Technology is built on data; innovation is built on imagination and cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence.
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Fashion Culture | Willi Smith: The Creative Intersection of an American Genius
I don’t design clothes for the Queen; but for the people who wave at her as she goes by. – Willi Smith
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Fashion Culture | Battle of Versailles: ‘This Was the Real America, An America They Haven’t Seen’
A passionate declaration from Bill Cunningham, American fashion photographer of the New York Times, who remembers that the Black fashion models at the Battle of Versailles fashion show brought together a cultural movement that not only marked a new era in fashion, but was a defining moment in racial equality.
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Fashion Culture | The Empowering Effect of Ebony Fashion Fair
From civil rights to the catwalk, Ebony Fashion Fair defied all odds and left an empowering effect on the African American community. The cumulative effect of years of presenting high fashion to African Americans, on African Americans, with African Americans taste-making in mind, enabled Mrs. Johnson to be a change-agent who harnessed the power of […]
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Fashion Culture | Donyale, Naomi, and Beverly – Fashion’s First Black Supermodels
The Black community did not have model representation in mainstream fashion magazines until the tumultuous time of the 60’s when Donyale Luna, Naomi Ruth Sims, Beverly Johnson were the first Blacks to grace the covers. Black beauty had been denied to enter this space for so long, so finally, there was inclusion, respect, and recognition, […]
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Fashion Culture | Who Made the Hats for Scarlet O’Hara? Meet Mildred Blount
Mildred Blount became the first African American member of the Motion Pictures Costumers Union. Her hats are in the collections of California African American Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
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Fashion Culture | Elizabeth, Fannie, Anne, and Zelda, Fashion’s First Black Designers
I love my clothes and I’m particular about whom I sew for. I’m an awful snob. I’m not interested in sewing for café society or for social climbers. I do not cater to Mary and Sue. I sew for the families of the social register. – Anne Lowe Gerri Major, Ebony Magazine, December 1966
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Fashion Culture | W.E.B. Du Bois’ Exposition des Nègres d’Amérique Transformed the World’s View of Black in America
In 1900 a transformation of Black identity and the world’s view of Blacks in America took center stage at the 1900’s World’s Fair in Paris. A perception of Blacks in America was manifested through photojournalism and visual data witnessed by the outside world looking in. Those in the Black community validated that perception by leveraging […]
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Fashion Culture | The Cotton Factory – ‘the Good, the Bad and the Ugly’
Cotton, the most widely used textile fiber in the world, has a distinguishable, contentious history of oppressed, discriminatory labor practices in the United States. The use of cheap factory labor has its roots in an all too familiar story of oppression and segregation.
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Fashion Culture | A Study of Eight, The Untold American Story
A Study of Eight is a literary composition advancing the study of African Americans’ contribution to fashion history. Eight American stories cover people and events of cultural and historical significance occurring between 1880 and 1980 against the backdrop of the post Reconstruction era to beyond the Civil Rights Movement (CRM). These stories represent the voices […]
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Fashion Culture | Fashion’s First Black Photographer
Gordon Parks accomplished many firsts, including the distinction of being the first black photographer at Vogue, Glamour, and Life magazines.
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Fashion Culture | Aryanization and the Destruction of Berlin’s Fashion Industry
By 1930, Berlin emerged as an international fashion capital. It’s success even drew Parisian fashion designers. Most of the fashion businesses were owned and operated by German Jews. In their thrust to decimate the Jewish population, in 1933 the Nazis implemented a campaign to force these firms to sell. Signs in store windows read “Germans […]
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Branding in the Fashion Space – Where Do the Lines Between Leadership and Listening Overlap and Diverge?
After all, most artists don’t go around proclaiming, ‘I want to be a commercial success.’ – Bernard Arnault, LVMH chairman & CEO
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Branding, Marketing & Advertising 101
Branding 101: Branding is the Big Picture. Branding is the sum of all impressions one has of your business. Such as, the quality and detail of your seasonal collections; public relations and news about the organization; social media output; your name, graphic and visual identity; packaging. Deliver a consistent on-target brand experience across all consumer […]
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Unsettling and Uplifting -10 Uncharted Paths to a New Direction for Fashion
We have to be unburdened by what has been to consider what can be. – Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
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Time Will Tell. The State of Fashion 2021
Diminished, downsized, and discerning is the current normal of the fashion industry. Fashion companies will post approximately a 90 percent decline in economic profit in 2020, after a 4 percent rise in 2019. – BoF and Mckinsey & Company, The State of Fashion 2021 report
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In the COVID era keep creating | 5 survival tips not to ignore
Stay focused, slow it down, present scarcity, and invest in a circular system.
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Buy Less, But Better | Study Shows Notable Shift to Sustainable Consumption
As part of the IFM – Première Vision Chair, Français de la Mode conducted a study that surveyed 5,000 consumers in France, Germany, Italy and the United States about their consumption habits of Eco-friendly fashion.
