion
consultants. Over one quarter of those who leave
remain in the clothing industry, either on the
production end or on the institutional buying
end. Another 10 percent enter the advertising or
promotions industry.
FASHION DESIGNERS create clothing and
accessory designs. They may plan the production
and marketing of their creations. Designers
specialize in one type of garment or accessory
such as men's or women's wear, children's
garments, swimwear, lingerie, handbags, or
shoes. Some high-fashion Designers are
self-employed and design for individual clients.
They make fashion news by establishing the
silhouette, colors, and kinds of materials that
will be worn each season. Other self-employed,
high-fashion Designers cater to specialty stores
or high-fashion department stores. They design
original garments as well as follow the
established fashion trends. Designers who work
for apparel manufacturers do less original work;
they adapt fashions set by other Designers for
the mass market.
Designers' Assistants in apparel
manufacturing are exposed to the fast pace of
production schedules while performing routine
aspects of the job. Assistant Designers acquire
the knowledge of what creations will sell at a
profit in an intended market, within a defined
price range, at a particular time of the year.
They learn the personality of firms, types of
stores that buy the merchandise, and the age and
tastes of the stores' clientele.
Fashion Designers perform the following
tasks:
* Sketch their ideas.
* Draw and cut patterns to create sample
garments.
* Select fabric and trimmings.
* Combine basic dressmaking and tailoring
principles with flat pattern work and draping
techniques.
* Fit and modify the finished garment.
* Arrange showings for press and buyers when the
sample garment line is ready.
* Compare merchandise with those of the
competitors.
* Keep current on trends by reading trade
magazines and attending fashion shows.
* Visit textile showrooms to keep up to date on
latest fabrics.
A large manufacturer generally has a Head
Designer and several assistants. Many small
firms do not employ Designers but purchase
ready-made designs or copy higher-priced
designs.
Head Designers are responsible for executive
and creative functions. They supervise design
room staff. Those with less experience may be
responsible for small divisions or specialized
garments.
Assistant Designers are generally all-around
assistants to Designers. They make first
patterns and samples or may supervise sample
makers.
Specialty Designers work with other Designers
to coordinate special lines of clothing, such as
sweaters. They often arrange for styles to be
made in foreign countries.
Theatrical Costume Designers create costumes
for movies or theatrical productions, usually on
a contract basis.
Fashion Designers frequently use the
following skills, knowledge, and abilities:
* Design - Knowledge of design techniques,
principles, tools and instruments involved in
the production and use of precision technical
plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
* Idea Generation - Generating a number of
different approaches to problems.
* Active Learning - Working with new material or
information to grasp its implications.
* Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and
product requirements to create a design.
* Originality - The ability to come up with
unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or
situation, or to develop creative ways to solve
a problem.
* Visioning - Developing an image of how a
system should work under ideal conditions.
* Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation
to others' actions.
* An eye for detail, if you don't have an eye
for detail, your work would be BORING.
The work environment for Designers varies.
Some Designers work in quiet, spacious,
well-lit, and well-ventilated areas. Others may
work in small areas close to crowded workrooms.
Designers work independently but spend much of
their time coordinating their work with workroom
personnel, buyers, sales personnel, firm
members, patrons, and other artists. Designers
may travel out of the country for showings,
conferences, or shopping. They may work under
pressure for long periods to meet deadlines and
budget limitations. Many Designers are busy all
year preparing styles for the following seasons.
Others work intermittently and are laid off when
a line is completed.
Education and Training
Artistic talent is crucial in fashion design.
People in this field need a good sense of line,
color, form, a sense of balance and proportion,
and an eye for detail. The work requires
initiative, resolve, and the ability to
organize. A portfolio of a Designer's best work
is sometimes more influential in finding a job
than an extensive education. Formal training,
however, is important for most Designers.
Graduation from a school or college that
provides specialized training in fashion
designing is recommended. In California,
students may obtain a Bachelor of Arts or a
Bachelor of Science degree with a major in art
and specialization in costume design at
accredited colleges or universities.
Vocational schools offer two-year programs in
the fundamentals of fashion design. Students in
these schools may earn certificates or an
Associate of Arts degree in the field. Some
industry leaders feel that community colleges
and vocational training schools provide better
preparation than four-year institutions because
they are more closely allied with the garmet
industry.
Typically, vocational schools offer a
two-tiered certificate program complementary to
the Associate of Arts degree. A first-level
certificate of proficiency is usually offered to
those who want to enter the field quickly. This
short certificate will prepare individuals to
work as Design Room Assistants. These Assistants
work in a design room where they have an
opportunity to perform a variety of general
functions. Common duties may include spec
writing, cataloging fabrics and trims, and the
updating of sample boards.
