Assignment 4: Case 4-1 “Sears Goes Zwinky for Tweens and Teens”

Technology has had a major impact on the progress of fashion between the 1945’s and 1960’s and beyond. People used to have busy lifestyles before the growth of technology to help them. During WW2, there was a shortage of fabrics and people needed to preserve them. However, once the world got into a stable post-war time which were the 50s, there were more intricate outfits which used large amounts of fabric. Technology also allowed more different varieties of dyes and fibers to be made which added more of a personal touch to fashion and gave a feeling of wellbeing and comfort.

Strength: I believe one of Sears’s holdings most important strength is that they are a solid retail association since they provide the U.S. and Canada with over 3,847 stores. Furthermore, Sears has the lead in the market position, giving them another great strength. Moreover, they have balanced products combination, which help them with their strengths as well. Consequently, I believe Sears’s expansive product offering is a strength that helps them do their tasks so

Throughout the 1920s through the 1950s Women’s clothing in America was affected by World War II, which lead to the exploration of different styles, the encounter of new trends and the exchange of ideas and new styles.

Renzetti and Daniel say By Choosing clothes that fit their kids gender it helps people distinguish them among other children and to other people. By distinguishing kids by gender at an early age it helps people know how to treat the child early. Parents give their daughters pink and yellow clothes to be identified by. People

People indulge in clothes shopping every day and often do not consider the changes that occurred throughout time that led to the development of mass produced clothing for both men and women. As a result of the Civil War, the production of clothing shifted from homemade clothing to clothing mass produced in factories. After the Civil War, Urbanization along with new developments, such as advertising and the new, wealthy urban class, increased the demand for mass produced women’s clothing and clothing stores that made clothing readily available.

For this project, I chose Target’s department store because, one, I am an employee there and most importantly I felt that it showed different types of people in multiple ways through its products. For my first observation my goal was to examine how the store was arranged, the products that

the second largest retailer of the national chains. In the environmental analysis you will discover that Sears’ marketing toward women differentiated them from their competitor’s and increased their sales as well as their market share. They have had many social/cultural problems that they have had to overcome,

Sears began its journey in 1886 when a Chicago jewelry company shipped some gold-filled watches to an unsuspecting jeweler in a Minnesota hamlet. Richard W. Sears was an agent of the Minneapolis and St. Louis railway station in North Redwood, Minnesota. Sears’s job as station agent left him plenty of spare time, so he sold lumber and coal to local residents on the side to make extra money. Later, when he received a shipment of watches, unwanted by a neighboring Redwood Falls jeweler, Sears purchased them himself. He sold the watches at a nice profit to other station agents up and down the line, and then ordered more for resale. In 1886 Sears began the R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis. The following year, Sears moved his business to Chicago and inserted a classified ad in the Chicago Daily News for a watchmaker. Enter Alvah C. Roebuck. Here began the association of two young men, both still in their twenties, to make their names famous. For it was in 1893 that the corporate name of the firm became Sears, Roebuck and Co was created. By the time Sears was created, rural farmers were infuriated with the outrageous costs of buying supplies from the general store. Thanks to volume buying, to the railroads and post office, and later to rural free delivery and parcel post, Sears, Roebuck and Co. became a welcome change to farmers. At the close of its 2000 fiscal year, Sears operated 863 mall-based retail stores, most with co-located Sears Auto Centers, and an additional

The Garment District in Manhattan has a very rich history. In the 1800s, tailors made mass amounts of men's clothing in the district, and that was the first influence that clothing had on the district. Later, however, the district became the origin of modern American fashion, and became the first American attempt to make fashion and personalization readily available for American men. As the 19th century came to a close, the district’s fashion industry was expanding expeditiously. As immigrants moved into the neighborhood looking for work, they began sewing and making clothing in small, crowded tenement, later known as a sweatshop. In addition, more department stores began to move into the neighborhood. Eventually, with the addition of more

The 1940’s was a turning point in fashion when the New Look by Christian Dior was created in 1947. The new silhouette included soft rounded shoulders, was nipped in the waist, and had a long full skirt. This silhouette along with Christian Dior’s tight-skirted silhouette in dresses and suits and the A-line look all continued into the 1950’s and remained the three main silhouettes for most of the decade. His three silhouettes influenced all kinds of attire including prom dresses, casual everyday wear and even children’s clothing. Figure 4 shows my great grandmother and grandfather in their home in 1955. Everyday dresses were very important during this time because many women did not work but still wanted to remain fashionable in their home.

Ever since their invention many centuries ago, clothes have been used as a way of communicating. The message communicated relies on a number of factors including the social background of both the communicator and the receiver, and the context in which the message is communicated. Although at times the exact message or symbolism one is trying to portray may not be clear, it is evident that clothing has long been embraced as one of the best ways to project one’s desired personal image to those around them.

Sears is facing a huge problem when it comes to making profits anymore and they are continuing to shut down stores. They have already shut down over 100 locations due to them not being as successful as they used to be. They also have a failed stock, drained all their resources, and they are loaded with debt. This company is not able to pull through and make profits anymore because their CEO is not capable of making changes to the company to bring it out of it. He sees that the company is not as presentable as it used to be and it does not have the same appeal. People are not going to want to go to a store where it does not have anything to offer anymore. How can sears become profitable again if they are in such debt and trouble with stocks

In 1897 Sebastian Spering Kresge opened five-dime stores in Memphis and Detroit with John McCrorey as his partner. Two years later the partnership broke up and each person kept one city. Mr. Kresge kept the Detroit store and began expanding from there onward. In 1912 the company became incorporated as S.S. Kresge and was the 2nd largest dime store chain with 85 stores and annual sales of more than $10 million. In 1918 S.S Kresge was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Throughout the decades, Kresge rapidly expanded eventually opening the first Kmart store in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan. By 1966 there were more 160 Kmart stores in the US and Canada. In 1968 Kmart began airing TV commercials. In the 1970s, Kmart continued to expand

The Years between the 1950’s and 1960’s was an explosive time in fashion. The 50’s represented an out coming of the new generation. People began to gain their own personal style and appearance, influenced by films and singers (“Vintage Fashion”). Their styles incorporated leather, jeans, corduroy, and the ballet shoes for the girls. Men’s wear began to drastically change. Men would wear a leather jacket, with jeans that narrowed at the bottom, and a simple t-shirt (Peacock 210-211). This was the first time in history that jeans were not just worn by the working class but by all men (“Brief History”). The man’s lust for flesh grew during this time, so women’s skirts began to get shorter and the bikini was invented. Clothes were made to glorify the female body and emphasize every curve. It wasn’t until the Barbie doll was created in the late 50’s that young girls began to have a separate fashion from their mothers. Young girls would wear sweaters with full skirts or pants

Social and cultural changes are major determinants of emerging fashions. However, they are themselves affected by the other drivers of change that include globalization of world markets and accessibility of more sophisticated communications technologies. The latter has provided people with faster and wider access to more ideas and influences from other cultures and societies, driving demand for wider choice in fashion products.