The

Glossary
INDUSTRY TERMS AND WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN
Fashion is quickly evolving, and with that comes a In short, there’s a new language emerging – but it is
number of new terms industry insiders are throw- not as difficult to learn as it may seem. We’ve com-
ing around. Brands are launching activations (or PR piled all the need-to-know words and phrases. For
stunts), retailers have endless aisles (which excuse a shortcut, skip the dictionary definitions and just
them from saying “out of stock”) and shoppers are study what they really mean.
spending their time standing in lines for the latest
drops.

A B
ACTIVATION A campaign involving a brand
interaction or experience that’s meant to drive
consumer action.
Or: A PR stunt.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE The theory and
development of computer systems able to perform
tasks that normally require human intelligence.
Or: Data digestion a step beyond Excel sheets.
BESPOKE An original style, made to a customer’s
specification, often confused with “made-to-measure.”
Or: A fancy word for “custom.”
BRICK-AND-MORTAR A physical presence of an
organization or business in a building or other structure.
Or: Repeat after us: It’s not dead, just changing.

ATHLEISURE The popularity of wearing athletic or

C
CAPSULE Formerly, a seasonless collection of mix-
athletic-inspired clothing on a regular basis, with or and-match styles; now, used interchangeably with
without a pending workout. “collaboration.”
Or: The trend that will not — no matter how many Or: An add-on collection by brands seeking atten-
brands test it out — die. tion between seasons.

AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY A
technology that layers computer-generated enhance-
ments on top of an existing reality, facilitating inter-
action with the reality (AR); and an artificial, comput-
er-generated simulation of a real-life situation (VR).
Or: Advanced and expensive technology that
customers don’t care about.
CONTENT AND COMMERCE The integration of
e-commerce into the user experience of content sites
or other non-commerce properties.
Or: “How do we trick people into reading a
corporate blog post?”
CREATIVE COLLABORATOR An industry or indus-
try-adjacent partner selected by a brand to work on
special projects.
Or: A celebrity or influencer whose lucrative fan-
base trumps the need for any actual design talent.
ENDLESS AISLE A process that pushes an order to a
supplier when a retailer is technically sold out of an
item, allowing for a shopper to seamlessly complete
a purchase.
Or: A positive spin on “out of stock.”

D F
DATA Information gleaned by brands regarding cus-
tomers’ shopping habits and preferences.
Or: Customer insight used by brands to make it
that much harder for them to resist buying their
merchandise.
DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER A retail model that
involves bypassing retailers (the middlemen), and
marketing and selling products directly to customers.
Or: The business model for millennials.
FASHION HACKATHON A merging of the minds to
(if all goes well) come up with new product ideas.
Or: A culture clash of Silicon Valley-minded engi-
neers, business executives and fashion creatives.
FORWARD A design or business idea that is
future-thinking and fresh.
Or: A term used loosely to enhance a design or
business idea’s cool-factor.

DISCLOSURE The act of informing consumers or

followers that a product feature is sponsored or part
G
GEN Z The demographic of individuals born
of an advertising relationship. between 1995 and 2010.
Or: Something most influencers and brands have Or: A group of youths that are quickly overtaking
preferred to avoid until the recent FTC crackdown. millennials as fodder for think pieces and debate
over their consumption habits.
DISRUPT The act of dramatically changing the way
things have traditionally be done. GREEN BEAUTY Beauty products that are
Or: A buzzword often used to make a slight change all-natural, organic and not harmful to animals
by a brand to sound more compelling or rebellious. or the environment.
Or: A catchall term with loose guidelines that’s
DROP A limited-edition release to the public. used by many brands to market anything that has
Or: The launch of a style restricted to those at least one natural ingredient.
willing to miss work to stand in line.

