Category: Fashion

We all need to dress appropriately because people judge us based on what we wear. They won’t judge us based on what you say or think. This is the reason fashion is of paramount importance. Today, the society is putting a lot of stress on the idea that looks does not matter. In a specific scenario, this can be true. For example, as far as our values are concerned, the way we look does not matter. However, it is quite important in other aspects of our life. In this article, we are going to take a look at the importance of fashion.

Others’ Perception

We are humans and it is part of our Instinct to sense danger in an instant. You don’t judge people who are walking on the street. Judging others is part of our subconscious. For example, if someone is wearing sharp and bold colors, they will look more confident successful and professional.

On the other hand, if you put on soft fabrics, you will appear more open and delicate. This can be a great thing if you want to make new friends. However if you are a business owner, this type of outfit cannot be a great choice.

Your Perception

When you are alone at home, you are wearing casual outfits. If you put on sweatpants, you cannot be more productive. As a matter of fact, casual outfits make you less confident and less energetic. Each time you look at yourself in the mirror, your brain saves a certain image of yourself. And this can have a great impact on your actions and self-confidence.

You may want to dress well if you want to be confident. As a matter of fact, if you dress well, it can do wonders. You cannot deny the importance of fashion if you want to make your dreams come true.

Self-Care

Fashion is a form of self-care. For example, if you are a dog owner, you spend plenty of time washing and brushing him. You do all of this because you value him. Similarly, you take care of yourself because you value yourself. If you ignore your style choices, you give yourself a message that you are not valuable. Therefore, following the latest fashion trends means you appreciate yourself.

Purpose and Communication

If you think your style choices have no importance, you need to think again. There was a time when hood was used to express dissatisfaction and disagreement with the current system. Besides, it was a way to prevent you from getting engaged in illegal activities. The latest fashion has a great impact on you whether you accept it or ignore it.

Art

We love to look at beautiful things. We feel much better when we are around things that look beautiful. Similarly, fashion adds a layer of fun and joy to your routine life.

Long story short, this is a description of why fashion is important in our lives. If you want to keep up to date with the latest fashion trends, you may want to stay tuned to fashion magazines and websites.

The fashion industry always has a shake-up of new trends, and it is not easy to predict future trends. Professionals working in the fashion industries like manufacturers and fashion designers work hard to know the latest fashion trends so that they can rock and create a buzz with their upcoming fashion collections.

What is trend forecasting, and how is it helpful?

Fashion trend predictions can be complicated as there are several categories of fashion for different people all over the world. Some of the most popular fashion categories include

• Activewear
• Kidswear
• Womenswear
• Menswear
• Footwear
• Jewelry and Accessories

In addition to this, fashion styles also keep changing with the seasons, and this is the reason for the evolution of the terms “Summer Collection” and “Winter Collection.” Therefore, it is important to analyze the trend-spotters to recognize what is popular and design products accordingly.

To get rid of the complications, trend forecasting fashion is an effective and helpful technique. This technique is used by professional forecasters who conduct market research and analyze the purchasing pattern of various customers. This research is conducted to get an idea about the stuff that would trend in the future.

When the technique of forecasting was initially evolved, forecasters did not have access to a large number of resources for conducting their research. As a result, fashion weeks or shows and purchasing patterns of customers were the only reliable sources through which trends were predicted. However, with the advancement of technology, deeper market research can be conducted by considering various factors affecting fashion changes. Therefore, better meaningful results can be obtained when compared to the traditional methods.

The need for fashion forecasting is increased compared to the past because celebrities and social media highly influence today’s fashion trends. Customers do not spend much time selecting the right kind of fashion, and their preference is usually based on the fashion trends followed by famous personalities. The most influenced category here is women’s clothing trends that keep changing quickly, and therefore predicting the trends becomes a little difficult. Therefore, the fashion industry keeps facing rapid changes and complicates the process of trend predictions.

Kinds of fashion trend forecasting:

As there is a strong need for fashion forecasting for today’s market, this technique is classified into two types. Fashion forecasters can use either of these techniques to predict the fashion trends based on the category of fashion.

• Short-term forecasting: Also known as fad forecasting, this type of fashion forecasting analyzes or predicts fashion trends for the next two years.
• Long-term forecasting: This type of fashion forecasting technique predicts fashion trends for a long period ranging from 5 to 10 years.

It is important for professionals working in the fashion industry to understand the significance of fashion trend forecasting and use the data effectively to derive meaningful insights. These insights would be very useful for fashion designers to customize their future collections.

Somewhere in your developmental fashion years, a parent, schoolteacher, nun, or another member of the fashion police drilled certain rules into your head about what you should or shouldn’t wear. And you believed them. But according to fashion design experts, most of these rules are just myths. Not only are they untrue, they can be detrimental to your wardrobe.

Here are some rules you can finally start breaking!

Myth #1: Don’t wear white after Labor Day. All right, let’s put this one to bed right away. White is not only acceptable, it’s actually quite stunning in the fall and winter. Remember that white comes in many shades, some warm and some cool. The warmer whites add drama to a post-Labor Day wardrobe, and when the white comes in a cozy fabric like cashmere, it’s definitely a “fashion do.”

Myth #2: Horizontal stripes make you look fat. Although people have blindly believed this myth for decades, it’s scientifically proven to be wrong. A psychologist at York University recently showed that horizontal lines do not make you look fatter; and if anything, can make you look thinner. He was confirming the findings from a 19th century physicist who first investigated the optical illusion that horizontal lines look taller and narrower than vertical lines.

Myth #3: Don’t mix patterns and stripes. Whoever made this up obviously didn’t go to fashion school. Mixing patterns and stripes makes for an absolutely fantastic look. Just keep proportions in mind, so if one pattern or stripe is bold, make the other more subdued. The contrast is quite fashionable.

