Anneke S, 2016，‘Fashion Myths, A Cultural Critique', Fashion theory, vol21, No.1, pp.105-108

Yet 2016 was one of the industry’s toughest years. Terrorist attacks in France, the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, and the volatility of the Chinese stock market have created shocks to the global economy. At the same time, consumers have become more demanding, more discerning, and less predictable in their purchasing behavior, which is being radically reshaped by new technologies. It’s against this backdrop that McKinsey has teamed with the Business of Fashion to shine a light on the fragmented, complex ecosystem that underpins this giant global industry.

Amed, I., Berg, A., Brantberg, L. and Hedrich, S. 2017 The state of fashion.  McKinsey & Company. Viewed in July 2017
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Many department stores have strip lighting that’s often high in the ceiling. And, the end results lead to shoppers’ complexions that have a greenish or blue tinge. Beauty departments have installed clear white lights that allow consumers to locate the makeup tones and color they want and make them look attractive. LED bulb lamps provide a pure light and produce a personalized, intimate setting.

Visual Thinking MD Karl McKeever said LED lights provide people with a more youthful, photostudio-look.

 

Bright in color lipsticks are often put on counters and front of displays to lure customers into buying more.
McKeever said it’s similar to sweets in the supermarket. Lipsticks are considered an impulse buy. He said it’s similar to how supermarkets use fresh produce to demonstrate their credentials for quality. McKeever said placing glosses and lipsticks at the front is one surefire way for retailers to demonstrate newness.

 

Most people don’t leave a makeup counter with just one makeup product in their bag. And, it’s not just because women think they have to spend a copious amount of money when they check out the beauty counter.

O’Neill said three is the magic number and the staff’s goal is to sell products in three. He said three is a realistic number because it doesn’t make customer feel like they’ve overbought or overspent. O’Neill said the staff has been trained to upsell consumers to purchase more. Therefore, if someone is going in to just purchase lipstick, the staff will try selling them a lip liner as well. If a person is in the market for mascara, they may need eyeliner.

 

Cosmetics are regarded as one of the most costly products women will need to purchase. And, the higher the price is, the smaller its label is going to be. Prices are generally not seen on cosmetic counter shelves, which means people will either need to pick the item up to find out or ask someone to help them. Many consumers, for whatever reason, feel this is the time they have to purchase the product.

Consumers don’t often see money-off coupons because they feel the high prices are proof that the items are effective.

 

Sales are not the only ones that come in threes – displays also do. When a customer looks up, they see the expensive bottles lined up in threes. According to McKeever, this triangular balance is extremely effective. It plays on the idea that the eye goes right to the middle. The tallest products go in the middle (usually more expensive) and the smaller, cheaper products to make the more expensive look attractive.

 

Cosmetic companies will spend millions of dollars annually to give out free cosmetic samples – usually through giveaway or testers found on counters. They do this because a person’s sense of smell or touch is going to trigger a response that leads them to purchase a product.

O’Neil said the senses such as smell and touch – drive consumer behaviors. If a person test drives a vehicle, they’re 60 percent more likely to buy that vehicle. This number is even higher when it comes to beauty. People feel obligations if the staff there is helpful.

 

For the longest time, makeup counters were found at the entrance of department stores. In the beginning, it was done out of practicality. O’Neill said the perfume counters were at the front because it knocked out the smells of the outside world.

Today, cosmetic counters in the front produce an alluring atmosphere. In fact, the makeup department of a store tends to be the most profitable – usually making up 15 percent of its yearly business. Hence, the reason they’re still at the front of a store.

 

It’s important to note that cosmetic staff are usually holding perfume bottles, ready to spray a consumer whenever they can. And, it’s no surprise that people are dodging these folks left and right. Keep in mind they can’t stand in the back waiting for people to come along… they have to mingle and try hooking in customers with a sales tactic called recruiting. Once at the counter, beauty companies will reposition them as consultants or beauty tutors.

 

As for the white clothing, it’s done to make them appear as if they’re dermatologists prescribing makeup and other products… not just selling them.

Kristjan, H 2015, '8 Marketing Tactics Cosmetic Personal Use To Increase Consumer Spending' , 3 December , viewed inn July 2017
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Fashion and clothes are an integral part of our daily lives.Fashion and clothing are extensions of our personalities. Clothing is necessary to cover our bodies and may serve specific purposes, such as to protect us from the elements or to provide warmth. Fashion refers to the generally accepted styles of clothing and accessories for a particular society or culture. People use fashion as a means of self-expression, to show status, to communicate and to distinguish themselves from others or to identify with a particular social group. Fashion and the associated clothing fall into many different categories and classifications.Haute CoutureHaute Couture is a French phrase meaning “high fashion.” Haute couture fashion in modern times refers to clothes custom-made for exclusive clientele by fashion design houses or by top fashion designers. It is the ultimate in custom fashion, with each item of clothing being designed specifically to fit the measurements, body type, taste and coloring of a specific client. The fabric and trimmings used in haute couture are often specially sourced and manufactured for the particular design. Haute couture is by nature very expensive, and only a limited number of people in the world can afford this type of fashion.Ready-to-WearReady-to-wear fashion, also known as off-the-rack and prêt-a-porter, is a type of fashion in which clothes are pre-made and sold in a range of standard sizes, as opposed to being custom-made to fit a person’s measurements. Ready-to-wear garments fit most people, as the majority of people fit into a standard size. Plus-size and petite-size fashion is also available as ready-to-wear, but with more limited availability than standard sizes. High-end ready-to-wear fashion is produced by fashion designers to make their designs more accessible to a wider cross-section of the market. These are usually manufactured using cheaper labor and constructed of less expensive materials than bespoke clothing.