E H
HEURISTICS The psychological underpinnings and
EDITOR-AT-LARGE An industry figure who over- behavioral economics that influence the way individ-
sees a publication’s content and helps steer their uals select products.
larger mission. Or: The art of taking advantage of consumer
Or: An influencer who doesn’t do much of any- behavior rooted in human psychology.
thing except lend their face to a magazine or web-
site’s brand.
I P
INCUBATOR When established brands help startups
grow by providing them with funding and support.
Or: Resource for brands to groom fashion startups
and gain recognition.
INFLUENCER MARKETING A type of marketing that
focuses on using key leaders to drive a brand’s mes-
sage to the larger market.
Or: The most expensive Instagram you’ll ever buy.
L brands it carries.
LOOKBOOK Photos featuring a designer’s new col-
lection, used for marketing purposes.
Or: The catalog version of a runway show.
M Or: An attempt to make a stale brand cool again.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS When two orga-
nizations join forces to become a new business
(merger); and when one business buys a second
company, which either becomes part of the parent
company or runs as a subsidiary (acquisition).
Or: How struggling retailers stay afloat; how Amazon
and Walmart siphon power for world domination.
MODEST FASHION A style of dressing that incorpo-
rates high necklines and long hemlines, as a means to
cover the body.
Or: Fashion’s backlash against naked dressing.
MUSICAL.LY A lip-syncing social media platform
designed for Gen Z (see previous page).
Or: The latest social platform fashion publishers
are attempting to cash in on.
MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING A business strategy in
which direct-to-consumer companies sell product
through appointed brand ambassadors who receive a
cut of the sales.
Or: A pyramid scheme (Looking at you Mary Kay,
LuLaRoe, et al.).
PRICE MATCHING When a store promises to match
another store’s prices for certain products.
Or: Giving customers willing to jump through
hoops the price they’d pay if they simply shopped
elsewhere.
PRIVATE LABEL A brand owned and sold by a
retailer, but produced by a contract or third-party
manufacturer.
Or: A retailer’s attempt to steal business from the
R
REBRANDING The creation of a new look and feel
for an established brand.
RESORT/CRUISE SEASON Pre-collection or cap-
sule shows typically held between May and July.
Or: An excuse to add yet another fashion show to
the already expansive and tumultuous fashion
calendar.
RESTRUCTURING The realignment of a corporate
hierarchy and/or the way a business has traditionally
been run.
Or: A last-ditch effort to rejuvenate a brand whose
star is either fading or dead.
S
SAAS TECHNOLOGY An acronym that stands for
“software as a service” -- a blanket term for technol-
ogy platforms that provide specialized services across
a wide variety of industries.
Or: How influencer agencies connect bloggers to
brands.
SHOPPABLE When products can be purchased
directly from a platform.
Or: A made-up, ubiquitous adjective used to
describe a product available via e-commerce.
SKINTERTAINMENT A K-beauty trend largely
centered on face masks with interesting patterns or
materials designed to nourish skin while providing
entertainment.
Or: Beauty products that often look like animals
and are particularly conducive to sharing
on Instagram.
SLACKTIVISM Actions performed through the
internet in support of a political or social cause that
are regarded as requiring little time or involvement.
Or: Promoting your political opinions by buying a
trendy T-shirt and posting it on Instagram.
SMART MIRROR A mirror equipped with capa-
bilities that would otherwise be done manually or
through another system.
Or: A computer in the fitting room that makes it
easier to get another size.
SOCIAL COMMERCE A form of of electronic com-
merce that involves social media to assist online
buying and selling of products and services.
Or: “How do we ruin everyone’s favorite social
platforms with ads?”
STORE-IN-A-STORE When a retailer has rented
part of another retailer’s space.
Or: How big-box retailers and department stores
capitalize off of cooler brands.
STORE OF THE FUTURE A retail concept that aims
to link the online and offline worlds using data.
Or: A testing space in San Francisco that has no
chance of scaling.
STORYTELLING The application of narrative think-
ing and storytelling techniques to define brands,
inform strategy and structure creative activity.
Or: Sales pitches.
STREET STYLE PHOTOGRAPHY A form of
photography first popularized in the mid-aughts
that captures the most noteworthy outfits during
fashion week.
Or: The phenomenon responsible for the influx
of overdressed influencers and other assorted
peacockers outside fashion shows.
SUBSCRIPTION BOX A recurring delivery of niche
products.
Or: The lazy person’s version of a monthly shop-
ping trip.
SUPPLY CHAIN
How a company’s products are made from start to
finish (and all materials involved).
Or: Something most companies hide, distort, or
use as a selling point, or all of the above.
SURPRISE AND DELIGHT A marketing strategy in
which companies randomly select an individual or
group to receive a gift or experience.
Or: Marketing drone speak for not totally sucking.
T
THE SHOWROOM MODEL A brick-and-mortar
store that operates only as a try-on and ordering
location, without inventory.
Or: A buzzy concept that largely benefits brands
more than consumers.
TRANSPARENCY How open and honest companies
are about business operations.
Or: A way for brands that aren’t sustainable or
ethical to seem like they’re trying.
TRUNK SHOW A sales event for showing merchan-
dise to select customers.
Or: Setting up shop somewhere without signing
a lease.