Myth #4: Your shoes should match your bag. Let’s face it: if you match your shoes with your handbag, you will look like the Queen dressed you. She probably wants you to wear matching gloves, too. If you have to match your bag with something, it should be your clothes, but even that is not necessary.

Myth #5: Baggy clothes hide the fat. People are not fooled by that muumuu. While baggy clothes may hide the figure, the result is a shapeless silhouette that can actually make you appear larger. Form-fitting clothes that show off the curves without being too tight are actually more flattering.

Myth #6: Black looks good on everyone. Not necessarily. Color experts argue that only one in five people have the cool, pale skin tone that looks good with black. People with warmer skin tones look washed out in black, as the color takes away all the golden tones from their skin.

Myth #7: Men’s shoes should match their belts. This one’s a toughie, as many men may face resistance from those who swear by this rule. But shoes do not need to match – they should coordinate with the belt. Imagine if you had shoes that were tan or white. It would be difficult finding a tan or white belt that was an exact match. But you would find brown or black belts that coordinated with them.

The only true rule in fashion design, then, is that rules were made to be broken. You’ll find that debunking the myths may be the best thing you ever did to your wardrobe.

Coachella music festivals and sandy beaches, the waves lapping at your feet, the wind blowing your bohemian hi low skirts and Ariana Grande singing your favorite songs in front of spring crazy millennials. That’s right, it’s festival season. Lets get in the mood for colorful free spirited boho fashion clothing.

Coachella festival fashion beats to the music of hipster, bohemian grunge fashion where natural recycled fabrics take the lead. Be it flared and swinging gypsy skirts in shades of reds and oranges or recycled sari wrap skirt dresses which you can style in just about any way you want. Coachella is the perfect time to be daring and naughty.

An oversized sheer printed caftan top with a crochet bikini top peeping through the plunging neckline is a street style that can worn with shorts as well. Throw on a halter top with a patchwork midi skirt with chunky platforms and you are a boho fashionista.White embroidered tunics with ripped vintage jeans, colorful malas and gladiator sandals and you are festival hip till the last song.

Floral printed long, feminine sundresses, solid stonewashed strap dresses with combat boots and you’re good to rock on. Keep cool and chic with a bikini top paired with contrasting patchwork high waisted cotton harem pants. A pair of colorful sneakers to keep your feet comfortable as you will be standing all day. A hot, April day needs a swimsuit and since many Coachella fans end up at pool parties a one piece paired with a soft flared gypsy hi low skirt is a great choice. A pair of strappy sandals and you are cool, cute and comfortable.

Fringe, cutoff denim shorts paired with saucy, backless tank tops or long palazzo sari pants, mix- match prints and fashion into streetwise hipster chic. Festival fashion outfits that remind us of sunsets and beaches, soft and silken caftan maxi dresses with slits to show off your legs, the daring boho fashionista is earth friendly with her choice of recycled fabrics.

Handmade artisan crafted hemp cotton harem pants and loose flowy cotton tunics are great choices for guys. Stacked beads and the camel tooth or evil eye necklaces give you a Johnny Depp inspired hippy style. Stonewashed cotton tunics look amazing with distressed ripped jeans. Find them in dark and light colors, keeping the buttons open to show off your chest. Mix and match white sheer voile embellished kurtas with harems or jeans to give the edgy boho look.

Rock on to the wild beats of music and pulsing sunsets.

This is an era of fashion and fashion is very influential to our lives. In fact, it adds diversity to our lives by offering an aspect of enthusiasm to strive for something new and different, otherwise it would be a monotonous life if we were supposed to dress up and act in the same manner.

Fashion is an expression of a distinctive style particularly in clothing, footwear, accessories or makeup. It belongs to the style of doing something, looking different and dealing with others. It encircles a wide range of categorization like behavior, speech, actions, manners and lifestyle. There is much intellectual discussion over fashion and clothing and their importance within present day society. Fashion and clothing can be defined as many things that hold our society together. Fashion can be defined as an existing norm or style of dress, manners and way of socializing, whereas clothing is defined as garments collectively. If fashion and clothing were eliminated from our lives there would be no room for individuality and the world’s population would be the same. There also would be a loss of the distinctions between social classes, which was much defined in the 18th century but is still present today. The eradication of fashion and clothing would also change the dynamics of the social world and social relationships.

Mod, short form of ‘modern’, refers to a youth lifestyle that came out from London during 1960s and quickly spread to other parts of the world. Being fashionable is not only desirable but also satisfying. It is very usual that the young students get attracted to fashion the most and start following the trends instantly so fashion influences our youth strongly. Fashion continually has an impact on the society. It affects our views and attitude towards social culture. We introduce new ways of lifestyle through fashion and create awareness within ourselves to reinstate a new line of customs. It is a leading social statement for students to make an outside appearance to their social circle. Malcolm Barnard says in his book Fashion as Communication, “Fashion and clothing have always been explained as forms of communication” (39). Students use fashion to exchange their feelings and beliefs. They use fashion as a way of social contact with reference to scrutiny for all sorts of people. Fashion is a way of communication to convey with the world what their personality really says.

The decade of 1920 is called the Age of Flaming Youth because of its wild and jazzy expression. In this period the energy of youth was set free in a new way and no style seemed too ridiculous to become a high fashion. Our world has globalized. Celebrities play very important role in the lives of youth. Students look up to their favorite icons to keep themselves up to date. While watching television or using internet, they can easily be attracted by a variety of fashionable concepts. Moreover, the students idealize their favorite celebrities and they always have a desire to look like them so they do their best to imitate the appearance and lifestyle of their idols. They are trying to grasp all the existing fashion from their society to enhance their personality. Whenever they socialize, they talk about new things which could be adapted. They use non-natural way of expression, speech and mannerism in their routine lives which is relatively artificial.

