The history of fashion is very rich and entertaining: back in ancient centuries, various styles of clothing were already invented, new materials were created, new elements were added to hair, accessories, jewelry on the neck, hands, ears. Undoubtedly, the beautiful half of humanity is more interested in fashion, but men also do not go far from it. Therefore, the range of fashion products is expanding every year, and the fashion industry has worked and will continue to work for humanity.
Fashion as a phenomenon
It is known that fashion is one of the social phenomena, as it is aimed at satisfying the aesthetic needs of society. And fashionable things, in turn, themselves demonstrate the social status of its owner.
Fashion as a phenomenon was explained at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the term “seepage” appeared. According to American Thorstein Veblen and German Georg Simmel, the fashion industry had as its goal to single out the elite from the general mass, which always tries to be different from ordinary people. Therefore, all new trends appear among the upper class, and the middle and lower layers of society try to imitate the elite layer and adopt any innovations from it. In other words, fashion trends “leak” from the top down and cease to be new, turning into the category of “consumer goods”. Then again, it is necessary to create something new and fashionable so that the elite still stands out. There is a process of the so-called "cycle of prestigious consumption", which does not stop.
Modern fashion
Today, the class strata in society have practically disappeared, but the purpose of fashion has remained the same - to emphasize the person’s belonging to a particular social group. The modern fashion industry creates things of such directions as youth fashion, street, office, etc. At the same time, each person is able to choose personalized clothing, which is a way of self-expression. Dressing fashionably and stylishly, you can stand out from the crowd and demonstrate to others the presence of taste and personality.
Proceeding from this, the conclusion suggests itself that only those that are on display are fashionable things are on display.
Fashion goods
Of the total number of industrial goods, the fashion industry contains only those that are considered fashionable and satisfy the personal needs of a person. These include:
- clothes,
- personal accessories (handbags, hats, watches, belts, stockings, gloves, etc.),
- cosmetics and perfumes,
- jewelry (jewelry and bijouterie),
- household goods (dishes, bedding, linen, carpets).
The production of all of the above is handled by a certain sector of the economy - the so-called “fashion industry”. This sector includes the manufacture and sale of goods. Several sectors of light industry are involved here , among which it should be noted the textile, hairdressing, perfumery, as well as modeling businesses. As statistics show, over time, the number of fashionable products is gradually expanding.
Fashion Trends
If previously only fashionable goods belonged to fashionable half of humanity, then in the twentieth century this trend was refracted, and fashion also affected men.
Around the same time, the fashion industry expanded the range of fashion products due to the fact that lifestyle changed and became public. For example, our great-grandmothers and grandmothers did not attach much importance to washing, as did eating food. Now most of us are buying food and laundry detergents at the store. As a result, almost all elements of personal consumption, including drinks, cars, motorcycles, furniture, stationery, etc., are now classified as fashionable goods.
The stages of development of the fashion industry
There are several stages of development that the fashion industry has gone through. Until the end of the nineteenth century, this direction did not exist, although the concept of fashion was. Beginning in the 1890s, manufacturers of clothes and accessories began their operations, during which small business turned into a real large-scale production. Even fashion magazines were issued, where it was about trendy things that are customary to wear in an elite society.
In the 50s of the last century, they headed for mass consumption, which meant that it was necessary to predict fashion phenomena. Firms appeared that specialized in analyzing new products and trends in the fashion world. The large-scale production of fashionable clothes put forward its own requirements - to make decisions on bulk purchases, production, etc. As a result, manufacturers of ready-made things already depended not only on “inventions” of fashion designers, but also on manufacturers of raw materials. Later, a trend forecasting system appeared.
Fashion branching
Since the 60s of the twentieth century, serious changes have taken place - fashion has divided into two branches: “haute couture” and “ready-to-wear”. During this period, fashion designers such as Christian Dior, Hubert Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel and others became world famous.
In the 90s, the term “pluralism” appeared in the fashion environment, which means the absence of a single style and commitment to crushing into a number of different directions. The speed with which new items appear is changing. In parallel with this, fashion “rejuvenates”, that is, the opportunity to buy fashionable things appeared not only among rich people, but also among ordinary youth. Stylists no longer have a dominant influence on fashion, well-known brands are engaged in more propaganda.
It should be noted that while, until the end of the 20th century, the fashion industry exclusively affected Europe, in the 21st century fashion acquired a global character, and designers from different countries offer their ideas. Today, there is already a huge influence of Eastern cultures, and this is reflected in consumer goods.