Mad Mod

A Sixties Inspired Fabric Story

Rochelle Bilow 10/18/2013

Mad Mod Mod fashion exploded onto the London scene originally in the 1960s, and has resurfaced as a popular trend in the 80s, the early 2000s and many times even since then. Sixties mod is defined as being a culture or subculture surrounding music and fashion, influenced by models like Twiggy and musicians like The Beatles (Treggiden and Robertson, 187). This fabric story is influenced by these same people and this mod subculture. The six piece spring 2014 collection I have created took inspiration from the original sixties classic mod styles, particularly through the selection of novelty fabrics. The novelty fabrics reflect patterns and prints that were particularly popular in the sixties mod movement, such as the classic and well-known checkerboard print, as well as a pop-art comic book print, as pop art became visible and desirable in pop culture during the sixties. While I drew in some inspiration of the sixties with the novelty fabric choices, I still wanted the individual pieces to feel modern and fresh as opposed to dated, pass or even costume-like. Therefore, I juxtaposed these novelty fabrics against more modern silhouettes, and toned them down by pairing them with classic fabrics such as linen and wool. However, these pieces can be combined or separated to make a statement as subtle or bold as the consumer desires. This playful combination of retro-flair details and modern day working woman pieces paired with a mix of casual and business appropriate garments make the collection perfect to target younger women who are just making their way into their careers while still wanting to remain fashionable and differentiate themselves in a work environment or in general. Since this mod-fashion was arguably the first youth movement it seemed appropriate to target the youthful women Generation Y, particularly those just progressing into professional life. Sixties mod fashion was all about customisation, individuality and self-expression, with an emphasis on personalising your own signature style. Generation Y is also particularly focused on individualism and standing out from the crowd, they perfectly embody the very values that the mod movement of the sixties stood for. The individual pieces of this collection are intended to be fun and playful, much like they were in the sixties. This collection embraces this fun spirit of the sixties by allowing the consumer to express themselves through these inspired prints and patterns, while professional pieces with noteworthy detailing allow the wearer to make a statement while being business appropriate. The intent of mod fashion amongst younger people was to look nothing like their parents or grandparents (Treggiden and Robertson, 185). In fact that is exactly what this collection aims to do, differentiate the customer from the generations before them, while still utilizing classic pieces. While the suit may be a classic and staple piece for the working environment, the fun sixties inspired detailing on the modern suit make it different from your mothers work wear. Each piece of this collection utilizes the base fabrics to

compliment the novelty fabrics, and the novelty fabrics to make a statement about the wearers sense of individuality and uniqueness. The first piece of this Mad Mod collection is a knee length cocktail dress for an elegant night out. The dress is made mostly in orange acetate satin which is loosely draped around the top half of the body and more fitted from the waist, cinched by a thin band of the accent novelty fabric. Details include a sequined jersey pop art print waistline and neckline that creates an asymmetrical effect and keyhole cut-out. This sequined jersey material attaches at the back of the dress and from there hangs down loosely. This dress makes a statement with a bold colour palette and prints while still maintaining a classy look. The acetate satin was chosen to provide the customer with a look that is presentable and appropriately formal and relatively inexpensive. The pop art accent fabric was chosen so that the wearer can still look entirely unique. The second and third pieces of the collection are a subtly printed wool gabardine blazer and pencil skirt that can either be worn together as a suit, or dressed down as separates. The blazer is a classically constructed button-up single breasted jacket, with a unique cuff done in a retro checker print cotton canvas material. The pencil skirt is constructed similarly, in the same wool gabardine, and classic fit. Also, similar to the potentially matching blazer it will also be accented by the printed cotton canvas, with a strip of this printed fabric about an inch and a half wide on either side of the exposed zipper that will be running down the back of the skirt. These two pieces offer versatility to the savvy young woman by giving the option to be worn more boldly as a full suit with unique details that keep it feeling modern and young, or wearing each separately as more casual pieces. The blazer can be paired nicely with blouses or t-shirts, with dress pants or jeans. The pencil skirt is a staple piece that can be dressed up with a blouse or dressed down with more casual tops. Wool gabardine was chosen for the base fabric of these two pieces for its comfort, weight and inexpensive cost. The weight of the fabric makes it not only comfortable to be in all day, but makes the garments appropriate for an indoor workplace as it is not exceedingly heavy or warm. The heavy cotton canvas novelty fabrics were chosen for these pieces to allow the garments to retain their structure while still being stylistically complimented. The blazer or skirt could also potentially be paired with the fourth piece of the collection, a sequined jersey pop art print peplum top. The peplum top is made entirely of this material, simply and loosely constructed. This top is a simple basic piece for every young woman; it can be worked into every aspect of her life, as it is also very versatile. This piece was selected to be created entirely of the sequined jersey novelty fabric because of its loose and draped fit, as well as to add some whimsy and fun into the collection. The fifth piece of the collection is a cropped tuxedo style jacket in a subtle pinstripe gabardine fabric. Instead of having a button or zipper closure, the jacket is left completely open with a collar that drapes around the neck and hangs in the front done in the

