FASHION CYCLES

Consumers are exposed each season to a multitude of new styles created by designers. Some are
rejected immediately by the press or by the buyer on the retail level, but others are accepted for a
time, as demonstrated by consumers purchasing and wearing them.

The way in which fashion changes is usually described as a fashion cycle. It is difficult to categorize or
theorize about fashion without oversimplifying. Even so, the fashion cycle is usually depicted as a
bell shaped curve encompassing five stages: introduction, rise in popularity, peak of popularity,
decline in popularity, and rejection. The cycle can reflect the acceptance of a single style from one
designer or a general style such as the miniskirt.

1. Introduction of a style:

Designers interpret their research and creative ideas into appeal or accessories and then offer the
new styles to the public. Designers create new designs by changing elements such as line, shape,
colour, fabric, and details and their relationship to one another. New creations referred to as the
“latest fashions” may not yet be accepted by anyone. At this first stage of the cycle, fashion implies
only style and newness.

Most new styles are introduced at a high price level. Designers who are globally respected for their
talent may be given financial backing and be allowed to design with very few limitations on
creativity, quality of raw materials, or amount of fine workmanship. Naturally, production costs are
high, and only a few people can afford the resulting garments. Production in small quantities gives a
designer more freedom, flexibility, and room for creativity.

2. Increase in popularity:

If a new style is purchased, worn, and seen by many people, it may attract the attention of buyers,
the press, and the public. In self - defence, most couture and high – priced designers now have
secondary bridge and or diffusion lines that sell at lower prices, so that they can sell their designs in
greater quantities.

The popularity of a style may further increase through copying and adaptation. Some designers or
stylists may modify a popular style to suit the needs and price range of their own customers. Some
manufacturers may copy it with less expensive fabric and less detail it order to all the style at lower
prices.

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3. Peak of popularity:

When a fashion is at t he height of its popularity, it may be in such demand that many manufacturers
copy it or produce adaptations of it at many price levels. Some designers are flattered by copying
and others are resentful. There is very fine line between adaptations and knockoffs.

Volume production requires a likelihood of mass acceptance. Therefore, volume manufacturers

carefully study sales trends because their customers want clothes that are in the mainstream of
fashion.

4. Decline in popularity:

Eventually, so many copies are mass produced that fashion – conscious people tire of the style and
begin to look for something new. Consumers still wear garments in the style, but they are no longer
willing to buy them at regular prices. Retail stores put such declining styles on sale racks, hoping to
make room for new merchandise.

5. Rejection of a style or obsolescence:

In the last phase of the fashion cycle, some consumers have already turned to new looks, thus
beginning a new cycle. The rejection or discarding of a style just because it is out of fashion is called
consumer obsolescence. As early as 1600, Shakespeare wrote that “fashion wears out more apparel
than the man”.

LENGTH OF CYCLES

Although all fashions follow the same cyclical pattern, there is no measurable timetable for a fashion
cycle. Some fashions take a short time to peak in popularity, others take longer; some decline slowly,
other swiftly. Some last a single selling season, others last several seasons. Certain fashions fade
quickly; others never completely disappear.

1. Classics:

Some styles never become completely obsolete, but instead remain more or less accepted for an
extended period. A classic is characterized by simplicity of design, which keeps it from being easily
dated. An example is t he Chanel suit, which peaked in fashion in the Paris, as well as other
manufacturers, have produced variations of these suits for a small, dedicated clientele.

Other examples of classics include blazer jackets, twin sets, polo shirts, jeans, ballet flats, and
loafers.

2. Fads:

Short – lived fashions, or fads, can come and go in a single season. They lack the design strength to
hold consumer attention for very long. Fads usually affect only a narrow consumer group, begin in
lower price ranges, are relatively simple and inexpensive to copy and therefore flood the market in a
very short time. Because of market saturation, the public tires of them quickly and they die out.

3. Cycles within Cycles:

Design elements (such as colour, texture, silhouette, or de tail) may change even though the style
itself remains popular. Jeans became a fashion item in the late 1960s and remained classics.

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Therefore, their fashion cycle was very long. However, various jean silhouettes – including bell and
baggy – came and went during that time.

4. Interrupted Cycles:

Consumer buying is often halted prematurely because manufacturers and retailers no longer wish to
risk producing or stocking merchandise that will soon decline in popularity. This is obvious to
consumers who try to buy summer clothes in August.

Sometimes the normal progress of a fashion cycle is interrupted or prolonged by social upheaval,
economic depression, or war. Consider the large shouldered, wedge shaped silhouette in women’s
fashion which began in the 1930s. Because people were concerned with things more important than
fashion during World War II, the same silhouette continued, without the normally expected decline,
for the duration of the war. The new look of 1947 with its sloping shoulders tiny waists and longer
skirts was a radical change because the old cycle had been unnaturally prolonged.

5. Recurring Cycles:

After a fashion dies, it may resurface. Designers often borrow ideas from the past. When a style
reappears years later, it is reinterpreted for a new time, a silhouette or proportion may recur, but it
is interpreted with a change in fabric and detail. Nothing is ever exactly the same – yet nothing is
totally new. As the century and millennium draw to a close, designers are showing many nostalgic
looks of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and even the 1980s. However, the use of different fabrics,
colours, and details make the looks unique to the turn of the century.

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 Theories of Fashion Adoption

Trickle-Down Theory
Coined by economist Thorstein Veblen in 1889, the trickle-down theory of fashion adoption
assumes that fashion begins in the upper echelon of society. Styles worn by the wealthy change
and those changes are gradually adopted by the middle and lower classes. When those styles
have been assimilated by the lower classes, the wealthy, in turn, change their style and attire.
This theory assumes that the lower classes want to emulate the upper classes and is the oldest
theory of fashion adoption. It is applicable historically, particularly prior to World War II. Styles
from the white blouses of the Gibson Girl era to the shorter hemlines of the 1920’s began in the
upper classes.

Trickle-Across Theory
First developed in the late 1950’s, the trickle-across theory assumes that fashion moves across
socioeconomic levels relatively rapidly. Clothing styles do not trickle down but appear at all
price points at approximately the same time. Mass communications and popular media support
the existence of this theory, providing pictures and details about new styles, as does the modern
retail world. Many designers show similar styles in a variety of lines, ranging from high-end
designer clothing to lower-end affordable pieces. Once a design appears on the runway, a
variety of companies produce similar garments, allowing widespread access to fashion. From
the 1960’s shift dress to the shoulder pads of the 1980’s, these garments were available in
discount, department and designer stores at approximately the same time.

Trickle-Up Theory
The trickle-up theory of fashion adoption reflects changing styles and practices in fashion.
According to the theory, styles may begin with youth or street fashion and move progressively
up the fashion ladder until they are favoured and worn by older and wealthier consumers. Coco
Chanel was the first to adopt this theory when she integrated military fabrics and attire into
fashion following World War II. The classic T-shirt began as an undergarment in the working
classes and is now a fundamental piece of the everyday wardrobe. Once the styles have been
adopted by more traditional consumers, the street or youth culture may adopt a new style.

The Populist Model

While the three primary theories of fashion adoption largely apply to socioeconomic levels, the
populist model, conceived by anthropologist Ted Polhemus in his 1994 book “Streetstyle,”
identifies social groups, rather than classes, as a source for fashion inspiration. A social group,
such as punks in 1970’s London, for instance, may adopt a distinctive style and appearance

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shared throughout the group. The style serves to unify the group and identify individuals within
the group, but is often unrelated to trends outside of the group. Individuals adopt the style to
become and remain an identifiable member of that particular social group.