In my point of view, there are two categories i.e. positive and negative impact of fashion on students.

The fashion in our society has a lot of negative impact on students. They only think about new fashion and this result in spending of a large amount of money. Therefore, they are not able to become aware of other important needs of life. It always distracts them from studies. Once a style or fashion gets in a trend, it is instantly chased by student community regardless of the fact that how much hassle it leads to. On the other hand they are caught in the confusion of fashion due to impact of society. To follow a certain fashion, one has to adopt some actions and to do so some students go beyond their limits just to attract their surroundings. Eventually they become hopeless instead of being ingenious and suffered from depression for being within fashion. On the other hand, it is also a thought that the money spending on Fashion could be spent for various other purposes like charity and helping the poor.

Fashion creates an inaccessible standard for students. They all want to be attractive and glamorous like the celebrities on television or in magazines hence they spend a lot of time and money just to build up a good impression on people around them. However, they fail to make a statement most of the time that leads to a low self esteem. It also creates a clash of thoughts between them and their friends that may lead to jealousy factor and as a result ruin their relationship with friends. Students start judging people by their outlook appearance and those who cannot spend sufficient amount on their outward look, eventually become persecuted which decreased their confidence level to certain extent.

Students who give more concentration to fashion are generally least conscious about their studies. They think that by adopting certain fashion trends, they will achieve certain distinction among the peers therefore they start giving less importance to their academic careers.

There are some positive points of being fashionable as well. For instance, when teenagers feel good because of the way they look, it gives a high sense of worth and confidence in their personalities. Moreover they feel more independent and acceptable in a social context. If students follow a certain trend, it facilitates them to recognize their own personalities by meeting different people from the society with the same interests and sense of style. Wearing trendy clothes shows a person’s status. People assume a person more progressive if he is wearing fashionable clothes. Malcolm Barnard says in his book Fashion as Communication, “Fashion and clothing have always been explained as forms of communication”

Students eventually come to know that it’s not good for them to follow or imitate others all the time. Instead, they should learn how to be innovative and make their own sense of style. That helps them to be more strong, independent and imaginative. Fashion is the name of expressing oneself.It proves that the people have liberty to feel comfortable about themselves and that results in a more successful and prosperous society.

Fashion is a form of art and because art is beneficial to society so same goes for fashion as well.Fashion is a big reason for companies to invest more into the expansion of latest clothing, trends, and better living. We cannot disagree with the fact that fashion has a significant place on the life of every student. At times, it can be the source of things that make the life more pleasant. On the other hand, it can be destructive for the lives of certain people. So it’s better to keep yourself modernized with fashion but if it is damaging your academic performance by any mean, you should keep yourself away from that. Generally, fashion can be entertaining, exciting and harmless. Fashion is a money making method that can provide employment to thousands of people.

There should be stability in the lives of students while pursuing fashion. They should be aware of the fact that the fashion within limits is admirable but when the limits are crossed, they have to face many problems. Their prime responsibility is to fill up themselves with the asset of knowledge instead of running after the wildness of deceptive fashion world. There should be a right balance between being fashionable and getting away from our roots. Students should know the fact that they have maximum time to indulge themselves to the world of lavishness after they completed their studies.So they should give their utmost devotion to education presently for time and tide waits for none.

Being trendy and fashionable is just our own wish, no one can force us to do it and it’s our own decision that how much and what type of fashion we prefer according to place and requirement. Though this time of 21st century in Pakistan mostly people are affected by glamorous world and style of fashion but still they have not forgotten our traditions and culture which is the priority and symbol of our country.

With the development of society, people spent more and more time on their physical appearance. Young girls and modern ladies both are conscious of fashion trends in every season and year, even in every single day. Accordingly, fashion accessories have become a way of life for most modern ladies because everyone is eager to stand out in the crowd.

Fashion accessories are those items that are in the same step with your clothing style as well as enhancing people’s fashion taste. It ranges widely from earrings, bracelets, scarves to rings and watches and so on.

As for reasons why women are fond of fashion accessories, have you ever considered about it? In my mind, there are 4 reasons I’d like to share.

Above all, right fashion accessories prove that you are updated with the fashion trends. That is to say, to some extent, they are signature of bearers’ fashion tastes. Any fashion lovers hate to be called out of style. If you are a true fashionable person, you must be very sensitive to style in popularity. Then you will not wear wrong ones.

They show its social status of owners as well. Rich people and celebrities prefer to ones produced by famous fashion companies, which are obviously not affordable for ordinary people. Meanwhile, when many common people can’t afford luxury ones, they love to make them by themselves with their wild imagination. Though these accessories share different values in business but both illustrate fashion attitudes.

As what is mentioned above, wearing right accessories make your style complete. There are various occasions for people to attend. It is not enough to wear fine clothes only. Glamorous stuffs really can make you look complete and appeal to others.

Apart from three reasons I shared above, the last but less important one is that fashion accessories show your personality. Nowadays, people love to show their special traits by what they eat, what they wear and so on because everyone wants to be different and unique. You may wear the same stylish dress with your friends. However, a piece of fashion stuffs tells you from them. Taking the way to wear a scarf for example, someone follows the traditional way to tie it around necklaces, someone prefer to use it as a headband. Moreover creative person will make it as belt to decorate their dress or tie it to ornament handbags. In short, different strategies to tie scarves not only show their fashion attitudes but manifest their various personalities.

In a word, fashion accessories are the best friends of ladies. No one can deny passions women put on them and fierce attractions they bring.

In many ways the words sustainable and fashion don’t really sit together well. I have heard sustainable fashion described as both oxymoronic and a contradiction and perhaps this is true. Is it really possible for the fashion industry to become sustainable?

