Evolution of Men's Apparel: From Power Symbol to Fashion Trends - Prof. Katalin Medvedev, Study notes of Interior Design

Download Evolution of Men's Apparel: From Power Symbol to Fashion Trends - Prof. Katalin Medvedev and more Study notes Interior Design in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter Ten: Men’s Apparel  Male dress traditionally expressed power, wealth, and glory  History: o Late 1700’s: oldest domestic apparel industry o Early 1800’s: slop shops against Atlantic coast (creating batches of clothing in standard sizes) o 1818: Brooks Brothers opens first store o 1846: Introduction of the sewing machine o 1863: Invention of paper patterns by Butterick which created consistency in sizing o 1864: Industrial Revolution  Helped create the conservative cut and dark suits for men. People who were not famous or aristocracy (regular workers) were wearing dark colored suits because there was so much soot and dust in the air o 1914: Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) o 1929: Great Depression o 1939-1945: WWII, uniformed style (ration of many materials); there were many more boutiques (haute couture) and such in Italy and Europe because many sew by hand in these countries while the cultural and political changes in the US led us to move towards manufacturing rather than hand sewn apparel o Post-war: Sportswear enters men’s apparel (primarily in California- more sports-like climate and lifestyle); America gave men’s casual wear to the world o 1940’s: Men designer’s clothes start o 1960’s: Revolutionary fashion o 1964: John Weitz becomes first American designer of men’s wear o 1970’s: Revolutionary fabrics (knits made from polyester gave it a bad name because almost everything was made from polyester; polyester is easy to dye so clothes became colorful and flamboyant)  lately men are wearing more polyester suits though they have a wool blend (about 55% polyester) o 1975: Jon T Malloy’s Dress for Success (step by step guide on how to look good) o 1976: Amalgamated Clothing and Textiles Workers Union (ACTWU) + United Shoe Workers of America o 1990’s: Dress down Fridays hit corporate America and the hip hop look hits mainstream men’s fashion o 1995: ACTWU & ILGWU merge to form UNITE o 2004: UNITE HERE 2000’s: back to the conservative masculine man, tailored suit sales  Categories: o Tailored clothing- suits, overcoats, sports coats, formal wear, separate trousers o Furnishings- dress shirts, neckwear, sweaters, underwear, socks, robes, pajamas o Outerwear- raincoats, jackets, active sportswear, ski parkas, snowsuits o Work clothing- work shirts, work pants, overalls o Other- uniforms and miscellaneous items o 40% of manufacturing in Mid-Atlantic states o All categories use licensed designer brands  The “Name Game” (designer wear) o Italian designers (Armani, Donatella Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino) o Belgian designers (Raf Simons, WIlm Neels) o European designers (Helmut Lang, Yohji Yamamoto, Jean-Paul Gaultier) o “Big Four” American designers (Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Tommy Hilfiger)  Ralph Lauren is only original men’s wear designer (others started in women’s wear)  Market Segments o Tailored Clothing  Backbone of men’s wear industry  Produce (semi)structured clothing that involve hand tailoring operations  Ways to distinguish top quality suits (grades- how many hand operations there are [1,2,4,41,6,61) and the cut (“7 inch drop” from chest to waist for the designer sits; 6 inch drop for non-designer suits)  Structured clothing (not easy to fold or pack away: keeps a shape and can stand on its own if you put it down) (going down in popularity); suit separates where you wear a sports jacket and trousers in different combination (going up in popularity)  Sizes mean chest measurements  Because formal occasions are more rare in America, men do not typically own a lot of suits o 2nd Sportswear (casual wear)  Fastest growing segment  Unstructured jackets, knits, woven, sports shirts, slacks, leisure shorts, coordinating separates. Takes shape from the body  Depends on short runs, fashionability, and QR  Interest peaked in 1970’s when there were important changes in lifestyle (vacation, more demand for fashion)  Difference between tailored and sportswear  Construction and size range not occasion styling, colors, or fabric. Sizes are only s, m, l, and xl o 3rd Activewear  Bloomed in the 1980’s  Clothing for sports and leisure  Most men want to appear active rather than be athletic  Inspired color to stay in men’s wardrobes  Licensing is big (ex- Tiger Woods for Nike, Greg Norman for Reebok) o 4th Contemporary  Provides high quality and fashion (worn by style conscious)  Produces clothing in all categories but in brighter colors  Usually produced under a designer’s licensing agreement o 5th Bridge Apparel  Defined by retailer, not the manufacturer  Consumed between the ages of 25 and 40 who have a sophisticated style  Men who don’t desire young men’s clothing but can’t afford designer  Bridge between designer and contemporary  Advertising/Publicity o Mostly men’s wear producers in cooperative advertising o Magazines: GQ, Esquire, Details, Vibe… o Trade shows: number one is NY, also regional in California and other places  Men’s Wear Industry Trends: o Mergers and Acquisitions are on the increase o Diversification such as expanded product lines are increasing. Designer jeans to slacks o Automation counteracts the expensive labor force (unusual change as it was mostly done by hand) o Increase in foreign production and imports o Increase in specialty stores o Increase in casual and sportswear o Proliferation of labels and private labels (to know your customer better) Accessories