The second-level certificate of proficiency
takes more time to complete, but upon completion
applicants are more competitive for Assistant
Designer positions. Assistant Designers often
produce flat drawings of garments with detailed
specifications for production. Knowledge of
apparel construction and pattern is essential.
Assistant Designers may be asked to create theme
boards or fabric boards. They need the ability
to work with color and design. Assistant
Designers may also order fabric and trims and
must have a solid understanding of fabric
construction and behavior. Because they will be
called on to do many jobs around the design
room, they must be flexible and responsible.
They need to be able to work as a member of a
team as well as independently.
Courses in vocational schools usually include
sketching, pattern making, draping and grading,
garment construction, textiles and trimmings,
costume history, principles of design and color;
and how to plan, price, and promote seasonal
lines. High school students interested in
fashion design should take courses in sewing,
art, mathematics, business, speech, and English.
Continuing Education
A first level certificate from a vocational
school can gain the job seeker entry into the
fashion industry. Fashion industry employees may
return to school to earn a second-level
certificate or an Associate of Arts degree or
attend a fine arts school to learn drawing or
design on a more artistic level. The learning
process often continues on the job rather than
in the classroom.
Future Fashion Designers may find jobs
through their training facility job placement
offices. Experienced Designers locate jobs
through other people in the industry,
professional affiliations, or advertisements in
trade journals or newspapers.
Direct application to employers remains one
of the most effective job search methods.
Private firms are listed in the yellow pages
under dressmaking firms, manufacturers, custom
dress shops, design studios, department stores,
and pattern houses. California job openings can
be found at various online job-listing systems
including CalJOBSSM at www.caljobs.ca.gov or at
America's Job Bank at www.ajb.dni.us.
For other occupational and wage information
and a listing of the largest employers in any
county, visit the Employment Development
Department Labor Market Information Web page at
www.calmis.ca.gov. Find further job search
assistance from your nearest Job Service office
www.edd.ca.gov/jsloc.htm or the closest One-Stop
site listed on the California WorkNet site,
www.sjtcc.ca.gov/sjtccweb/one-stop.
Beginning Designers often start as Assistant
Designers, as trainees in design departments, or
as pattern makers, pattern graders, or
sketchers. Those who prove their ability are
usually promoted to Designer status within two
to four years. Promotion for most Designers is
reflected in a salary increase or in a work
assignment that involves greater responsibility.
Others may become self-employed.
Try to talk your way into a tour of their
studio or factory or ask for the opportunity to
see what a typical day is like. Ask as many
questions as you can from as many people as
possible: this will help you gain a real sense
of the industry. Ask about the hours they work,
how long it took them to get their own store, if
they went to school, what were their greatest
hurdles, what is the toughest part of the
job…you get the picture. Some may be too busy
preparing for a show or new clothing line, but
don't be discouraged. You really should make
every effort to get a feel for the business-I
assure you it's not all catwalks and photoshoots.
If you still want to be a fashion designer,
then dig in some more. Go to your local fabric
store and see if they offer any lessons, or try
buying some fabric and making something for
yourself. Contact your local community college
to see what courses or programs they offer in
fashion. Check to see if they have any visiting
professionals that are willing to give a
workshop or talk at your school. I know the
International Academy of Design in Toronto
offers an intensive two-week summer studio,
perhaps your local school has something similiar.
Check out books on fashion design at your local
library. Don't forget the Internet: it is a
wealth of fashion information waiting to be
tapped into.
Alana Berry and Alexander Labayen, both
former students of Toronto's International
Academy of Design, have taken somewhat different
approaches to world of fashion design.
Alana Berry
Before studying fashion, Alana pursued a
career in business and feels it is the best
thing she could have done. "When I look at the
big picture now, I realize it's not just about
being creative: fashion is also a business. If I
didn't have a strong understanding of business,
it would all be just a hobby."
Once she realized that fashion was calling
out to her, she enrolled at the Toronto
International Academy of Design. When asked
about her experience there, Alana says, "I know
that some people have been very successful with
little formal training, but I would never pass
up what I learned at the Academy-not to mention,
that's where I met my partner, Diana. Developing
a strong network of contacts in this industry is
very important."
When Alana left school she almost immediately
formed, 'Alana Berry,' her own fashion company
and label. She has teamed up with one of her
former Academy classmates, Diana Calma, and is
designing elegant custom-tailored formalwear for
her clients. Alana believes owning your own
company can be very rewarding if you're prepared
for "long hours and hard work!"
Alex Labayen
Instead of immediately heading out on his
own, Alex Labayen decided to apprentice with one
of Canada's hottest new labels, 'Misura by
Joeffer Caoc'.
