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Fashion Industry

The fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Prior to the mid-19th century, most clothing was custom-made. It was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors. By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices. Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe and America, as of 2014 it is an international and highly globalized industry, with clothing often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold world-wide. For example, an American fashion company might source fabric in China and have the clothes manufactured in Vietnam, finished in Italy, and shipped to a warehouse in the United States for distribution to retail outlets internationally. The fashion industry has long been one of the largest employers in the United States, and it remains so in the 21st century. However, U.S. employment declined considerably as production increasingly moved overseas, especially to China. More and more textile companies are going out of business due to China's rapid growth. "Many European textile industries are becoming extinct because they cannot compete with China's low labour costs." Because data on the fashion industry typically are reported for national economies and expressed in terms of the industry's many separate sectors, aggregate figures for world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to obtain. However, by any measure, the clothing industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output. The fashion industry consists of four levels: the production of raw materials, principally fibers and textiles but also leather and fur the production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors, and others retail sales various forms of advertising and promotion These levels consist of many separate but interdependent sectors. These sectors are Textile Design and Production, Fashion Design and Manufacturing, Fashion Retailing, Marketing and Merchandising, Fashion Shows, and Media and Marketing. Each sector is devoted to the goal of satisfying consumer demand for apparel under conditions that enable participants in the industry to operate at a profit.

Aesthetic Labour in the Fashion Industry

"Aesthetic labour is workers employed by a company for their appearance or accent, with the aim of promoting the company's image" Three levels of aesthetics include "forming the aesthetic framework that progressively emerged from the findings, reveal that the body is internalized in different ways when considering the consumer experience and conceptualization of high fashion. The aesthetic view of fashion is further advanced not only in clothes that people wear, but also in various other products such as high-heeled shoes; they betray an expression of art form and empower the wearer of the fashion. Jewelry is also incorporated into self-identity. Thus, one can see how bodily adornments enhance self-identity and social position and give the individual a certain stature. In all such instances, the wearer looks to a combination of clothes, jewelry, shoes, and other adornments as objects of desire and fulfillment, enhancing the somatic value for the consumer." "Designers work with the elements of aesthetics to create their looks: color, line, form, space, and texture. These elements can be used in different ways, known as principles: repetition, sequence, alternation, graduation, transition, contrast, proportion, and balance..

"Not everyone can enter the style labour market and, of course, not everyone would want to. But as the economy shifts towards 'high touch' jobs, the premium on presentation is rising."

The fashion industry demands youth slenderness. Many people do not realize that fashion modeling is a career as well. It is easy for young and upcoming models to give in to the pressures of the demanding lifestyle. Models are often mistreated, which is why an organization called, the Model Alliance, was created. The Model Alliance is an non-profit group that works to prevent abuse from modeling agencies for fashion models in the American fashion industry. A survey of eighty-five percent of the working fashion models, conducted by Sara Ziff, founder of Model Alliance, says 30 percent have experienced sexual harassment on the job and sixty-four percent have had agencies to tell them to lose weight. Employers need to be careful about their limitations and expectations. Aesthetic labour should be about sales and service, not just great looks.

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