Changes in the World of Fashion
Fashion is a specific style of dressing and self-expression in a certain time and location and in a certain context, usually of dress, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, hairstyle, body posture, and lifestyle. The word means a trend defined by the fashion industry; it is continually changing, developing, being reinvented, and regenerating itself as each season progresses. This constant reinvention of fashion shows how it affects people’s thinking, feelings, attitudes, emotions, and purchasing behaviors. It also suggests a continuous challenge for people to meet and exceed each season’s fashion needs, desires, and trends.
People perceive and interpret fashion according to its impact on their lives and individual styles. When a trend becomes “trendy,” it can become a symbol or a benchmark by which people compare themselves to others. Fashion consultants, fashion shows, and magazines often describe these trends as defining personalities or styles. These are usually the items most wanted by women. For example, during the late sixties, the “free spirit” movement and the flower power fashion styles made black hair and clothing very popular.
In current times, trends are continuously changing. In a society that is more materialistic, one cannot escape trends. Trends change according to new employment opportunities, social and cultural activities, economic conditions, among other things. Due to these changes in the life of humans, the fashion world has become more subjective and unpredictable. The constant flux and change of fashion reflect the ever-changing fashion industry and the continuously shifting values of people who buy fashion.
To forecast and evaluate future trends, people rely on various indicators such as clothing sales, jewelry sales, handbags and totes, shoes and boots, jewelries, and accessories. The demand for various items of clothing and accessories remains constant, although fashion varies according to seasons and time of the year. However, when the fashion world changes drastically, these trends become impractical and some no longer become fashionable. Trends also affect individual buying intentions. When people are economically stable, they tend to buy what they need, regardless of fashion trends.
Another major change that affects the fashion industry is the increasing of the working class. Rapid changes in technology have contributed to an increase in the number of people with jobs in the service industries such as marketing and advertising. At the same time, there has been a massive increase in the number of people with jobs in the production industries of fashion.
Due to rapid changes in the world of fashion, people can no longer rely on the trends presented in local publications and television programs to determine their trends. With increasing information about different trends and fashion sense, people no longer feel limited to what is printed and shown in their towns. With more than two hundred fashion-related magazines on the market today, people can access a wide variety of information about new and upcoming fashion trends. They can learn from experts about what they should not wear, which colors and styles are best, how to carry themselves, and much more.
