Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The fashion industry forms part of a larger social and cultural phenomenon known as the “fashion system,” a concept that embraces not only the business of fashion but also the art and craft of fashion, and not only production but also consumption. These shows, of much greater commercial importance than the couture shows, are aimed primarily at fashion journalists and at buyers for department stores, wholesalers, and other major markets. Definition of Fashion Retailing: Group of companies, part of the fashion supply chain that goes from the manufacturers to the consumer, offering fashion goods and services, through traditional seasonal spans and/or fast fashion timing, ranging from budget to designer price lines. Ready-to-wear fashion shows, separately presenting both women’s and men’s wear, are held during spring and fall “Fashion Weeks,” of which the most important take place in Paris, Milan, New York, and London. Search our database for more, Full text search our database of 145,100 titles for. The fashion designer is an important factor, but so also is the individual consumer who chooses, buys, and wears clothes, as well as the language and imagery that contribute to how consumers think about fashion. The first dedicated fashion magazines appeared in England and France in the late 18th century. Featuring articles, hand-coloured illustrations (known as fashion plates), and advertisements, fashion magazines—together with other developments such as the sewing machine, department stores, and ready-to-wear clothing produced in standard sizes—played a significant role in promoting the democratization of fashion in the modern era. Other women, including those for whom modest garments are obligatory in public, may wear fashionable European styles underneath their more conservative street attire. Marketing operates at both the wholesale and retail levels. Marketers are thus responsible for identifying and defining a fashion producer’s target customers and for responding to the preferences of those customers. Fashion is a complex social phenomenon, involving sometimes conflicting motives, such as creating an individual identity and being part of a group, emulating fashion leaders and rebelling against conformity. By the early 21st century the Internet had become an increasingly important retail outlet, creating new challenges (e.g., the inability for customers to try on clothes prior to purchase, the need for facilities designed to handle clothing returns and exchanges) and opening up new opportunities for merchandisers (e.g., the ability to provide customers with shopping opportunities 24 hours per day, affording access to rural customers). Customers shopping for clothing at a retail store. They use fashion shows, catalogs, and a sales force armed with sample products to find a close fit between the manufacturer’s products and the retailer’s customers. One significant development in the field of ethno-religious dress was widespread adoption of the hijab (religiously appropriate attire) among Muslim women not only in the Middle East but throughout the Islamic world in the early 21st century. Media of all kinds are essential to the marketing of fashion. Merchandising specialists must be able to respond to surges in demand by rapidly acquiring new stocks of the favoured product. Global Perspectives on Achieving Success in... Servant Leadership: Research and Practice. Global Perspectives on Achieving Success in... Servant Leadership: Research and Practice. At the beginning of the 21st century the international market for modest fashions was growing. However, there are also numerous smaller and specialized fashion industries in various parts of the world that cater to specific national, regional, ethnic, or religious markets. However, there are literally dozens of other Fashion Weeks internationally—from Tokyo to São Paolo. Fashion designers and manufacturers promote their clothes not only to retailers (such as fashion buyers) but also to the media (fashion journalists) and directly to customers. Fashion retailing, marketing, and merchandising. Fashion marketing is the process of managing the flow of merchandise from the initial selection of designs to be produced to the presentation of products to retail customers, with the goal of maximizing a company’s sales and profitability. A model walking the runway at Stella McCartney's fashion show during Paris Fashion Week, October 2010. The fashion system involves all the factors that are involved in the entire process of fashion change. At both the wholesale and the retail level, marketing also involves promotional activities such as print and other media advertising aimed at establishing brand recognition and brand reputation for diverse characteristics such as quality, low price, or trendiness.