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Designing Clothes : Culture and Organization of the Fashion Industry - Veronica Manlow

Designing Clothes

Culture and Organization of the Fashion Industry

By: Veronica Manlow

Hardcover | 15 July 2007 | Edition Number 1

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Fashion is all around us: we see it, we buy it, we read about it, but most people know little about fashion as a business. In this volume Veronica Manlow considers the broader significance of fashion in society, the creative process of fashion design, and how fashion unfolds in an organizational context where design is conceived and executed.

To get a true insider's perspective, Manlow became an intern at fashion giant Tommy Hilfiger. There, she observed and recorded how a business's culture is built on a brand that is linked to the charisma and style of its leader.

Fashion firms are not just in the business of selling clothing along with a variety of sidelines. These companies must also sell a larger concept around which people can identify and distinguish themselves from others. Manlow defines the four main tasks of a fashion firm as creation of an image, translation of that image into a product, presentation of the product, and selling the product. Each of these processes is interrelated and each requires the efforts of a variety of specialists, who are often in distant locations.

Manlow shows how the design and presentation of fashion is influenced by changes in society, both cultural and economic. Information about past sales and reception of items, as well as projective research informs design, manufacturing, sales, distribution, and marketing decisions. While new ideas must be put forward by the firm in a systematic manner, the identity of the brand must maintain a consistent image in the minds of consumers. In addition to taking account of the contingencies of the market, fashion firms must always be attuned to what other firms are doing. The moves of any one significant firm will influence other firms. It can even be said that there is a flow and counter-flow that occurs between all these "sub-systems" in the larger fashion industry.

Manlow offers a comprehensive view of the ways in which creative decisions are made, leading up to the creation of actual styles. She helps to define the contribution fashion firms make in upholding, challenging, or redefining the social order. Readers will find this a fascinating examination of an industry that is quite visible, but little understood.

Industry Reviews

-[A] top pick for college-level collections strong in fashion history and design... Not only art collections but business libraries as well will find it an important survey of how the presentation of fashion is influenced by social change. From fashion industry trends and leadership to the efforts of the fashion designer, Designing Clothes is an excellent, in-depth survey.-

--Midwest Book Review

-Anyone interested in the American clothing/fashion industry will find this book a helpful introduction to its unique history and culture. Extensive bibliography. Highly recommended.-

--B. B. Chico, Choice

-An outstanding book, beautifully combining classical theory, ethnography, and interviews. Must reading for anyone who wants to understand how clothes are designed and what this says about ourselves and the society in which we live.-

--William Helmreich, City University of New York Graduate Center

-Designing Clothes offers a variety of unique insider views into the alluring world of the fashion industry. Designers and their roles in fashion are described, not in the usual cliched ways, but in 21st century terms, as charismatic cultural arbiters. . . . [A]ccurately dispels some of the unrealistic mystique surrounding this powerful industry.-

--Francesca Sterlacci, FIT


"[A] top pick for college-level collections strong in fashion history and design... Not only art collections but business libraries as well will find it an important survey of how the presentation of fashion is influenced by social change. From fashion industry trends and leadership to the efforts of the fashion designer, Designing Clothes is an excellent, in-depth survey."

--Midwest Book Review

"Anyone interested in the American clothing/fashion industry will find this book a helpful introduction to its unique history and culture. Extensive bibliography. Highly recommended."

--B. B. Chico, Choice

"An outstanding book, beautifully combining classical theory, ethnography, and interviews. Must reading for anyone who wants to understand how clothes are designed and what this says about ourselves and the society in which we live."

--William Helmreich, City University of New York Graduate Center

"Designing Clothes offers a variety of unique insider views into the alluring world of the fashion industry. Designers and their roles in fashion are described, not in the usual cliched ways, but in 21st century terms, as charismatic cultural arbiters. . . . [A]ccurately dispels some of the unrealistic mystique surrounding this powerful industry."

--Francesca Sterlacci, FIT


"[A] top pick for college-level collections strong in fashion history and design... Not only art collections but business libraries as well will find it an important survey of how the presentation of fashion is influenced by social change. From fashion industry trends and leadership to the efforts of the fashion designer, Designing Clothes is an excellent, in-depth survey."

--Midwest Book Review

"Anyone interested in the American clothing/fashion industry will find this book a helpful introduction to its unique history and culture. Extensive bibliography. Highly recommended."

--B. B. Chico, Choice

"An outstanding book, beautifully combining classical theory, ethnography, and interviews. Must reading for anyone who wants to understand how clothes are designed and what this says about ourselves and the society in which we live."

--William Helmreich, City University of New York Graduate Center

"Designing Clothes offers a variety of unique insider views into the alluring world of the fashion industry. Designers and their roles in fashion are described, not in the usual cliched ways, but in 21st century terms, as charismatic cultural arbiters. . . . [A]ccurately dispels some of the unrealistic mystique surrounding this powerful industry."

--Francesca Sterlacci, FIT


"[A] top pick for college-level collections strong in fashion history and design... Not only art collections but business libraries as well will find it an important survey of how the presentation of fashion is influenced by social change. From fashion industry trends and leadership to the efforts of the fashion designer, "Designing Clothes" is an excellent, in-depth survey."

"--Midwest Book Review"

"Anyone interested in the American clothing/fashion industry will find this book a helpful introduction to its unique history and culture. Extensive bibliography. Highly recommended."

--B. B. Chico, "Choice"


"[A] top pick for college-level collections strong in fashion history and design... Not only art collections but business libraries as well will find it an important survey of how the presentation of fashion is influenced by social change. From fashion industry trends and leadership to the efforts of the fashion designer, "Designing Clothes" is an excellent, in-depth survey."
--"Midwest Book Review"

"Anyone interested in the American clothing/fashion industry will find this book a helpful introduction to its unique history and culture. Extensive bibliography. Highly recommended."
-- B. B. Chico, "Choice"

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