Alex feels that becoming an intern has been a
valuable stepping stone to one day going out on
his own. His experiences at Misura have already
taught him some of the subtler aspects of
fashion, "You have to remember it's not for you,
the clothes I mean, you just can't design what
you like - you have to adapt to what other
people want."
Alex has realized that, "People have reasons
why they purchase what they do. You have to know
what makes people tick, what influences their
choices, you really have to learn how to observe
what is happening around you and be aware of the
past and develop your own ideas of the future."
Working as an apprentice has become an
extension of school. Alex says, "I have fun, but
it's long hours and hard work (sounds familiar).
I've been able to learn about the business side
of the industry, things like production,
distribution, custom laws, sourcing and
marketing. I think this is a great route I've
taken because I can learn from someone else's
mistakes, learn the ropes, make great contacts
and eventually go out on my own better prepared
than ever!"
Fashion is fuelled by conversion. Designers
continually persuade the public that their new
ideas, however shocking they may seem, are in
fact everything that a stylish wardrobe
requires. Next season, the same designers
convince everyone to give up their allegiance to
such out-modish designs and embrace instead the
innovative visual trends of the latest
collections. The same garments are successively
dubbed ‘outlandish’, ‘in fashion’ and
‘out-dated’ according to the apparent vagaries
of prevailing fashionable sensibilities. Are we
really duped by such duplicity? Or are we
willing participants in the cycle of fashion?
And perhaps more significantly, what relevance
does the cycle have today in Western society’s
culture of mass consumerism?
The idea that fashion in dress follows a
cyclical phase structure is not new. The
sociologist, Quentin Bell made such an
observation over fifty years ago in his book, On
Human Finery. Moreover, his observation was
based on accumulated evidence of an
uninterrupted cyclical flow in dress change in
Western society since at least the thirteenth
century.
The sociologist, Ingrid Brenninkmeyer
describes this flow by comparing it to the
rolling of waves in the sea. As one fashion
gains popularity, crests and dissipates, another
stylistic wave is already forming behind it.
Further extensions of this metaphor liken
different stylistic features to variations in
the waves themselves. For example, just as
different wave patterns form on the basis of
their force, size or length, so also different
overlapping patterns can be traced in changes of
fashionable hem length, silhouette, fabric,
décolletage and colour.
Mere descriptions of the fashion cycle
however do little to explain exactly why
successful designers’ ideas typically rise and
fall in popularity. What is the motivating force
behind such changes in fashion? What causes the
cycle to move from one phase to the next? These
questions cannot be answered simply. Perhaps
sheer boredom inspires the continual search for
something new. Or can novelty be related to
ideas of sexual allure and attraction? Do
competing market interests in the fashion
industry play a role in animating the cycle? Or
could changes in dress function as markers of
class differentiation?
These factors and more have been variously
proposed and analysed by researchers into the
sociology of fashion. Bernard Barber (1957)
depicted a ‘trickle-down’ theory of fashion as a
symbol of social class whilst Gabriel Tarde
(1903) outlined a theory of imitation. René
Konig (1973) emphasised the displacement of
sexual urge and Herbert Blumer (1969) formulated
a theory of collective selection. However, each
of these theories ultimately fails to provide a
definitive account of the processes shaping the
many vicissitudes and disparate progressions of
contemporary fashion innovation.
Long waves in which a single style dominates
for a season and is replaced in the next are no
longer the norm. There are no modern equivalents
of the crinoline, the bustle, the flapper dress,
Dior’s New Look or the three-piece
single-breasted man’s suit. The journalist Holly
Brubach captures the current pace and diversity
of the fashion cycle in an article written for
the New Yorker on December 31st, 1990: “Fashion
as it’s presented on the runways is nowhere near
as unanimous as it used to be, but coverage of
it in the press still focuses on hemlines and
colours and items – on what the collections have
in common … The truth is that these days you can
find practically anything in somebody’s
collection somewhere.”
The apparently random, rapid overlapping of
new fashions is not restricted to changes in
dress, but can also be noted in areas of modern
culture as diverse as painting, music,
architecture, entertainment and systems of
health care. In Western society’s media-based
culture of mass consumerism and against a
background of globalisation, fashion appears to
serve reactionary purposes that both structure
and affirm the identities of groups and
individuals. From surfers and students to
alienated middle-class youths and married
working women, weekly changes in fadlike styles
give a sense of belonging whilst also
distinguishing them from the masses.
Changes in the fashion cycle since the end of
World War II therefore indicate an interweaving
of complex and multiple processes. A uniform
acceptance of single fashionable styles across
the class structures of society has been
replaced by a rapidly- changing, many-faced,
identity-defining drive. It remains to be seen
whether these phenomena signal the eventual
disintegration of fashion’s long-enduring cycle.
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