Mass MarketMass-market fashion is a type of fashion in which clothing is quickly and cheaply mass-produced in large manufacturing facilities to standard sizes. This clothing is often seasonal and made of cheap material, which has earned it the term “disposable fashion.” Mass-market fashion is the most common type of fashion due to its low cost and ready availability.Types of ClothingFashion and clothing styles vary with culture, country, region, age, status, occupation, social group and many other factors. The types of clothing worn by an individual are largely dictated by social needs and personality as well as form and function. Some workers and students are often given a uniform or formal dress code, which dictates what types of clothing they wear while performing their duties or while on the premises. Executives and bankers are often required to wear expensive suits and designer labels in order to convey an image of social status. Construction workers wear clothes and accessories designed to protect them from physical harm while allowing freedom of movement. There are also special kinds of clothes and fabrics designed for persons with active lifestyles, such as dancers and athletes.
Gissimee D 2009 , 'Types of clothing &fashion' Ehow discovery, 23 January, viewed in 15 July
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or, eight types of fashion designers.

People often ask designers about their inspirations, and how they begin their collections. The question “why do you design” isn’t so often asked but is also one I find interesting. As there are different movements in art, different genres of films and endless categorizations within music, so it is with fashion.

As a bit of a mental game, I have been thinking about how I would categorize modern designers. What I’ve come up with is 7 categories. [Amendment: added one more on the suggestion of Sarah Nicole Prickett.] Most designers overlap several categories, so of course this is somewhat simplified. The categories are based on what I think the most dominant contemporary design philosophies are.

—

Alexander McQueen. John Galliano. Jean Paul Gaultier. Vivienne Westwood. Yves Saint Laurent.

These designers treat fashion as theatre – drama or comedy. Their collections tell stories, each with a thrilling climax. Beyond that, their entire careers also read like narrative arcs. They are adventurers, besides being outstanding characters in their own right.

—

Donna Karan. Thierry Mugler. Gareth Pugh. Christian Lacroix. Valentino. Gianni Versace. Oscar de la Renta. Yohji Yamomoto. Olivier Theyskens. Alexander Wang. Rodarte.

These designers create for a muse, either real or imagined – dressing a distinctive protagonist. Their clothes appeal to people who cast themselves in their own lives – whether Mugler’s pop androids, Wang’s downtown slummers, or Valentino’s romantic heroines.

—

Tom Ford. Coco Chanel. Marc Jacobs. Halston. Victoria Beckham. Karl Lagerfeld. Betsey Johnson. Gwen Stefani.

These designers use themselves as their own muse. In addition to being talented in design, they are also always articulate communicators in multiple media. Because they also saturate visual, written and audio, their work has a way of seeping through the skin of fashion’s bubble to the larger population. They create vivid brands – though not always brands that outlive their creator.

This group is also adept at something else – personal transformation. Without exception, these are exceptional, rare human beings. They have to work hard to keep up with themselves, and they do.

—

Michael Kors. Ralph Lauren. Calvin Klein. Giorgio Armani. Phoebe Philo.

These are the zeitgeist sensors. They tap into what people want to, as Calvin Klein puts its, “be”. They design with a lifestyle in mind, not necessarily a realistic lifestyle, but the ones that most people want to live. They outfit humanity for its dearest dreams, whether we admit it or not.

Because they flatter universal human desire to be admired, they are brilliant at establishing international brands with longevity.

—

Margiela. Hussein Chalayan. Viktor & Rolf.

These designers are modern artists. Their work belongs in museums, their shows are statements. They approach disturbing subjects and push the boundaries of what a human body can physically adorn itself with. Their audience are all aficianados – most of them also creators in some capacity. You have to be somewhat literate in history and construction to appreciate a lot of their work, but the barriers to entry are part of what makes these designers so exceptional.

—

Schiaparelli. Jeremy Scott. Ann-Sofie Back. Walter van Bierendonck. Rudy Gernreich. Henry Holland. Rei Kawukubo.

These designers could also be included with the conceptualists, I think the distinction here is that the work tends to be fashion-referential and often cleverly so. They are the op-ed page of The Fashion Times – as such their work also tends to be of-the-moment and not always enduring. They also demand a bit of pop culture and design intelligence to adequately absorb them.

—

Christopher Kane. Vionnet. Mark Fast. Issey Miyake. Jeremy Laing.

I’ve already discussed technicians here – their starting point is the possibilities of materials. They are innovators, experimenters, the scientists of fashion. They influence the next generation of designers.

—

Mr. Pearl. Angela Missoni. Paul Smith. Christian Louboutin.

These designers focus on developing a narrow specialization. They maintain tradition and continuity in design and construction. Tailors are the purest form of artisans. Many menswear designers favour a design process based on tradition. Certain brands like Burberry and Hermes demand a designer who can treat the past with respect.

—

Of course this is just one way you could think of it. Does a particular type of designer resonate with you?

Danielle M, 2011, 'seven types of fashion designers', finalfashion, 30 October, viewed in 15 July
<http://www.finalfashion.ca/2011/10/seven-types-of-fashion-designers/