FASHION CYCLE

• All Fashions move in cycle.

• Fashion Cycle refers to the rise, wide popularity and then decline in acceptance
of a style.

• Its represented by a bell shaped curve.

STAGES OF FASHION CYCLE

Fashion cycle is not haphazard, thy don’t just happen

• They are definite stages that re easily recognized.

1. Introduction
2. Rise
3. Culmination
4. Decline
5. Obsolescence

INTRODUCTION

• In this stage a new fashion is introduced by a producer in form of a new style,

color or texture.

• New styles are always introduced in high price and small quantities.

• Since retail fashion buyers purchase a limited number of pieces to test the new
styles appeal to targeted customers.

• This testing period comes at the beginning of the buying cycle of fashion
merchandise, which coincides w/ the introduction stage of the fashion cycle.

• The period ends whn the new style either begins its rise or has been rejected by
the targeted customer.

• Because there can be many risks, new styles must be priced high enough that
those that succeed can cover on those that fail.

• At this point, promotional activities such as designer appearances, institutional

advertising and fashion shows, to appeal the fashion leaders of the community
and also to enhance the store’s image.
RISE STAGE

• When the new design is accepted by an increasing no. of customers it is

considered to be in its rise stage.

• At this stage buyer re-orders in quantity for maximum stock coverage.

• During this stage many retailers offer line for line copy or Knock-offs.

• Knock-offs are versions of the original designer style duplicated by

manufacturers. These copies look exactly like the original except that they have
been mass-produced in less expensive fabrics.

• Because prod. Of the merchan. Is now on a larger scale, prices of knockoffs are
generally lower.

• As a new style continues to be accepted by more and more coustomers,

Adaptations appear.

• Adaptations are designs that have all the dominant features of the style that
inspired them but do not claim to be exact copies.

• Modifications have been made, but distinguishing features of the original, such as
a special shoulder treatment or the use textured fabric, may be retained in the
Adaptation.

• At this stage, the promotion effort focuses on regular price lines and full
assortments.

CULMINATION STAGE

• This is the period when a fashion is at the height of its popularity and use.

• At this stage, also called the plateau, the fashion is in such demand that it can be
mass produced, mass distributed and sold at prices with in the range of most
customers.

• This stage may be long or brief, depending on how extended the peak of
popularity is. For eg: the quilted coat, which began as an expensive down filled
style in the late 70’s reached its culmination stage when mass production in
acrylic fill made a quilted coat available to practically every income level.

• At this stage, the high price line fashion buyer stops reordering the fashion buyer
stops reordering the fashion and begins reducing stock.
 • This stage can be extended in two ways :
Fashion that all fashions end
• If a fashion becomes accepted as a classic, it settles into a fairly steady sales
pattern. For eg: cardigan sweater, an annually steady seller.

• If new detail of design, color, or texture is continually introduced, interest in the

fashion may be kept alive longer. For eg: running shoes or floaters, fostered by
new colors, design and comfort innovations.

DECLINE STAGE

• When the boredom in fashion sets in, the result is a decrease in consumer demand
for that fashion.

• It is the principle of fashion that all fashions end in excess

• Consumer may till be wearing it, but they are no longer willing to buy it at its
regular price.

• At this point, production stops immediately or comes slowly to a halt.

• The leading stores abandon the style, traditional stores take a moderate mark-
down and advertise the price reduction.

• A major price-slash clearance or closeout will probably follow in short while.

• At this stage, the style may be found in bargain stores at prices far below what
they were in the earlier stage.

OBSOLESENCE STAGE

• When strong distaste for style has set in and it can no longer be sold at any price,
the fashion is in its obsolescence stage.

• At this stage, the style can be found only in thrift shops, garage sales, or flea
markets.

• However recently in 2007, obsolescence had new meaning : Recycled and

sustainable fashion.

• At Glassgow School of Arts in Scotland, there is a project REJECT RAG-

REBORN that take the obsolete garments and rags and transforms them into
funky hi- fshion outfits.
 • UNIQLO, clothing store chain in Japan hs a recycling program whereby
customers may bring UINQLO apparel they no longer use to them for recycling
and reuse.

• Reuseable clothes are given to refugees and displaced people through UN and
other relief organizations, while waste garments are recycled in to textiles and
other products.

LENGTHS OF CYCLES

• Since each fashion moves at its own pace, predicting the time span of a fashion
cycle is impossible.