Part of the problem with the term sustainable fashion is that ‘fashion’ is often used to describe constantly changing trends and even associated with ‘fast fashion’, the term used to describe the low cost or affordable clothing that is quickly made to respond to the latest trend often being worn only once or twice before being discarded. The ethical and environmental implications of this type of clothing are well recognised with valuable resources being wasted and workers in the supply chain being mistreated to ensure low cost clothing that is quickly produced. Despite the many negative connotations that the word fashion may have, if you take it as more of a general word used to describe clothing, then it is almost possible to have sustainable fashion, although perhaps not completely because the manufacture of any clothing will have some impact on the environment even if relatively small.

With confusion even over the name of the product, it is not really surprising that most shoppers can’t be bothered with sustainable fashion and instead prefer just stick with the fashion brands that they know despite knowing that they often operate in unsustainable and unethical ways. But the contradiction over the name ‘sustainable fashion’ is only the beginning. There are so many other contradictions and plenty of confusion associated with it.

Take for example vegan fashion. Being vegan is generally considered to an ethical and sustainable way of living, not only reducing the suffering caused to animals in the farming system but reducing the carbon footprint and pollution caused by farming. It may therefore come as a shock to some that vegan fashion is not necessarily the most ethical and sustainable option. Vegan shoes may be made without the use of any animal products but that does not mean that they have been made in ethical factories or using sustainable materials in fact the synthetic materials used instead of leather are often damaging to the environment in their own way. If you want to be absolutely sure that your vegan shoes or handbags are completely ethical and sustainable, you will need to search for a brand that pays attention to all of these issues.

Next on the list of contradiction and confusion surrounding sustainable fashion is the concept of ethical fashion. Many ethical fashion brands support various good causes around the world and empower people to create a sustainable livelihood. However in order to support these great causes, it does involve buying clothes, perhaps clothes that we don’t really need or possibly are not made from sustainable fabrics. The more we buy, the more we help these great causes but also the more we consume. Collections labelled as sustainable may be made from eco-friendly fabrics but this is no guarantee that they have been manufactured in an ethical way. In this situation we are left with the difficult task of deciding what is most important in terms of sustainability economic and social or environmental. Ethical fashion is often made in countries far away; this is another contrast to the locally made fashion which is often considered to be more sustainable because of the environmental impact of its transportation. Second hand and vintage clothing again offer a dilemma, whilst they are probably the most sustainable option, they do little to alleviate poverty around the world, although in this case shopping in charity shops could be the answer to reducing both environmental impact and supporting a worthwhile cause.

The subject of sustainable fashion is a complex one and the confusion surrounding it is sometimes used by brands to green wash consumers by using the terms ‘eco’ and ‘sustainable’ to describe clothing or collections that may help in one way but not another. In order to combat scepticism and distrust of sustainable fashion, there needs to be a clear and easy to understand way of labelling and describing products. The word sustainable fashion is general enough to mean just about anything when used by clever marketers causing confusion amongst consumers. The term sustainable also just doesn’t really excite those looking to buy fashion.

There are however plenty of innovative fashion brands out there that are pioneering new ways of working in terms of ethics and sustainability; There just needs to be a way of communicating this to customers in a simple and easy to understand way.

Renting clothes and accessories has become more and more popular in the past years. Especially millennials are big supporters of this trend. In fact, millennials are 3 times more likely to use a rental service for clothes than non-millennials. There are many reasons for this behavior.

First, college debts and the financial crisis make it impossible for young people to afford to buy designer clothes. This is how the clothing rental trend began. Instead of buying a trench coat, why not just rent it for a month or two? And what about a gown for a wedding or an important event? Also, rentable!

The practicality behind this reason slowly developed into a trend. Millennials are seeing renting and secondhand buying as sustainable and economically beneficial. Problems, such as reducing landfill waste, are getting reduced. Many renters also shop in second-hand shops. Buying used clothes makes it easier to resell them instead of throwing them out when they are not liked anymore. There is a constant trading happening.

There are two different kinds of renters. Those who happen to have an event and just don’t have a fitting outfit or those, who are taking full advantage of the rental trend. Many renters are using the rental service multiple times a month to get dressed for work or events. Most of the times the events stay in the same circle and it’s noticed if someone is wearing the same outfit every time. Dressing up for work meetings is another reason to rent instead of buying. Women and men want to present themselves and their company in the best light Wearing a well-fitting suit or dress can help.

It’s not unspoken for any more to arrive at a prestigious luxury event in a gown or a tux that are rented and not owned. A hectic social life coupled with the onslaught of social media has made re-wearing clothing or bags almost unforgivable and unacceptable. So, in such circumstances, it makes little sense to invest thousands of dollars in clothes that will be worn once. Unless one is a blogger that gets new clothing gifted for every event, renting is exactly what to do.

The allure of ‘no ownership’ is now moving beyond housing and cars. Fashion and accessories are now two of the biggest rental industries on the rise. It makes perfect sense for people who can’t afford luxury brands but rely on being dressed well often. The new generation raves multiple experiences and desires to be fashionable and trendy, without the pressure of permanent ownership.

Le Tote President Brett Northart said clothing rental has taken off because consumers want flexibility in their wardrobe. In addition, the recession made people less enamored with owning things, he said.

Even if we’re seeing many benefits for consumers, there is a backside to it. Small retailers and even bigger ones had to struggle with the rental business in the past. Now they need to adjust to being able to compete. Many retailers already started a renting and wearing branch for their business. A new industry based on sharing or renting clothing, electronics and small appliances are springing up from nothing about five years ago, posing a disruptive force to traditional retailers.