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Are You Listening? Consumer Feedback is King | A How-To Guide
Are you giving your consumer a platform to provide you with meaningful feedback? Do you know why their consumption patterns have changed? Don’t assume anything. Have you asked?
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The State of Fashion 2020 | Sustainability First
For the first time sustainability was named the biggest opportunity in this study.
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A Message from the Editor to FIDM graduates and all emerging designers
. . . And to Those Still Trying to Break Through the ‘Noise’. There are no impossibilities. In a world where we are taught to conform, we must be diligent in using our creative power for change.
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Fashion Unknown Fact | 10,000 liters of water. . .grow one kilo of cotton
10,000 liters of water is required to grow one kilo of cotton needed to make just one pair of denim jeans. In comparison, one person would take 10 years to drink 10,000 liters of water. Cumulatively, the fashion industry produces about 20% of global waste water. Source: UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon […]
Read moreWith 25.5 billion pounds of USE-ABLE textiles thrown away each year (70 pounds per American), there is a lot of waste that can be prevented.
You don’t need to be an expert to succeed in fashion
Expertise is no longer a guarantee in this business and bachelors degrees and awards don’t always take you to the top. Sometimes boundless energy, street smarts, a killer idea and an iPhone are what it takes.
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The State of Fashion 2019 | The Courage to “Self-Disrupt”
The fashion industry continues to hover in a state of flux . . . and we predict that 2019 will be a year shaped by consumer shifts linked to technology, social causes and trust issues, alongside the potential disruption from geopolitical and macroeconomic events. Only those brands that accurately reflect the zeitgeist or have the […]
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Fashion Culture | Alexander McQueen and Fashion’s Firsts
Alexander McQueen will clearly be documented in fashion history as the first most awarded and socially provocative designer.
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Ten Minute Catwalk – Costly, Waste of Time, Once You See It, Forgotten!
A ten minute catwalk? How about a ten month campaign of exposure! Why not leverage this very short window of exposure to maximize your business long-term. Here are 10 steps of keeping your brand prominent in the eyes and buying power of your audience: Tell your story – document your design and development stages by […]
Read moreWe need to shift our consumption values so that the entire fashion system can shift along with it.
– RP Hill –
Fashion Unknown Fact | India, World’s Youngest Emerging Economy
What does this mean for the fashion community? According to a report by Technopak, “in contrast to the increasingly aged populations in the West, Japan, and even China, India is expected to become the world’s youngest emerging economy by 2020, with around 64% of its population in the working age group” – median age 28 [compared to US 38, […]
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Consumers Call the Shots | A Power Shift Away from the Retailers
The future is in the hands of the consumers with a power shift away from the retailers. Shoppers have more control over what, when, how, and how often they purchase fashion, leaving retailers (both online and brick and mortar) with many challenges not the least of which is ‘what to offer’. Plunkett Research, Ltd.’s Keys […]
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Sustainable Textiles? The Textile Community Talks
An industry in transition. How advanced is the textile industry in reducing the carbon footprint while implementing ethical business practices?
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Fashion Unknown Fact | Non-Biodegradable Clothes Take 20 to 200 Years to Biodegrade
Non-biodegradable clothes are manufactured synthetic textiles including polyester, spandex, nylon, and rayon[*]. It may take between 20 to 200 years to fully biodegrade these textiles.
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Hemp Textiles, An Environmental Game Changer | EDGE Talks to Hemp Traders
The biggest challenge for hemp has been its legality. It has been illegal to grow for the last 80 years. Lawrence Serbin, President Hemp Traders Hemp, the cousin crop to marijuana, is a textile wonder that many consumers and industry professionals know little about. Although hemp has been around for thousands of years, today it is making head way as […]
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Fashion Unknown Fact – 85% Workforce Loss in U.S. Apparel Manufacturing
Did you know as late as 1990, the United States apparel manufacturing industry employed nearly 939,000 people? In 1931, the Garment District in New York was home to the highest concentration of clothing manufacturers in the world. But as manufacturing has moved overseas the sector has since lost more than 85 percent of its workforce […]
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Fashion Unknown Fact – The U.S. Fashion Industry Employs More Than 1.8 Million People
The fashion industry—including retailers, manufacturers, designers and wholesalers—employs more than 1.8 million people in the United States. It relies on workers in a wide range of occupations, including fashion designers, market research analysts, graphic design artists, computer systems developers, patternmakers, sewing machine operators, retail sales workers, wholesale buyers, accountants and business operations specialists.The U.S. fashion […]
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Fashion Unknown Fact – U.S. Apparel Manufacturing Runs a $76 Billion Trade Deficit
According to U.S. Congress JEC report, the U.S. apparel manufacturing industry currently runs a trade deficit. In 2014, U.S. apparel exports totaled roughly $6 billion, while imports were about $82 billion. Over one-third of U.S. apparel imports come from China (36 percent), with Vietnam (11 percent), Bangladesh (6 percent), Indonesia (6 percent), and Mexico (5 […]
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Designers Speak Out | Alternatives to Fashion Runway with Commercial Viability
In ten minutes the past few months of working on something is presented to the world. The show itself is over so fast, and for myself, I only see it on a playback video after it’s over. – Brendan M Combs, designer. With each show available for the viewing public, digitally, designers question where is the […]
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How Important is Sketching in Design?
