Luxury Fashion: The Deluxe Standards

Quick & Easy Illustrations by Mai Manaloto

www.instagram.com/MaryAnnClothing

There has been a global misuse of the term ‘luxury’ especially in the fashion industry. What was once luxury is unfortunately no longer what it is. Luxury fashion such as haute couture are classic products of the highest value. In this discourse, I am guided by Dana Thomas’ New York Times bestseller Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster (2007).

Today, the prominent idea of luxury is to provide expensive clothing for the deluxe masses. We turn to photographs for guidance on what garments to purchase that will make us look good when taking selfies. The main motive is not to enjoy and live, but instead to be seen in photos enjoying and living.

Once, luxury fashion brands would produce extremely limited runs so that a buyer can have the pleasure of having a garment that he/she would never see elsewhere. The thrill came from the exclusivity and craftsmanship associated with attaining such luxurious products. The goal of luxury is, and has been, to deliver impeccably made products. Value for money has always been the agenda, providing excellent output and services.

Some luxury garments are made-to-order to custom fit the desires of a client. In clothing, the most important thing to consider is the fit and silhouette as this is where the practice of made-to-measure comes into play. The design which is composed of the fabrication, sundries, and ornamentations can come later on. It is like having a nice facial bone structure; once you have that the rest is make-up as stated from D. Thomas (2007). Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster (New York: Penguin Press). 326-31.

Maintaining luxury standards is a must in production. If you want to deliver the best dress for a particular client then you have to make use of the finest raw materials and the best artisans there are. As it is mentioned in Deluxe (Thomas, 2007), you can’t ask poor people in bad conditions to produce beautiful output. However, today a lot of fashion brands take advantage of cheap labor from developing nations to produce their so-called “luxury products” in warehouses, working under very bad conditions.

Authentic luxury should not be about consumerism, but instead it should be about educating the customer’s eye to see that special quality in clothing. It is about understanding and appreciating the beauty of the processes involved in crafting an impeccably made garment. Bonding and staying connected on a human level with clients is just as important as delivering results. Apart from this, the work space or retail outlet must be a precious space as it complements the overall image of the brand.

Building a luxury empire entails patience, skill, and knowledgeable interaction between creator and client. Letting it grow naturally, resisting the desire to rush and concentrating on too many markets are common challenges authentic luxury brands face on a regular basis. As Louboutin put it “don’t make a company to make money, make the things you like until it becomes a company”.

Fashion Express: Levels of Retailing

Quick & Easy Illustrations by Mai Manaloto

www.instagram.com/MaryAnnClothing

Becoming a certified fashionista does not only entail knowing the latest trends or putting pieces together. It is also about understanding the commerce in fashion. In this discourse I am guided by Linda Welter’s best-selling textbook The Fashion Reader - her background includes an M.A. in textiles and clothing as well as a Ph.D. in design.

The industry has various business levels as fashion is sold to consumers through a variety of retail outlets. The first to be considered are department stores which are considered as the oldest retail category dating back to its development in the 19^th century.

Malls are also increasingly popular retail outlets, ever since their emergence after the Second World War. Shopping has become a form of entertainment with these large forms of concrete providing more than just opportunities to shop, but also to dine in nice restaurants and watch the latest movie flicks in theaters.

However designer labels established by top designers require something different such as a high profile retail space. The location in this case is crucial because it has to reflect the image of the designer. Usually, such stores can be found in areas of the city considered to be trendy. It is critical that the store itself becomes a destination to build great excitement for consumers, who are willing to travel and shop.

Moving to mass merchandisers, these sellers are normally described as vendors of inexpensive clothing. Before, only basic garments were sold in these types of retail outlets. Today, it has begun incorporating designer fashion into its product mix. Affordable labels are tying up with top-name designers in building “limited edition” garments or “one-time” collections as a tactic to boost sales.

But in today’s increasingly technologically advanced world, internet retailing or e-tailing has rapidly grown since the birth of the digital age that created new opportunities in fashion selling.  Purveyor of high-end to off-price/discounter fashion makes use of the internet as social networking is used by brands in fueling excitement for their products.

It is also worth noting that some fashion retailers are vertically integrated specialty chain stores. Meaning the brand handles everything from designing and manufacturing the merchandise to selling them in their own outlets. This type of supply chain streamline creates a quick lead time of bringing goods to consumers, thus explaining why it is often described as 'quick response' or 'lean retailing'. It also promotes a reasonable price for the end product as it removes all the cost of having a 'middle person'.

Each business’s levels of fashion has its own corresponding challenges as the pressure to surpass the previous year’s performance is constantly felt. The new age brings fast and easy means of distributing fashion information globally and this has created a fashion forward consumer, those inclined with the newest trends and expecting instant fashion to be provided to them.