• One guideline that an be counted on is,

• Decline are fast and a drop to obsolescence is almost always steeper than a rise to
culmination.

• Rapid tech. and communication have resulted in a acceleration in the speed with
which product are moving through the cycles.

• The result is an intense competition among manufactures and retailers to provide

consumers with what they want and expect which is “ Constantly changing
assortments from which to choose”

• The vast choice of new styles that consumers are offered conti. Plays an imp. Role
in the movement of fashion cycles.

• Consumers either give a new style enough acceptance or they immediately reject
it.

• Since more new fashions are always ready to push existing ones out of the way,
its no wonder that w. each passing year, the time required for a fashion to
complete its cycle becomes shorter and shorter.

• Women clear out their closets constantly.

• Thrift stores, resale shops and flea markets have been the destinations for these
clothes.

• Due to television and internet, the markets for reselling clothing is changing.

• Some of the least expensive clothes are seening the biggest jumps in value.
 • Inexpensive clothes designed by Karl Lagerfield, Victor and Rolf, Stella
McCartney, Mddona and others are intended to give customers a chance to own
designer duds. Limited-edition designer clothes made for store like H&M and
Target.

• Online auction sites like eBay etc. are letting shoppers sell hot items from H&M
and Traget for the price above their original values.

BREAKS IN CYCLE

• As everything else, in fashion also there are always ups and downs, stops and
starts.

• The normal flow of a fashon cycle can be broken or abruptly interrupted by the
outside influences as simple like unpredictable change in weather or in group
acceptance.

• Or it can be far reaching and more dramatic like war, worldwide economic
depression, or a natural disaster.

• Although there is no formal studies on the phenomenon of the broke cycle but the
manufacturers and the merchants have the theory about it.:

• They belive that a broken cycle usually picks up from it has stopped once
conditions return to normal or once the season that was cut-short reopens.

• Widespread economic depression resulting to unemployment ialso temporarily

interrupts the normal progress of the fashion cycle.

• It resumes its pace only w/ economic recovery and growth.

• Wars can also be the reason. Give eg. Of war in Afghanistan. After wars have
ended, interests in fashion picks up.

LONG-RUN & SHORT_RUN FAHIONS

• Long-Run fashions take more seasons to complete their cycles than what might be
considered avrg.

• Short-Run fashion take fewer seasons.

• Some fashions tend to rise in popular acceptance more slowly than other, thereby
prolonging their life.
 • Some stay in popular demand much longer than the others do. The decline in
popular demand for some fashions may be slower than for others.

CONSUMER BUYING & FASHION CYCLE

• Every fashion has both a consumer buying and consumer use cycle.

• the curve of the consumer buying cycle rises in direct relation to that of consumer
use cycl.e.

• But when the fashion reches its peak, comsumer buying tends to decline rapidly
than consumer use.

• Diff. groups of consumers continue to wear fashions for varying lengths of time
after they have stopped buying them.

• The producers and retailers serving this group are already abandoning the style
and marketing something newer.
• Consumer buying is often halted prematurely because producers and sellers no
longer wish to risk making and stocking an item they believe will soon decline in
popularity. For eg. Buy summer clothes in late aug or skiwear in march.

• Instead they concentrate their resources on new items w/ better longevity.

THE INTANGIBLES OF FASHION

• Fashion is intangible, where as a style is tangible, made up of definite silhouette

and details of design.

• Fashion is shaped by such powerful intangibles such as

• Group Acceptance: a style may be adopted by one group while other segments of
the population ignore it. More ppl care about fashion than we think, but they don’t
care about trends. Fashion is a game played by few ppl. More ppl. Care about
presentation.

• a style may also be accepted and become fashion in one part of the while it is
rejected and ignored elsewhere. For eg. African tribes

• similarly many ethnic and religious groups have distinctive style of dress.

• The way we dress is personal signature but need for acceptance is expressed
largely in the way we dress.
 • Acceptance also means that a fashion is considered appropriate to the occasion for
which it is worn. For e.g. clothes for boardroom to casual wear.

• CHANGE

PRINCIPLES OF FASHION

The five principles of fashion are:

1. Consumer establish fashions by accepting or rejecting the styles offers.

2. Fashions are not based on price

3. Fashions are evolutionary in nature, they are rarely revolutionary

4. No amount of sales promotion can change the direction in which fashion

moving

5. All fashions end in excess.