The Business Behind Fashion

In order to understand the business behind fashion, we must first explore and understand what fashion means to most of us, and why it is such an integral part of our system. What is fashion really?

As I see it, there are three core definitions of the word Fashion: 

Fashion is clothing. 

As simple as it sounds, fashion is clothing. Fashion refers to the materials and procedures behind creating an item of clothing. It is the supply chain processes, material and textile sourcing and manufacturing, and the entire retail and wholesale structure that allows clothing to be produced and reach the end user. 

Fashion is a process. 

Fashion has an extremely specific relationship to time. It is an expression of what is popular, at the time when it is popular. As such, it can be seen as a sign of the times, and a societal expression of what is good, important and of value. Fashion is a constantly changing and evolving process, and it puts value on what is new, because it is new. 

Fashion is a conscious and constant evolution. It is a process according to which styles replace one another, and through this process, we may find what is popular, and therefore what is of value. 

Fashion is self expression. 

On a personal level, fashion is a way to communicate oneself. For all of us there is something behind the impetus to style ourselves, whether that is to illustrate status, to express what we find beautiful, or to show our own personal self image externally to the world. Clothing in a sense is the original social media. It is the fastest way to project what we are all about. Fashion therefore is the self expression of our personal values in its purest form. 

In sum: 

Fashion is relevant because at a micro and macro level it shows us what we as a society deem relevant, good, and true. It is the ultimate expression of both contemporary-ness and tradition. We use fashion to organise ourselves from a social standpoint, and as an urge to distinction. It is paradoxical, symbolic, and holds its own global language. It has it’s own ecosystem and history. Lastly, fashion is a business. And that is what we shall use this space to discuss. 

Sources: IFM Paris