InFashion: Fun! Fame! Fortune!

Part Three The Secondary LevelThe Producers of Fashion Chapter Nine Accessories Slide 4

Elaine Stone

When we considered forecasting trends one of the things we discussed was that the accessory designers need to be ahead of the game due to the materials they use. It is important for accessory designers to be on trend. What would happen if clothing was trending toward soft romantic dressing and accessories were trending toward hard edge plastics with a space age feel? Clothing and accessories need to play together to create the overall look of the trends for any given season. We are saying trends in the plural because at any one time there is more than trend or look happening. Check out any fashion magazine for this month to see which trends are popular now. Designer names are important to accessories as well as clothing ~ perhaps more so. Even if you cannot afford designer clothing you may be able to afford a bag, a belt or sunglasses. We will discuss this on our discussion board DB this week. Key Concepts for this chapter include: Categories of accessories Merchandising and marketing of accessories Market segments in accessories Advertising and promotion of accessories Trends in the accessories industry Slide 5 Footwear

I think of foot wear as being more instant gratification than clothing. You do not need to hem, take in, move a button or alter the shoes. If the shoe fits wear it (right out of the store). Some people will look at others shoes to know something about them. Are they expensive, run down, out of season or maybe the type of shoe tells you that someone is preppy - think penny loafers, conservative wing tip oxfords. Take a look this week at what people have on their feet and see if it tells you anything about them. Organization and Operation Nike is the largest shoe producer in the U.S. That gives a hint at the casual lifestyle we lead. Nike does not own any of the factories that produce the shoes or clothes. Italy is known for producing leather goods of high quality and styling being the #1 producer of high end designer shoes. When you think of Italian manufacturers you might think of Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo, and Diego Della Valle. This industry is dominated by giant companies who can handle the large investments and inventories needed. Womens Shoes Styles change as fast as fashion. You will notice that a high stiletto heel will be more likely to have a pointed toe than a broad chunky toe. Mens Shoes American brands you may have heard of include Johnston & Murphy and Forsheim High end European imports include Clarks of England, Bally of Switzerland, as well as Ferragamo, Gucci and Bruno Magli of Italy Childrens Shoes Children may be fascinated with their shoes

due to the boot wearing cat or the temporarily shoe-less Cinderella. Usually they have an opinion on their footwear. Childrens shoes are more likely to be newly purchased than purchased second hand due to the heavy wear they receive. Besides having a good fit it is also important to have footwear which conforms to their peers style so they can fit in. Athletic shoes are a practical choice for everyday wear and the Velcro closings on younger childrens make them an easy on/off choice. Athletic Shoes The Nike store in Tokyo which is depicted on your slide looks more like a candy store than a shoe store. Back to the trend of more casual dressing we see athletic footwear being worn from babies who cannot walk to senior citizens. Specialized shoes are available for every type of sports activity from rock climbing to aerobics and walking. Merchandising and Marketing New York City is again the major market center in the U.S. The Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) puts on an international footwear tradeshow four times a year. Much like the fur industry many of the department or specialty stores will lease their shoe departments to shoe manufacturers. Industry Trends American Apparel and Footwear Association is a source of information about trends and materials. Other places for shoe designers and manufacturers to get

information on trends are the Shoe Fair in Bologna, Italy and GDS exhibition in Germany. Slide 6 Handbags Organization and Operation The handbag industry in the U.S. is relatively small and becoming smaller as the number of imports grows. American classics include Coach, Le Sportsac and Dooney and Bourke. Most of the Designer name handbags are licensed items.

Backpacks Whether practical or trendy backpacks are the go to bag for many people. Certainly they are important for anyone in school, kindergarten through college as a book bag and great for travelling. Sometimes the handbag trend is toward backpack styling.

Merchandising and Marketing Magazine advertisements and store displays are the way that most of the handbag manufacturers reach their customers. Where do you get your ideas of what kind of bag you may want?