Benefits and downsides for involved parties:

Retailers: “Apparel will struggle to remain a priority spend,” Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group, told Retail Dive. “It’s competing for its share of wallet, as younger consumers seek and spend on services and experiences more than ever.”

Retailers must start taking actions and hop on the train of renting clothes to customers. If your brand is not innovative or a popular Instagram/ Social Media brand, sales will drop soon. Many big companies had to downsize and clothes stores already because of this shift in customer behavior.

Consumers: This new industry based on sharing or renting clothing, electronics and small appliances is rising, threatening retailer. But what about the consumer?

Student loan debts and the Great Recession almost force young people in our society to find a different way to dress well in quality clothes. Sharing becomes a great alternative to owning. These behaviors have led to businesses such as Zipcar, taxi service Uber and home rental site Airbnb. Not only financially the renting trend is beneficial. Many Millennials are considering this option for the environmental and economic benefits. Less waste means a smaller burden on mother earth.

Despite all the renting, there is one thing Millennials still buy and don’t share. Their smartphones. About 85 percent of people aged 18 to 34 own them, according to Nielsen research, and the devices are the doorway to the sharing economy. Online apps are the most important gate to renting and online shopping sites.

Not only for non-owners, these arrangements are beneficial. Renting your car or using it to transport people that don’t own a car, means making the best use of your investment. Making money with it is even better.

Economy: To understand the dimensions of the trading and renting business, let’s look at the numbers of one of the biggest clothing rental websites on the market. Right now, subscriptions account for about a third of Rent the Runway’s revenue, said Hyman, the CEO and co-founder of Rent the runway. Furthermore, she says, the company hit $100 million in revenue in mid-2016 and has raised more than $190 million in venture capital over six rounds. The latest, a $60 million injection last year led by Fidelity Investments, pegged the company’s valuation at a “significant step up” from the $520 million mark it set in 2014, Hyman told Recode at the time.

Renting clothes and accessories has created a new market that is rapidly growing. While most of the websites that offer these services are startups, more and more large companies are starting to tap into the market. Amazon for example, not yet in the market, might strike soon. Ann Taylor, the go-to work-wear brand launched a $95 subscription service earlier last year, threatening smaller startup.

Environment: The fashion industry weighs heavy on our environment. Especially fast fashion that produces billions of dollars with of clothing every year and gets thrown away, usually without recycling, leaves a heavy carbon footprint on the environment. Many clothing rental companies are trying to work against that waste. They get together with designers that want to make clothing more sustainable and rent out garments instead of overproducing them. By renting for occasions instead of buying and disposing of, fashion waste that gets burned can be reduced. Reduced waste leads to a cleaner planet and more sustainability.

Many founders of clothing rental companies hope to put fast fashion companies like H&M out of business. This environmental thinking is one of the biggest reasons next to money, why young people are so interested in the rental trend.

Fashion Rental Services:

renting clothes online

Rent the Runway:

The online rental service offers designer clothing for rent. Being the first rental store for gowns and evening attire, Rent the Runways has set a huge milestone in shopping. The store does not operate on monthly subscription but on the worth of the rented piece. Usually, it is 10 – 15 % of the retail price.

Having made more than $100m in sales last year, Rent the Runway now aims to “put Zara and H&M out of business” co-founder Jennifer Hyman said in October. For $159 a month, RTR members can now borrow unlimited clothes and accessories, from blouses and dresses to coats and purses, and up to four items at the same time. The aim is to become a customer’s full-time wardrobe.

Rent the Runway has opened several physical outposts in locations including Woodland Hills and San Francisco.

These stores are far from traditional shops, instead of acting more like showrooms that are an extension of subscribers’ closets.

Le Tote:

This online rental service operates on a monthly subscription base. Instead of paying for every piece that is rented, subscribers pay $59 a month and get 3 garments and 2 accessories delivered, unlimited times a month. This service is ideal if you are in constant need of buying new clothes like for example if you are pregnant. Le Tote has a great selection of maternity clothes. You can choose the clothes you want to be delivered.

Gwynnie Bee:

Gwynnie Bee is another monthly subscription service. For $49 a month, the store offers an amazing plus size selection from which you can choose up to 10 items per month. Not only is that a great offer, but the page has created their own community where members can share stories of their outfits and support body positivity. Everyday wear stands in focus at Gwynnie Bee, but they also offer gowns and evening attire.

Glam Corner:

Glam Corner is the plus size equivalent to Rent the Runway. Here subscribers can rent designer dresses and gowns for a monthly fee. A special treat from this company is to offer inclusive sizing for all body types, including bump-friendly dresses.

Style Lend:

Here is a fast pace rental store! Style Lend promises the customer a 2-day shipping nationwide and same day shipping in New York. If the dress isn’t what you were looking for or doesn’t fit, Style Lend promises to exchange the dress before your event or you get a refund. The price which changes around $25 per rental isn’t too bad either.

For owners, the sharing economy transforms possessions into revenue streams, by enabling items to be useful all of the time: someone who only uses their car to drive to and from work each day can rent the vehicle to other drivers in the interim. For customers, the sharing economy provides convenience, value (it’s cheaper to pay to use something for a short time rather than buy it outright) and a greater choice of products and services. It also offers access without ownership – something that has resonated with millennial consumers, who came of age in the recession and are economically-minded, and who increasingly value experiences over material goods.

While other areas in the rental market are already booming and rapidly growing, the fashion rental industry is growing slower because of logistical problems. Companies are working on solutions for these problems to make the process of renting clothes and giving them back even easier and convenient for the consumer. In the next few years, clothing and accessory rental will hopefully defeat fast fashion and toxic waste by the disposal of clothes.

