The Case of Fashion Production and Retailing (HRACS)

Question 1

The fashion industry is important…

Crewe (2008)

Answer 1

It is an important component of the contemporary economy and makes a major contribution to the
proliferation of material culture and the ways that people construct and communicate their identities.

Question 2

Consumers are relying less on the authority of conventional branding and advertising campaigns for their consumption knowledges, and consumption is increasingly determined by…

Crewe (2008)

Answer 2

consumer-based opinions, reviews and recommendations. And large organisations are, in turn, desperately seeking out new mechanisms to harness
the knowledges of consumers and to refresh their enthusiasm to consume.

Question 3

Give an example of the concept of fast fashion.

Tokatli (2007)

Answer 3

Zara
-One of the world’s leading fast fashion retailers and has been credited with revolutionizing speed in the design, production and retailing of their ontrend garments, which has allowed them to be industry leaders.

-Wants much shorter supply chains to be able
to find the latest styles on the catwalk, copy them, produce them and get them into stores as quickly as possible.

• Zara can wait to see what customers are actually buying and then and make that.
• Zara has an upmarket look to it.
• Trend spotters globally

if enough shoppers are asking if certain shirts are available in a specific colour or style, the manager will takes notes and according to Tokatli (2007) Zara can have that colour available in the store within two weeks.

Question 4

Value of clothes

Crewe (2008)

Answer 4

Clothes accrue value through ownership, possession, history and authenticity and the layers of meaning and memory are trapped within fibres.

Question 5

Being ‘made in Britain’ does not always equal a higher chance of being produced in a more ethical manner - meaning higher wages and better working conditions

Answer 5

According to a new report from the University of Leicester there were 11,700 employees in the sector in 2010. And from this workforce 75-90% were being paid £3 per hour. This is less than half of the legal minimum wage of £6.50 and far below the UK living wage of £7.85 per hour.

“If you get something cheap, there is a reason for that…”