sequined jersey pop art print. Gabardine was selected as the base fabric for this piece for much the same reason the wool gabardine was selected for the blazer and pencil skirt. The weight of the fabric makes it comfortable for all day office wear or any other indoor events. The sixth piece of the Mad Mod collection is a casual day dress with a simple construction. The dress will be done entirely in the jersey material with the comic book pop art print, however while it may be the same print, this fabric is lacking the sequins to make it more casual and daywear appropriate. The dress will be simple, A-line, V-neck and sleeveless. Much like the pop art sequined jersey top, the novelty fabric was selected as the only fabric because of the drape and flow of the dress and to keep the garment fun, young and inexpensive. The Mad Mod collection is therefore a perfect match for young women entering a professional environment, particularly the Generation Y women who seek out small details that will set them apart from others, and set their clothes apart from their mothers or grandmothers. The personality of Generation Y in general values individuality but not to the extent that they are no longer considered appropriate or as being part of the group (Nahai). Though generation Y has been called the next generation of spenders, likely because of their large population, this is not entirely the case. According to Stats Canada, while the amount being spent on clothing, footwear and accessories is slowly increasing each year, the amount young women in the target age bracket are willing to spend on any single garment has not increased at all. This suggests that there is still a focus on value pricing rather than high quality items within the same product category. The emphasis on uniqueness combined with an age group that is not willing to spend large sums of money on garments of this nature leads me to believe the most logical place to carry this line would be contemporary fast fashion locations such as Zara or H&M. The collection would likely be successful at stores such as Zara or H&M as the fabrics and garments chosen to be part of the collection are priced within the expected range for those retailers, and these stores appeal to the right demographic. Zara in particular is founded on a business model and currently carries a selection of products complimenting this proposed collection, making the Mad Mod collection a perfect fit. Zaras business model is focused on offering new, bold, cutting edge fashion pieces (like the sixties revival trend), to young price-conscious consumers who follow the latest fashion trends (Trampe and Kemperman). Zara is a perfect fit for the target market of generation Y women in particular as generation Y is known for being less brand-loyal and more value driven, indirectly in relation to their technological savvy (Schroer). Being technologically adept means that generation Y women can easily keep on top of the latest fashion trends, and then move on from them just as quickly. In this way it can be argued that these generation Y women are what fuels fast fashion and the quick turnover of fashion trends. In addition, the current selection of products that Zara carries compliments the Mad Mod collection better than their main competitors (like H&M) because they also offer more

business or work appropriate apparel while still also offering casual fashionable pieces. In contrast stores like H&M focus more on casual everyday basics and other similar clothing. Because of their involvement in fast fashion, generation Y women, particularly those ready to enter the workplace are drawn to stores like Zara who constantly bring in new products both casual and work appropriate, that reflect the latest trends, such as the Mad Mod line. The target customer for the Mad Mod collection is also the target customer for Zara, she is chic and fashion-forward. She is always on trend and aims to distinguish herself and her style, while not straying too far as to make herself an outsider. She is a woman who likes to be viewed as unique and individual, but also sensible and practical. She is likely educated and just entering the workplace, as she is fairly young she is just beginning to establish herself within a career and as such, she is within a middle income bracket and therefore not willing to pay high fashion prices for high fashion pieces. As such they usually indulge themselves into small luxuries, like having Starbucks instead of Tim Hortons or a midrange designer investment piece instead of a high-end designer piece. The Zara and Mad Mod customer is likely active, fun-loving, energetic and always on the go, leading a somewhat hectic lifestyle. The price point of this collection stays very much in line with what would be expected of fast fashion contemporary retailers such as Zara or H&M. This price range can easily be achieved with this collection due to the inexpensive cost of materials such as fabrics, and the simple construction of the garments. The blazer would likely cost around $80, while the skirt would cost slightly less at around $60. Both the cocktail dress and the pop art comic book print day dress could range anywhere from $100 to $120. The sequined jersey pop art top would likely cost about $60 as well, and the tuxedo style jacket would be approximately the same price. As such all the pricing and quality is completely on par with what kind of collection one can expect to be carried in a retailer such as Zara. Because of the parallels that can be drawn from the target customer, the typical customer lifestyle, the similar price points, the similar product range, and the enthusiasm to embrace new exciting fashion trends, a location like Zara would be not only a logical choice but undoubtedly a profitable choice to carry the Mad Mod collection Canada-wide. With its young and fun feel, and its celebration of individuality the Mad Mod collection offers a fresh take on a sixties revival.

Works Cited Nahai, Nathalie. "5 Things You Need To Know About Marketing To Gen Y." Psychology Today. N.p., 13 May 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. "Retail Sales, by Industry (monthly) (Seasonally Adjusted)." Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. N.p., 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. Schroer, William J. "Generations X,Y, Z and the Others." Generations X,Y, Z and the Others...Social Librarian Newsletter - WJ Schroer Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. Trampe, Liedewij, and Jeroen Kemperman. "Zara - Faster Fashion." Brilliant Business Models. Wikibusinessmodels, 04 Aug. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. Tregidden, Judy, and Lindsay Robertson. "Study Day: Reconstructing '60s Fashion." Costume 41.1 (2007): 18587. Williams, Hayden. Digital image. Instagram. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013