Colourful fashion trends of India

With the end of the 20th century came the end of all hype which has created a more practical and pragmatic environment and has given a more stable picture of the fashion business.
In the 50s, 60s and 70s, the Indian fashion scenario wasn’t exactly colorless. It was exciting, stylish and very graceful. There were no designers, models, star or fashion design labels that the country could show off. The value of a garment was judged by its style and fabric and not by who made it.

It was regarded as ever so chic and fashionable to approach any unfamiliar tailor, who could make a garment for a few rupees, providing the perfect fit, finish and style. The high society lady, who wore it, was proud for getting a good bargain and for giving her name to the end result.

In 60s, tight ‘kurtas’, ‘churidars’ and high coiffures were a trend among ladies. It was an era full of naughtiness and celebration in arts and music and cinema, manifested by liberation from restriction and acceptance of new types of materials such as plastic film and coated polyester fabric.

The 70s witnessed an increase in the export of traditional materials outside the country as well as within. Hence, international fashion arrived in India much before the MTV culture with the bold colors, flower prints and bell-bottoms. Synthetics turned trendy and the disco culture affected the fashion scenario.

It was in the early 80s when the first fashion store ‘Ravissant’ opened in Mumbai. At that time garments were retailed for a four-figure price tag. The ’80s was the era of self consciousness and American designers like Calvin Klein became popular. In India too, silhouettes became more masculine and the ‘salwar kameez’ was designed with shoulder pads.

With the evolution of designer stores in Mumbai, the elegant fashion design culture was a trend among Indians along with their heavy price tags. No doubt that a garment with a heavy price tag was at the bottom stage of fashion. But clients immediately transformed into the high fashion fold where they were convinced that that the word ‘elegant fashion design culture’ means, it had to have a higher price tag.

Garments were sold at unbelievable prices only because the designers had decided to get themselves noticed by making showy outfits and getting associated with the right shows, celebrities and events.

Later, fashion shows shifted to competitive events each attempting to out-do the other in theme, guest list and media coverage. For any newcomer, the fashion business was the number one professional art that time.

In the 90’s, the last decade of the millennium, a move towards the drastic pairing down returned with ethnic wears (Today, ethnic wear market in India is accounted to Rs. 9000 crore). This led to the decline and the recession, the push to sell at any cost and keep staying in the limelight. With heavy cut throat competition and sound awareness of the client, the inevitable occurred. The price tags, which had once reached at a peak, began their downside journey.

At those times the downturn was not only being experienced in the price tags of the garments, but also in the business of fashion shows. More models, choreographers, make-up men, hairstylists and designers streamed down into their business.

The fun and party time in the Indian fashion scenario had not ended with this, but continued. It was a point, where it reached at a certain steady level and from there, in the beginning of the 21st centaury, with new designers and models and some sensible designing; the fashion hype accelerated its speed.

Indian fashion industry spreads its wings globally

For the global fashion industry, India is a very big exporter of fabrics and accessories. All over the world, Indian ethnic designs and materials are considered as a significant facet for the fashion houses and garment manufacturers. In fabrics, while sourcing for fashion wear, India also plays a vital role as one of the biggest players in the international fashion arena.
India’s strengths not only depend on its tradition, but also on its raw materials. World over, India is the third largest producer of cotton, the second largest producer of silk and the fifth largest producer of man-made fibres.

In the international market, the Indian garment and fabric industries have many fundamental aspects that are compliant, in terms of cost effectiveness to produce, raw material, quick adjustment for selling, and a wide ranges of preference in the designs in the garments like with sequin, beadwork, aari or chikkon embroidery etc, as well as cheaper skilled work force. India provides these fashion garments to the international fashion houses at competitive prices with shorter lead time and an effective monopoly in designs which covers elaborated hand embroidery – accepted world over.

India has always been considered as a default source in the embroidered garment segment, but the changes of rupee against dollar has further decreased the prices, thereby attracting buyers. So the international fashion houses walk away with customized stuff, and in the end crafted works are sold at very cheap rates.

As far as the market of fabrics is concerned, the ranges available in India can attract as well as confuse the buyer. A basic judgmental expectation in the choosing of fabrics is the present trend in the international market. Much of the production tasks take place in parts of the small town of Chapa in the Eastern state of Bihar, a name one would have never even heard of. Here fabric making is a family industry, the ranges and quality of raw silks churned out here belie the crude production methods and equipment used- tussars, matka silks, phaswas, you name it and they can design it. Surat in Gujarat, is the supplier of an amazing set of jacquards, moss crepes and georgette sheers – all fabrics utilized to make dazzling silhouettes demanded world over. Another Indian fabric design that has been specially designed for the fashion history is the “Madras check” originally utilized for the universal “Lungi” a simple lower body wrap worn in Southern India, this product has now traversed its way on to bandannas, blouses, home furnishings and almost any thing one can think of.

Recently many designers have started using traditional Indian fabrics, designs and cuts to enhance their fashion collections. Ethnic Indian designs with batik cravat, tie-and-dye or vegetable block print is ‘in’ not just in India but all across the world.

In India, folk embroidery is always associated with women. It is a way of their self expression, and they make designs that depict their native culture, their religion and their desires. Women embroider clothes for their personal use, and the people linked with the pastoral profession prepare embroidered animal decorations, decorative covers for horns and foreheads and the Rabaris of Kutch in Gujarat do some of the finest embroidery. Embroidered pieces are made during the festivals and marriages, which are appliqué work called ‘Dharaniya’. One of the significant styles of Saurashtra is ‘Heer’ embroidery, which has bold geometric designs, woven on silks. The Mutwa women of the Banni area of Kutch have a fascinating embroidery where they make fine embroidery works with designed motifs and mirrors in the size of pinheads, the Gracia jats use geometric designs on the yoke of long dresses. Moreover, the finest of quilts with appliqué work are also made in Kutch.