Tapping into your audience/client at key points during the design process can save you a lot of disappointment of the ‘big reveal’ at the end. Consider this your focus group/feedback session. Sketches really help you “sell” your designs to the clients. – Icon Utopia Designers, the entire design process is of such meaning to your […]
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Fast & Cheap Fashion Consumption Leads to R.A.G.S.
Skip the landfill and discard your unwanted R.A.G.S. – Recycle Accessories Garments Shoes – responsibly. Americans discard more than 28 billion pounds of unwanted clothing, shoes, and other textiles. Charitable organizations and others collect roughly 15 percent of these items, while the remaining 85 percent — 24 billion pounds — end up in landfills. – […]
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Zero Waste Design Technique | Are You Part of the Conscious Design Movement?
A how-to guide from Redress and EcoChic Design Award.
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The Power of The Designer To Create Sustainable Change
Up to 80% of a garment’s environmental impact is decided in the design phase. Only a few designers and product developers realize their potential to create sustainable change through their decision. – Jonas Eder-Hansen, vice president & development director at the Danish Fashion Institute | Recycling International Designers should recognize that true innovation is best achieved by […]
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The Fashion Runway – Are the Costs Worth It? Designers Tell All!
Fashion shows have become a media spectator sport at a high cost of entry for the designer. Is the 10 – 20 minute catwalk worth the investment in exposing their work, but more importantly getting that order from buyers? Read what emerging designers think of fashion shows. A mixed blessing?
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Fashion Unknown Fact – How Big is Fashion Week Worldwide?
Did you know Wikipedia list over 75 countries that produce fashion events? Here’s a little context of how big the fashion show industry is:
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Exposing the Hidden Scam Within the Fashion Industry
FashionUnited brings you this insight into the fashion industry: A senior designer, sitting in a sunlit midtown office, knows her interview is going well. She can feel it. Her portfolio is appealing to the interviewers who have pored over it. She has talked them through the highlights of her resume. She seems to be saying […]
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What You Need to Know About Costume Design
A Quick Reference. . .
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Color! Have No Fear
In fashion, do we produce and consume too much of the color black? Do you know why black is used in the branding of Chanel, YSL, and Armani Exchange? How does the color spectrum affect consumer behavior?
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Fashion Unknown Fact – Fashion Week Designer Costs
Well established big brands can start at $100,000, which can include venue, models, styling, hair and makeup, production, public relations, and livestreaming. Pay to play celebrities are in addition.
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The ‘Un’ in Fashion
Become fearless in your design approach. Create fashion that is unexpected, unpredictable, and uncompromised.
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Fashion Week, A Call To Action. 13 ‘Must Consider’ Tips
Don’t let Fashion Week play you.
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Fashion Unknown Fact – Selling to Major Retailers, You Get Seven Cents on the Dollar
Selling to the “Majors” may not be all that profitable for certain brands.
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Fashion Unknown Fact – Where Are The Largest Numbers of Fashion Designers?
The states with the greatest number of fashion designers include: New York (7,190 fashion designers), California (5,750), Texas (500), New Jersey (340) and Massachusetts (270). The metropolitan areas with the largest numbers of fashion designers are New York City (7,030), Los Angeles (4,130), Santa Ana (520), San Diego (260) and Long Island (250).
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Why Walk in the Shoes of Your Consumer?
We don’t know what consumers don’t buy. We know what they do buy.
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The One Branding Tip You Can’t Live Without
In developing your brand, focus on engagement, not sales. You want to engage the consumer on an emotional level and to effectively communicate it across their entire brand experience. When you think of an emotional connection with a brand, Disney has one of the best practices of consumer engagement and brand leveraging across all its […]
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Fashion Industry Key Consumer Insights
The Trendstop team of FashionUnited brings you this exclusive insight into the consumer mindset. . .
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Fashion Unknown Fact – Designer Average Pay
Fashion designers are at the heart of the industry’s creative process. Across industries, fashion designers earn an average of $73,600 annually. [Source: The New Economy of Fashion | Joint Economic Committee, United States Congress]
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The State of Fashion 2017
The U.S. fashion industry has changed dramatically since the early part of the 20th century when its main focus was manufacturing. In 1931, the Garment District in New York was home to the highest concentration of clothing manufacturers in the world. – The New Economy of Fashion | Joint Economic Committee, United States Congress […]
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The New Economy of Fashion
There are strong signs of a bright future for sectors of the fashion industry—primarily in design and high tech manufacturing. Fashion is a multi-trillion dollar global industry, encompassing everything from textile and apparel brands to wholesalers, importers and retailers. Over a trillion dollars is spent annually on apparel and footwear around the globe, with nearly […]
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A Timeless Message to the Emerging Class of Creatives
. . . And to Those Still Trying to Break Through the ‘Noise’. There are no impossibilities.
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