5 things you probably didn’t know about the fashion industry Mark Twain once wrote, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Whether we’re one of the millions of people employed by the sector or just someone who likes to shop on Fifth Avenue or in second-hand stores, we are all touched by the fashion industry. Before the early autumn ushers in fashion weeks around the world, here are five things about the global fashion industry you probably didn’t know: The fashion industry generates up to $2.5 trillion in revenue a year The fashion industry is huge and continues to grow rapidly – according to current growth projections, it will double in the next 10 years, generating up to $5 trillion annually. It’s not just big in terms of revenue – it also employs 60 million people around the world. Clothing accounts for 88% of Haiti’s exports Only 25% of board members of publicly-traded fashion companies are women But while the shop floor is one story, the boardroom is another. 24 April is Fashion Revolution Day Share
Cartier’s $600,000 Watch Shows Risks of Extending Luxury Brands For over a century, Cartier has sold elegant, if simple, timepieces such as the Tank, which starts around $2,500 -- affordable by Swiss watch standards, and never confused with the level of technical finesse from brands like Patek Philippe. Then a decade ago, Cartier sought to prove its own prowess, investing millions to build one of Switzerland’s largest watch factories and bringing in an industry veteran to head a fine watchmaking unit. The jeweler delved into the segment for connoisseurs known as “complicated pieces,” which sport analog mechanisms such as calendars that adjust for leap years and require painstaking hand craftsmanship. The effort culminated last year in the Rotonde de Cartier Grande Complication Skeleton, a glass-backed confection priced at more than $600,000. But then the Chinese demand that had supported the market collapsed. Read Next: Cartier Just Made Its Most Complicated Watch Ever ‘Blinded By China’ “Cartier was blinded by the boom in China,” Pusz said.
Global fashion industry statistics - International apparel Total trade of clothing and textiles: 726 billion dollars The most traded apparel and textile products are non-knit women’s suits, knit sweaters, knit T-shirts and non-knit men’s suits. Non-knit women’s suits: 54.6 billion dollars, 7.5 percent Knit sweaters: 52.8 billion dollars, 7.3 percent Non-knit men’s suits: 43.4 billion dollars, 6 percent Knit T-shirts: 36.9 billion dollars, 5.1 percent Knit Women’s suits: Knit women’s suits: 28.2 billion dollars, 3.9 percent Light rubberized knitted fabric: 23.9 billion dollars, 3.3 percent Synthetic filament yarn woven fabric: 20.9 billion dollars, 2.9 percent Raw cotton: 18.9 billion dollars, 2.6 percent Non-retail synthetic yarn: 18.8 billion dollars, 2.6 percent China is the largest exporter of apparel in the world, it has exported for 265 billion dollars in 2014. India is the second largest exporter with 38.7 billion dollars of clothing exports. Total trade of footwear and headwear: 139 billion dollar
Suzy Menkes reviews Alexander Wang's New York Fashion Week show | British Vogue The music pounded through the vast pier building on the Hudson River: smashing through the ear drums, reverberating off hefty machinery, the unstoppable noise mixed with eye-popping images on screen of delivery trucks in action. And that was before the Alexander Wang show had even started. But there was a story behind the tale on screen. So much smart marketing – or as front row guest Madonna's black cap read: “WANGFEST”. With rappers, rockers and significant others in sexed-up outfits finally in place, the fashion presentation started with pretty, underwear-inspired outfits. InDigital Wang's clothes – minus the aggressive music – were all sweetness and light: a feminine fullness to shorts that might come like French knickers, trimmed with lace; or as a gently ballooning skirt. To counteract the sugary colours, Wang offered tangy shades like neon green, vivid purple or turquoise. With such fashion talent, does Wang need to create shows for fashion pros that are designed as one big party?