Garments embellishment with bead work is another area where it in demand in the international market. Beads are used to prepare garlands and other accessory items like belts and bags and these patterns now available for haute couture evening wear too.
According to a survey, in recent times Indian women have given up their traditional sari for western wears like t-shirts and shorts, as they feel more comfortable in skirts and trousers instead of saris and salwar kameez. It’s been noted that women spend just $165 million on trousers and skirts against 1.74 billion dollars spent by men on trousers. With more women coming out to work, the (combined) branded trouser and skirts market has been increasing at a whopping 27 per cent in sales terms. Women feel that Western clothing is more suitable, particularly when working or using public transportation. Many corporate offices are also in favor of their employees wearing Western wear.

In India, Western inspiration is increasing due to the influence of TV and films. Besides, shopping malls selling branded clothes have also mushroomed in India and are fascinating the youngsters. Recently, designer wear is being promoted through store chains such as Shopper’s Stop, Pantaloons, Westside, etc. Companies such as Raymond and TCNS have also set up their exclusive stores for designer wear such as Be: and W.
The market of India fashion industry

Recently, a report stated that the Indian fashion industry can increase from its net worth of Rs 200 crore to Rs 1,000 crore in the next five to ten years. Currently, the worldwide designer wear market is amounted at $35 billion, with a 9 per cent growth rate, with the Indian fashion industry creating hardly 0.1 per cent of the international industry’s net worth.

According to approximations, the total apparel market in India is calculated to be about Rs 20,000 crore. The branded apparel market’s size is nearly one fourth of this or Rs 5,000 crore. Designer wear, in turn, covers nearly about 0.2 per cent of the branded apparel market.

At present, the largest sales turnover within the designer wear segment is about Rs25 crore, with other well-known names having less turnovers of Rs10-15 crore. In view of the prospects of the Indian fashion industry for growth, the figures are not very hopeful.

The figure of fashion industry

o The organized market for designer apparel is about Rs 250 crore

o Designer wear calculates to less than 1 per cent of the apparel market

o The global market for designer wear is 5 per cent of total apparel market

o The global market for designer wear industry is largely dependent on the small-scale sector

o Consumers for designer wear have a yearly household income of Rs 10 lakh-plus. There are 3 lakh such households developing at 40-45 per cent

o Designer wear industry is projected to increase to Rs 1,000 crore by 2015.

o More than 81 per cent of the population below 45 years of the age is fashion conscious.

Many fashion designers and management experts foresee an average growth of about 10-12 per cent for the Indian fashion industry in the coming years. Though, the growth rate could be more than 15 per cent, if infrastructural and other logistical bottlenecks and drawbacks are over come.

India needs more effort to overcome

However, despite the benefits available in India there are also some disadvantages. India is not a remarkable player in the global market with reference to brands because of its inability to add value to products. This is observed by the fact that nearly 50 per cent of its exports are apparel and made-ups where value addition is essential. Likewise, 75 per cent of domestic apparel market is commoditized and unbranded and very few Indian brands do survive in the foreign markets. Evidently, the Indian market has not made a strong stand and hence it is difficult to make Indian brands that can compete with global brands in India.

Another reason for the fashion industry’s inadequate growth is the limited experience of the designers and the platform they are offered. The insignificance stalks from the reality that most of the young talent is hired by the bigger names to work in their studios, thus imprinting their work with the label of the big designers.
Though performing individual presentation is not an alternative choice for most of the young talent, because of the limitation of finance, a beginner designer’s name fails to come to the forefront.
Another thing, with regards to the ramp, is what the designers offer is barely appropriate to be worn ordinarily. You’ll see there’s dissimilarity between what is there on the ramp and what the Page Three crowd wears. Some believe at present the fashion is in, but the tendency hasn’t changed much as it is the old ones coming back. We have had short kurtas, long kurtas, flowing skirts, etc. coming back into fashion with only a new variety of designs.

Many management consultants and professionals believe that the Indian fashion industry will be boosted if the new comers are paid proper attention. What they require is more support so that their work gets due recognition. According to the consultants and professionals there should be a panel of people who choose designers for showcasing according to their work and not their name or who they’ve worked for earlier, and hence selection would be purely based on quality. Besides this, the panel of judges should comprise of people from the fashion schools rather than designers.
It has been observed that the media-hype around the big designers and blatant commercialism has hindered business in the Indian fashion industry. No clear cut picture is provided about the feasibility of the products. Basically it is only the famous names that are being talked of. What they offer is not quite daily-wear. The entire focal point of the industry is on commercialism. The discussion is only regarding how much is sold and for what price and nothing about the designs or styles.

Efforts to develop global fashion brands

It needs innovative designers, a seamless supply chain, control over retail and distribution and concentration of quality while dealing with some image. While a few have accomplished something in the west covering Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Zara, Armani, Versace, Ralph Lauren, etc, India has not been capable to track on.
A serious reason for India not being successful has been its isolation in the fashion system. Each stakeholder including designers, exporters, textile players and retail chains need to come together along with the government to make sure that the position of Indian fashion is strong in the coming years.

There are various agencies and industry associations that can support in brand-building practice. Many of these agencies require attractive resources and making a global image of Indian fashion rather than independently trying to promote particular brands or textile segments.

Efforts to create strong global image

Large textiles players require more and more to target on the market facing activities while developing an association with small medium enterprise (SME) clusters. Such kind of networks would be a benefit to that which can focus on demand making and branding as well as for clusters that can focus on quality production.

