Australian Fashion Industry Essay

Since I was little, I always knew that I wanted to be a part of the fashion industry in some way or form. So, as I got older I decided to take on the path of becoming a fashion merchandiser. Though that path has not been easy, I knew that being a Fashion Merchandiser was a right fit. Fashion Merchandising is defined as the promotion of apparel sales and evolves the tasks necessary to deliver the clothing requests and meet the needs of designers and customers. A Fashion Merchandiser can determine future style trends and must have a strong sense of style. Understanding what people want is what makes any fashion brand successful, especially a Fashion Merchandiser. Deciding to become a Fashion Merchandiser has led me on to the right path in which

Even though consumers recognize the relevance of ethical business practices within the supply chain for production, it does not totally sway the need to buy clothing to fit in to man-made norms. Ideally, to foster change towards sustainability, a mutual understanding must exist between the buyer and seller. The producers of clothing must enact lean manufacturing within their supply chains to limit the amount of waste and work on maximizing material usage to increase the overall bottom line. In the same token, buyers must limit overall consumption by balancing the amount of quickly disposable clothes with higher quality staple pieces within a wardrobe. Adjustments on both ends of the fashion supply chain will take the lack of responsibility on the consumer end, and move towards emphasizing sustainability in balance with fashion trends.

The Industry has a huge eco-system. It started out with Fashion Designers who made clothes and fashion for what they are now. It branched out to Models who showcased said Clothes for the Designers. There came out Magazines who published their work and Fashion Writers who worked for these Magazines. Fashion Photographers who shot the Shows and Show managers who ran the show. It got Makeup artists to make the models look good and Public Relations officers who got Models for them. It developed to get Designers specialised in every segment of Fashion from apparel to shoes, from Design to Decoration. The brands had celebrity ambassadors to publicise their Labels and Stylists to make them look their best and then finally, Bloggers to spread the word and inspire more

The Australian department store sector has undergone significant change over the past decade. The discount department store is increasingly competitive. Financial crisis has resulted in higher unemployment rate and lower consumer sentiment, effecting retailing sales. However, these negative events have been partially offset by the Federal Government’s economic stimulus package and reduction of official interest rates. In non-food industry of Australia, there are restrictive property and zoning laws, causing barriers for entrants. The leading retailers such as Myer and David Jones have great brand identification and customer loyalty. Their large scale and mature supply chains ensure their cost

The fashion industry is rapidly growing and constantly generating new fashion trends almost weekly. Fashion for some may seem ridiculous and unnecessary; but fashion is not just a meaningless usage of article of clothing or farcical materials sew together for coverage. There is more to fashion than meets the eyes, fashion is precious and significant. It is a reflection of self-image, it speak the ream about who we are and how we review ourselves. Not only is fashion the reflection of self-image but also the reflection of our history as Coco Channel have said, “Fashion is not something that exist in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion

The dreamers market returned for it’s fourth annual event of Australian hand made products. Designers displayed their innovation and creativity from fashion and food to gifts and kitchenware, as the community came to support local business. A turnout of hundreds of people left designers far from disappointed as they experience a personal selling environment.

Teri Agins, a senior writer at the Wall Street Journal, has publications in the Journal and wrote in 1999 The End of Fashion. Agins’ book gives a true overview of the fashion industry from the origin of Haute Couture to prêt-à-porter to mass-market consumption. Her focus is on marketing and uses Armani, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karen, Marshall Fields and Gap to demonstrate “(from) class to mass, (from) elitism to democratization; (from) art to commodity.” This is perfectly showed in a paragraph from Agins

In the last few years fashion has reached a plateau. Store brands continue to search for a middle ground to expand a profit or risk losing customers. In the process innovation is lost, the essence of fashion is creativity sparked by the mind. Ideas put into physical form to shape the human body.

INTRODUCTION Fashion has been one of the most evolving phenomenon since the existence of the human species on the Earth. With the vast improvements in the society, the fashion industry has evolved from simple clothing to fancy modern clothing. In the 1980’s, fashion had become a vital part for the men and women in the Australian society. This decade of power dressing had introduced a variety of trends for men and women that became an important part of the popular culture. Each and every trend of the 80’s had its own history and significance of the people.

Even though it may seem like the problems in the industry are above us, we, the consumers, actually created them. Lucy Siegle, a journalist and author based in the UK, was interviewed in a film, dedicated to the flaws in the fashion industry, called The True

Second, a large capital investment is required to fund the production and the distribution of the apparel. Funding is also required to perform extensive market research to ensure that the styles generated by the brand fit the current fashion trends that consumers are interested in buying. In today’s economic conditions, it may be difficult for new start-up designers to gain access to capital needed to enter the fashion industry. Although there are always talented and up-and-coming designers waiting for their chance to make their mark on the fashion world, it is not likely that new entrants have the potential to greatly affect Tory’s sales. The branding requirements alone to compete in the saturated luxury women’s fashion industry limit the impact of new market entry from new designers.

Since the global financial downturn in late 2008, retailing has since delivered negative growth. Employment within the sector, the ‘second largest single employer within Australia’, also fell by 6% in 2009. Fashion retailers are continually at the mercy of consumer spending especially during economic downturns. In fact, the fashion industry in 2009 delivered a negative sales turnover of –1.9%. Not surprisingly, department store sales also plummeted to –3.5%.

2. Richard M. Johns (2006). The Apparel Industry. 2nd ed. UK, London: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. 1-124.

‘Fashion industry is characterised by short product life cycles, volatile and unpredictable demand, tremendous product variety, long and inflexible supply processes and a complex supply chain.’

The fashion industry too, is influenced by external forces be they social, political, economic, technological or even competitive, which