Classifying products with a fashion element

Although the categories above do apply to certain items of clothing in the fashion industry, they are slightly limited in use when one is trying to analyse buying motives and methods. It is probably more accurate therefore to classify tangible fashion products slightly differently, categorizing them as classics, fashions or fads.

Classics

It is possible to use the term classic in several contexts. In terms of 'bundles of utilities', classics can usually be seen as the midpoint compromise of any style, i.e. total look or composite effect. Indeed, the term 'style' is often used to describe the classic in this context, complying with the basic laws of harmony in proportion, aesthetic sense and incorporation of balanced design features. Colour and pattern may vary but the classic customer does not seek the satisfaction of a new seasonal experience in the way that his or her fashion and fad counterparts do. However, it is likely that some satisfaction will be sought at the core of the product's tangible attributes, e.g. good quality, good fit and durability. Aquascutum is such an example as shown in Figure 6.2.

In a product sense a classic is never out of style for its market segment and will rarely appeal to the majority. Design changes will be

Figure 6.2 An example of a fashion classic.

minimal; these changeless and always acceptable garments are found in all recognizable areas of fashion, e.g. the women's tailored suit with knee- or just above knee-length skirt or for men the City pinstripe, the double-breasted trench coat, the blazer; even denim jeans have their classic in the five-pocket Western style.

Classic garments, sharing the quality of 'timelessness', will collectively make up the classic styles described above. At any given time, however, it will be possible to identify dominant and secondary styles. What should be added here is that although often described as timeless, classics also evolve gradually over many years according to the style of the age.

Certain designers have also been described as classic, producing fashions that are seen by many as timeless and therefore can be worn despite the season and current high fashions. Barbour, Pringle and Nike provide good examples of brand names, while Paul Smith and Donna Karan are two examples of contemporary classic designers.

Classic products may occasionally become fashionable, e.g. the ongoing revival of the Chanel suit, albeit with more up-to-date styling detail. However, it is more likely that the classic will form the basis for the annual slow, continuous change that forms fashion. There is a skill in combining the appropriate variations on the appropriate classics for any given moment in time to create an appropriate contemporary style.

Figure 6.3 Four basics of fashion design.

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Fashions and fads

The distinction between a fashion and a fad is usually defined on the basis of their acceptance cycle. Fashions usually have a slower rise to popularity, reach a plateau with continuing popularity and then decline gradually; often this cycle relates to a season, whether autumn/winter or spring/summer. Mid-season modifications to the original fashions may be introduced with the specific intention of maintaining buying interest and encouraging further purchases from early as well as later adopters (see Chapter Three).

Fads, in contrast, will rise meteorically in popularity only to suffer an abrupt decline as they become adopted. As a fad becomes fashionable it also becomes unfashionable. Adoption of a fad is based solely on the desire by the individual for a new experience that is not likely to become popular on a large scale. For this reason a fad tends to be viewed as non-viable in the commercial sense and usually eccentric in nature.

Retailers like Zara, who operate a system of fast fashion where catwalk ideas can become translated into lower-priced fashionable items made available in stores within weeks, have contributed to the erosion between fashion and fad in some market segments.

Continue reading here: The fashion product life cycle

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