Globalization and the Fashion Industry
Assignment 2: 2000-word essay
80% of overall module grade
A 2,000-word essay (excluding bibliography) that answers one of the below questions:
1. How has globalisation affected the design, production, distribution and consumption of fashion? Use specific (1-3) example(s) to examine this question in your essay
Key words: Globalisation/global flows, localisation, national/cultural identities, representation, colonialism, post-colonialism and decolonisation, cultural appropriation.
2. How can fashion re-enforce or challenge how gender identities are constructed? Consider with references to specific (1-3) example(s)
Key words: Femininity; masculinities; LGBTQ+ identities; the fashioned body; body regimes; the gaze; queer theory.
3. How have subcultures (and their sartorial identities) been influential to fashion? Discuss with reference to relevant (1-3) example(s).
Key words: Community; authenticity; consumerism and youth culture; trickle-down/bubble-up/ trickle-across theories; music-art-fashion collaboration.
4. What role does media play in creating fashion(s)? Select one media format (this could be new/digital/social media; magazines and print based formats; the fashion show; the fashion film) and discuss with reference to (1-3) example(s).
Key words: Representation; celebrity culture and influence; self-storytelling; trickle down/bubble-up/ trickle-across theories; spectacle; the everyday.
Please note the following, your essay should include
Reference to the relevant key themes, debates and concepts covered in the module;
Referenced quotations (formatted according to Harvard Style) and engaged discussion with content from at least four different academic texts (with at least two from the reading list) to support your argument;
A critical analysis of examples, which includes images of them;
Conventions of academic writing including citing, referencing, captions and a bibliography containing all source material used in your research (with a separate list of images), referenced using Harvard Style.
This is a link to the dedicated library pages to help you with various aspects of managing academic research and writing: https://canvas(dot)kingston(dot)ac(dot)uk/courses/768/pages/ksa-art-and-design-how-to-cite-and-reference
Also please note that you must not cite Wikipedia/blog posts, nor use website material and do not refer to media articles as academic sources. Sites, such as Business of Fashion, Vogue Business or WGSN are industry publications and may be referred to (as support or primary material) but they do not count as one of your academic sources.
FASHION DESIGN
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FASHION DESIGN
Question 1
Fashion industries aim to hit the global markets to start different unique styles, influence customers and develop new production methods. Currently, fashion trends change according to consumers' localisation and cultural identities. Fashion design matches the needs of the cultural group, such as religion and ethnicity. For instance, Muslims and Catholics have stringent doctrines that our fashion should adhere to as they design fashion products. Ethnicity is also critical to fashion industries and localisation. People in the cold region prefer heavy clothing to keep them warm during these cold seasons. According to Macchione et al. (2015, 178), globalisation is a significant influence in the fashion industries to keep informed on the new trend through old and latest media sources. Textiles and clothing styles are the most prominent indicators of cross-cultural interchange, showing how people cope with the latest technology. Due to globalisation, the global cultures have foreshadowed the alterations of the future economy, culture, daily lives of consumers.
Design is a critical aspect of the fashion industry that drives the need of individuals in the entire world. Technology has become a critical aspect that shapes this field every day. Design theory differs from one part to another, and it depends on the localisation of every area with consumers. Countries with cold weather have different designs of clothing they require to keep them warm in the cold climate (Appleford, 2013, 267). Designs vary with time as consumers develop different tastes of products according to new technology existing in their local region. For instance, in the early era, women and men had fixed types of clothing attached to their needs according to their cultural identities. Today, the design still holds value in the fashion industry as people choose their priorities according to their relevant clothing facilities. The universe is becoming a computer-mutated world with many changing their priorities. On a national aspect, specific countries have a particular type of clothes that best suit them. For instance, countries with dominant Islamic religions prefer the type of clothes that suit their religion.
Global flows never hesitate to shape the design nature in the fashion industry. The entire universe has become a common platform with the same design of the same clothes except for different subcultures that may require a certain type. Cultural identities have been one of the facilitating factors influencing design in the fashion industry. We cannot ignore fashion in this era. People's cultural values hold much influence that helps fashion industries design specific types of clothes. For instance, African culture and the Contrives of the Middle East prefer women to wear clothes that almost cover their whole body. Culture of people consumers hold much value to design mechanisms in this industry. Religion and ethnicity are critical parameters in the cultural identities of consumers. According to Appleford (2013, 99), one can differentiate the culture of people according to their mode of dressing. Today, fashion industries can never ignore the need for consumers' cultural values to understand the type of fashion they should invent.
Design is an essential factor that will hold the fashion industry's value in everyday life. Different subcultures continue to change the design nature in the industry according to people's perspectives. For instance, different people wear various clothes designs according to their field of employment and some according to their sporting activities. Today, design in the fashion industry holds the decency of people in society. Besides, one can differentiate people of their careers according to their different types of clothes. For instance, people in white-collar jobs dress differently from those working in the field. People working in heavy machinery and exposed surfaces of danger have a specific type of clothing to protect their well-being. People working in the x-ray depart have a garment that safeguards their exposure to UV light.
For instance, the essential elements in the fashion industries include textile, apparel, and footwear. All production sectors study human behaviour to offer high-demand products on the market. Production of fashion industries changes according to the time, technology, culture, and place of the consumers. The commodities of colonial error are not the same as decolonisation and post-colonisation (Adamson and Pavitt, 2011, 199). The customer's tastes and preferences will continue to evolve every time in the market. Therefore, the production sector in fashion should lead a consumer study behaviour to understand the products in high demand that will lead to a fast-growing economy and promote the entire world's technology. The production department needs to have interactive communication with the buyers to understand the review of their products to improve to quality products that match customers' desires.
Production is a critical aspect that producers should consider to expand their business environment. Today, production respects consumers' needs in the market to produce a product that best matches customers' needs. Fashion industries must study consumer behaviours to safeguard the accruing needs and demand in the fashion industry. Production costs should be cheaper to fit the budget of a respective company and fulfil the needs of consumers daily (Tarrant and Jolles, 2012, 117). Consumer behaviours are critical towards identifying customers' needs to specialise in the products that best suit the fashion business. Today, new technology has eased the production process in the fashion industry. Consumers have changing needs that continue to shape the production in this sector. For instance, students are the most target customer that alters the production progress in the fashion industries. People have total freedom of choosing what to wear that is free from the cultural ties of communities.
Cultural appropriation happens when certain individuals from one society adopt the cultural practices of people from another culture. It is important to remember that cultural appropriation may ...