Fashion business - Term Paper Example

Fashion business Introduction The fashion industry is complex industry requiring the understanding of the apparel industry. The industry is marked by several challenges including dynamic change in demand. The demand for the different fashions is linked with the impact of the social media and the involvement of celebrities. The quality of material and design has massive impact on the performance of the cloths offered by the different companies. The major challenge in the industry is the ability to understand the changes in market preference and develop products that cover the changes in demand.

Fabric Inspection and Flagging Fabrics quality is determined by the end-use. Several defects may mar appearance or adversely affect the strength and characteristics of the fabric. Therefore, the inspection of the fabric must be undertaken to ensure that the fabric of good quality is released to customers. Inspection if fashion industry involves the visual examination, or a review of the raw material. The review of the material involves the evaluation of the buttons, sewing threads, trims and fabric.

It may involve the evaluation of partially finished components of the garment. The objective of the inspection is to detect the defects as early as possible during the manufacturing in order to reduce the cost of the operation by reducing the added cost as a result of correcting the defects (Saget 134). The main purpose of the inspection is to determine the quality and acceptability for the garments. Some fashion businesses rely on the manufacturer to evaluate the fabric through inspection and grading.

Inspection, mapping and marking of defects before spreading and cutting will reduce time required for production. The cutter’s productivity is improved greatly with the introduction of the fabric inspection and grading. Patterns can be cut around the defects to reduce their inclusion in to the final product. Fabric inspection involves the use of the inspection machines that are vital in evaluation and reduces the cost of inspection. However, it is difficult to conduct a 100% inspection of the fabric.

Therefore, a minimum of 10% inspection is recommended in the process. Several fabric inspection systems exist with the common system being the 4-point system. Other systems include Dallas, Graniteville78, and 10-point systems. Merchandizing Merchandizing mediates between marketing and the production department. It is the practices, operations and methods that can be used to promote and sustain categories of commercial activity. The role of the merchandiser is to bridge the gap between the buyer and the seller.

The role of merchandiser is to evaluate and promote the purchase of the product by developing the necessary relationship between the buyer and the seller. They are important because they evaluate the various issues affecting the preference and quality of the product and communicating the changes to the manufacturing decision. However, the quality of the product is determined by the manufacturing process which is developing during the design process. To develop proper relationships, communication between the customer and the seller is paramount.

Without the connection between the sellers and the buyers the success of any business is limited and may not be achieved in the long-term. Merchandizing is a vital process in the fashion industry because it facilitates communication and understanding in the sector by addressing the various issues that affect the two important groups in the fashion industry. Therefore, the planning of the merchandising process will be integral for success of the fashion business. Garment analysis and specification development The analysis of garments is done in order to ensure that the apparel produced meet a particular business needs.

There are factors to be considered in the process which include cost and quality. Garment analysis has seven aspects that must be addressed in the process to ensure success in the fashion business. Style description is the first aspect in garment analysis. The style description involves the identification and development of a complete description of the style. During the process, the assigning of the style number, body types and size ranges for the style and the development of the range for the style is vital because it facilitates the development of products (Saget 69).

Positioning strategy is the second factor in garment analysis. Positioning strategy is developed based on several factors which include functionality, factors of description and position of the targeted product in the market. The position of the product will influence the level of engagement and the marketing strategy to be employed. Size and fit is a factor in garment analysis. Size should be labeled in a manner that allows customers to find the right size. The development of the sizing standards will encourage purchase of the products.

Body size is indicated using general terms such as small, medium, large and extra-large. For apparel sizing the body types may be classified based on body proportions. In conclusion, garment analysis involves several issues that must be addressed in order to develop the necessary sizing and quality standards. Works Cited Saget, Allison. The Event Marketing Handbook: Beyond Logistics and Planning. Berlin: Kaplan Publishing, 2006.