Michelle Obama, Jackie Kennedy, and the Best Fashion Moments in American Political History At the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage to deliver a rousing argument for uniting the party and casting a vote for Hillary Clinton. Her wardrobe choice—a sapphire blue cap-sleeved dress by American designer Christian Siriano—delivered a clear message, too. She picked the party’s color, matched perfectly to the Convention backdrop, as if to say: This isn’t about me. Consider Jackie Kennedy as the beginning of this fascination with Washingtonian dressing. The designers Kennedy picked were, of course, telling: She relied heavily on Oleg Cassini for many of her key looks as well as Hubert de Givenchy (worn strategically on a state visit to France) and Christian Dior. Like Obama and Kennedy, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton understands you can make a meaningful statement with fashion: that every choice of designer or color—every thread, waistline, and hem—may be viewed under a microscopic lens. Read Caption
Prada seeks younger customers in bid for growth Image copyright AP Italian luxury fashion group Prada has predicted a return to growth as it seeks to connect with younger customers through online sales and flexible pricing. First half profits fell 25% to €330m (£282m) due partly to falling demand in China and Italy. But Prada said it saw 2016 as "a turning point." It has been reviewing prices, product variety and online marketing to appeal to more customers. Revenue fell 15% to €1.55bn compared to this time last year and in April Prada announced its lowest profits in five years. It was previously criticised for opening too many new stores and failing to invest enough online. Prada said it was on track with plans to double its e-commerce sales over the next two years by increasing the number of products it offered online, particularly shoes. It will also expand its social media activities so it can raise its profile among "the 'always connected' millennials," referring to the 20s -30s age group. Image copyright Getty Images
Fashion and Politics | Fashion Institute of Technology Gallery FIT July 7 – November 7, 2009Online Exhibition Fashion & Politics was a chronological exploration of over 200 years of politics as expressed through fashion. The term politics not only refers to the maneuverings of government, but also encompasses cultural change, sexual codes, and social progress. Throughout history, fashion has been a medium for conveying political ideologies and related social values. Fashion has addressed such important themes as nationalism, feminism and ethnic identity, as well as significant events and subcultural movements. "American Flag" costume, printed cotton, c.1889, USA, gift of Stephen de Pietri, 88.125.1 Vivienne Tam, suit, black and white polyester in checkerboard pattern of "Mao" portraits, 1995, USA, gift of Vivienne Tam, 95.82.5 Mainbocher for United States Navy, W.A.V.E.S. uniform, navy blue wool, 1942, USA, 84.2013.1 Dress, white cotton with red "IKE" print, circa 1956, USA. This exhibition was organized by Jennifer Farley and Melissa Marra.
Anna Sui Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear Collection The penultimate day of the New York show sprint and who among us isn’t in need of a visit to some far-flung, beachy locale? That’s just what Anna Sui served up tonight, albeit only a stone’s throw from the fracas of an assembled many awaiting another iconoclast (the lady Madge) over at Madison Square Garden. Prompted by a recent getaway of her own to Tahiti and Honolulu, Sui riffed on pop’s long-standing affair with island life, from the ’30s starlet Dorothy Lamour, to Elvis’s trinity of Hawaiian movies, to David Bailey’s shot of a bronzed, sun-soaked Marie Helvin. Even Jane Campion’s high-minded New Zealand period piece The Piano made the cut in the form of a little subtly placed Victoriana. Sui’s tendency toward an almost magpie-like archivist’s eye remains one of her more defining and compelling characteristics. Indeed, today’s Honolulu honeys embodied all the best parts of kitsch: its color, its humor, its play. And what of the prints?
Faux Fur is More Than a Faux Pas, it's Poison One of the arguments most beloved of the anti-fur lobby is that fake fur is actually better for the environment than the real thing. That argument, however, is as fake as the apparel it supports. And some new research has thrown the whole issue around man-made fibres more generally into the limelight. Specifically, researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara have found that, on average, synthetic fleece jackets release 1.7 grams of microfibers each wash. and that this is having a devastating effect on our rivers, oceans and marine life. What are these microfibres? But this new study is only part of the story. What the activists have notably left out, however, are the gaping flaws in that research, not least the fact it was commissioned by three European anti-fur groups. On the one hand, we can prove this figure is vastly over-inflated. This last point is perhaps the crux of the matter.
New York Fashion Week 2016: Bella Hadid Falls On Michael Kors Runway, Handles It Like A Boss | Huffington Post Culture - Designers think big at Paris Fashion Week