Efforts to create value networks

After the entry of large retail chains like Wal-Mart, Gap etc in India, Small scale manufacturers in India will find it very difficult to satisfy the demands of these international buyers if they continue to promote their products individually. Therefore, it is very important that value networks are created between large textile and apparel companies in India and small scale manufacturers, so that the marketing muscle of the leading players can be utilized for receiving large orders while the bigger players then assign the orders to the small-medium enterprises according to their past record of quality and service. For this to be put into practice, it will be vital to well-organize the information on small-medium enterprise clusters in a perfect manner so that supplier selection decisions are made according to the information in the long run, only the more efficient small-medium enterprise players survive and develop.
Efforts to concentrate on designers and designs

Designers have a fundamental role to play in the future of Indian fashion scenario. There should hence be an effective process for preparing these designers. This can be done by sponsoring exchange programs with international schools, increasing participations in the fashion capitals of the world, motivating and offering business incubation to new designers and rewarding efforts through proper design awards.
Even in India, well-known designers are incapable to tap finances from well-organized resources, since a vital part of their assets are brands and design talent which are not measured in terms of money and hence it becomes difficult to judge the value. This has severely inhibited their development and capability to raise retail existence across the country and abroad. Likewise, there is no systematic approach of existence in the fashion capitals of the world like Paris, Milan and New York. Due to this, designers have to depend on their personal contacts and relationships for organizing fashion shows and making retail alliances. The French government as well as the British government helps designers of their particular countries appreciably in these areas as they understand that value creation through design is the only way to carry on in the competitive landscape of the global fashion industry. The Indian government and related agencies should also accept this aspect of textile, apparel and fashion industry sincerely if they need to see India on the global fashion map.
Work in collaboration: designers-corporate efforts

Designers and many organizations can work globally through various models and with many working relationships. The Indian fashion industry has many views but only one such model, wherein a designer creates a retail venture with his/her own brand through organized retail chains. There are many other models according to brand ownership and division of operational activities.

Globally, many models of collaboration between designers and corporates are available. For example Ralph Lauren has made an agreement with Jones Apparel for producing and retailing various Polo brands. Likewise, Armani had an agreement with Zegna for production, even while it was competing with them in the marketplace. There are many cases of designer brands being co-owned by the designers and corporates, Gucci-Alexander McQueen and Gucci-Stella McCartney being some of them.

In the end, many designer businesses have been obtained by corporates where designers play a major role in the design elements of the business, but the brand and the organization is owned completely by the corporate.

The current possession of Calvin Klein by Philips Van Heusen and earlier holdings of Hugo Boss and Valentino by Marzotto are some related examples in this segment. These examples strongly point out that not only designers find such relationships important for development, but also corporates find these attractive for rising their profitability and growth. Likewise deals in India could go a long way in developing the brand values of corporates and designers.

Developing clusters

Making common infrastructure for functioning such as design and sampling, affluent treatment, product testing, etc can help in increasing the capability of the clusters since noteworthy investments could be made by the cluster itself rather than any single player.

Well-managed databases can help in decreasing search costs and through data mining, rating of players can be done so as to make the procurement process easier for buyers. Cooperative marketing programs at different clusters can also support players to grow up in the value chain by mixing their strengths within the cluster.

Cluster based battle in the fashion industry is characterized by the Italian industry. The National Chamber for Italian Fashion for example, supports the development of the fashion clusters at Milan and Florence in a well organized manner. Indian industry can learn a lot from Italy because India has a similar cluster based scattered production base, but has been incapable to link it with design and branding capability.

If the above activities are successfully considered, India could have an extraordinary development in the fashion industry, which could increase from a negligible size to Rs 8,000 crore in the coming decade.

Conclusion

In the 50s, 60s and 70s, the Indian fashion scenario was colorful and stylish, in the end of 20th century it was quite subdued and with the beginning of the 21st century it has geared up and is still experiencing the growth with many spectrums of colours. Though this industry is growing at a very good pace, besides achieving a negligible share in the global market, still it needs to make severe efforts to stand amongst international fashion market in various aspects.

Fashion can be a fickle world. Some come and go quickly. Some stay for a short visit and some become our new best friends.

When you understand how fashion works, you can learn to make wiser fashion choices.

Fads are fashions that come and go quickly, usually in a season or a year. They are styles that appeal to a small group of women. Mostly aimed at the young, they repeat in long cycles. Young women see them as something new to experiment with while older women say been there, done that and usually ignore them the second or third time round. Military styles are an example of a fashion Fad.

Trends are fashions that stay for a short visit, on average three years but may stay a few years longer like visitors who decide to extend their stay in your home. The first year will be the more extroverted and dramatic version of the fashion. It will be toned down slightly in the next few years. Its stay depends on retail sales.

An example of this is the current Colour Blocking Trend which is in its second year. Short front and long back skirts are another. This Trend is in its dying stages as it goes very conservative with only a tiny variation between the front and back hem to entice older women to buy into the trend.

Classics are favourite styles that have been around for many, many years. They have become classics because their styles suit most women. These include the princess line from the armhole, the pencil skirt, draped and cowl necklines and the front-buttoned business suit. They can become boring and create an impression of a dowdy woman stuck in a time warp. To get the most value from them today, they either need to be a base over which modern tops or jackets are added or they need to be made in interesting fabrics or made with slight variations in the style.

Modern Classics start out as Trends. Sales of them soar as women of all ages, shapes and sizes embrace them. Designers for the retail market are on a winner. Crossover tops, princess lines from the middle of the shoulders and draped jackets are examples. They became Modern Classics because they can be re-invented in slightly different and flattering variations year after year. Modern classic styles are not static. They keep evolving.

Fads are usually for Extroverts. Trends start being for Extroverts and then get toned down for Introverts. Modern Classics make both Extroverts and Introverts feel and look great. Classics need modern additions to stop them from being dowdy.

Accessories like shoes and handbags also have Fads, Trends and Modern Classic variations.