Industry Trends Even domestic handbag manufactures will import bags from countries where they can be made more cheaply. They are aided in this by the Fashion Accessories Shippers Association which supports the interests of accessories importers. Slide 7 Gloves People have long covered their hands with leather gloves being discovered in Egyptian tombs. Early people used animal skins fashioned into mitten like coverings. Gloves not only serve the function of keeping hands warm and protected but have also had a symbolic past: Being exchanged when property was being sold as a sign of good faith A groom would give the father of the bride a single glove to symbolize that he could care for his daughter single handedly A slap across the face with a glove meant a challenge to a duel To denote status of the wearer Gloves used to be worn by women as part of being well dressed. The 1950s was the last time that wearing gloves was important to this end. Organization and Operation Leather gloves are the most difficult accessory to make. They are made on machines that are hand guided or may entirely hand made. You will also find gloves made in fabric or combinations of leather and fabric. The link below is a CNN report on a glove manufacturer that I frequented when I lived in NYC. Jay is a great down to earth guy. http://lacrasiagloves.com/FactoryCNN.html Some of the other fashion glove manufacturers in the U.S. are Fownes Brothers & Co., Inc; Grandoe; and Nolan Glove Company. There is a town in upstate New York called Gloversville where much manufacturing used to take place. As with so many fashion items the production

has moved to offshore with most of the gloves being made in China, the Caribbean and the Philippines. Merchandising and Marketing There is not a great deal of money being spent on advertising for gloves. You may see some seasonal ads, as gloves although they are a fashion item are mostly worn for warmth. You may also see them for weddings or evening or as part of a celebrity look.

Lady Gaga wearing LaCrasia gloves

Industry Trends Gloves are available in specific numbered sizes for the closest fit. http://www.leatherglovesonline.com/np/sizing.htm This site has a chart which shows the method for measurement and the numeric sizing of gloves. In order to produce fewer sizes many gloves are offered in sizing S/M/L/XL. Slide 8 Millinery Hats were at one time a required accessory. They may serve as protection or strictly fashion or both. Historically mens 19th and 20th century hats were derived from Medieval helmet.

In Egypt the headwear worn would tell you something about the wearer. The drawings below show some of the different styles Egyptians wore.

Iconic hats include the Stetson originating in the American west as a crushable waterproof hats worn by cowboys.

Top hats were a status symbol and were worn by men and women.

As we moved into the 1960s and 1970s dressing became more casual and both mens and womens hat sales took a dive.

Although Jackie Kennedys pillbox hat was widely copied New range of headwear, from streetwise Kangol hats, berets, and caps to elegant fedoras If you are interested in seeing Kangol hat images click on this link. http://fashionbombdaily.com/2010/02/16/black-history-fashion-trend-kangol-hats/

Flamboyant hats in designer shows

Phillip Treacy runway show hats

Some celebrities are known for wearing outrageous headwear. Sarah Jessica Parker at a recent Metropolitan Museum of Art gala There are events that call for hats Royal Ascot Races and any royal event in England as well as the Kentucky Derby.

Awareness of the dangers of overexposure to the sun spurs people to wear hats.

Sunhats are for everyone. The popularity of baseball caps has been across the board men women and children of all ages. They are walking billboards for whatever company, team, club or business you wish to promote.

Slide 9 Eyewear Sunglasses protect eyes from the suns harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and they also present a fashionable image. High fashion styles are available from designers such as Donna Karan, Tom Ford, Gucci, Chanel and the list goes on. The Michael Kors aviator style sunglasses pictured in the slide are cast in 22 karat gold. Dozens of styles are popular at the same time and it is easy to find a style to flatter your face. The only question you may have is do you want to pay for them. Razrwire a line of sunglasses can be used as a hands- free phone not inexpensive! Designer frames for prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses.

Slide 10 Jewelry Modern jewelers melt and shape metal, cut and carve stones and string beads and other items as peoples have been doing for centuries. Also at their disposal designers use enameling, glass and ceramics as well as found natural items such as wood and bone. Organization and Operation Fine Jewelry Precious metals of gold and platinum with platinum being the most expensive These metals are soft in nature and in order for them to be fashioned into jewelry they need to be combined with other metals to make them hard enough.

Gold is measured in weight by karats which you will abbreviated as K Solid gold is actually only 1/24 gold the rest 23/24 alloy ~ which is the metal it is combined with. 14K gold is popular in the U.S. and less expensive Europe favors 18K and 22K is popular in India White gold is an alloy of gold and usually nickel and it is used as a substitute for platinum. Vermeil is gold over sterling silver. In order for something to be labeled sterling silver it will contain 92.5 parts of silver and it is often combined with copper. Gemstones are the stones that are used in fine jewelry. They originate in natural mineral formations and are classified as: Precious - which includes diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires Semiprecious are the other stones Stones are measured in carats. One carat =200 milligrams and carats are divided into points with 100 points to a carat. A 50 point stone is a half carat stone

Solitaire diamond in a Tiffany setting

Baguettes are rectangular stones often placed with a larger stone Pave ~ small stones set very closely together so the metal does not show between the stones.

Pearls are of animal origin but still considered precious stones. They are measured in millimeters around and in length. The larger and more symmetrical the pearl is the more expensive the pearl. Cultured pearls are formed by an oyster but around an irritant placed there by man. Tahitian and South Sea Pearls are the most expensive real pearls.

Fresh water pearls are nugget shaped pearl that grow in lakes and rivers. They are less expensive than either real or cultured pearls. Baroque pearls are irregular and asymmetrical.

Designer names are also important in jewelry and many of those are independent designers. Costume Jewelry is also known as fashion jewelry and it could be compared to mass produced apparel. The base metals used are brass, aluminum, copper, tin and even lead. These metals can be coated with more expensive precious metals. Stones can be glass, crystal, plastic or clay and fake pearls We have Coco Chanel to thank for starting costume jewelry in the 1920s. It was named costume jewelry because it was to coordinate with your costume. If you are interested in seeing handmade jewelry look at Etsy to see what individual designers are coming up with. Bridge Jewelry as with clothing bridges the gap between fine and costume jewelry. The prices range from $100- $2,500 The introduction of bridge jewelry led to the increase in the use of sterling silver

 Ethnic Jewelry is a huge range of items from anywhere in the world and the jewelry may be made of any materials including wood, stones, shells, and fabric. Religious or spiritual symbols are included in this category. These can include the Christian crosses, Jewish star of David, Buddhist lotus blossoms and the Native American feather. Museums are creating copies of museum jewelry pieces or even reproducing jewelry from pictures.

These earrings are offered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and they are copies of Roman coins. Watches Come in 3 basic types: Mechanical ~ hand wound Automatic or self-winding ~ wind themselves from the wearers movement Quartz movement ~ removable batteries that last about a year Watches are both fashion and function. High end watches such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier can sell for $2,000- $2.7 million. Swatch watches were introduced in the 1980s and in 2010 they were the number one manufacturer of watches. These casual watches spawned other products with the Swatch brand.

Watches with special features are also available and these features include resistance to wind, dust, shock and magnetic fields. Merchandising and Marketing AccessoriesTheShow is held in New York and this trade show happens 7 times per year. Christmas and Valentines Day are busy holidays for jewelry purchases. The idea of having something unique which drives vintage fashion also drives the interest in estate pieces which is fine jewelry from earlier times. Industry Trends As with the other accessories jewelry trends must match what is happening in fashion both for men and women. Slide 11 Diamond cuts this chart is the same chart as page 212 in your text Slide 12 Other Accessories There are many categories of accessoriesand much variation within categories Other important categories include: Handkerchiefs

 Umbrellas

Hair ornaments

Slide 13 Trends in the Fashion Accessories Industries Accessory manufacturers must be fashion leaders. Fashion designers often track what is happening in accessories. Accessory designers also need to be fluid enough to adapt to style changes mid-season.

Market Weeks and Trade Shows in New York Summer and January Transitional and March Fall and May Holiday and August Spring and November In addition to the New York shows MAGIC and WWDMAGIC in Las Vegas are held in February and August. Accessories are an important business worldwide. Slide 14 Trade Talk bridge jewelry carat costume or fashion jewelry karat millinery sterling silver vermeil