Fashion has come a long way and
today big brands turn around the latest trends into beautiful garments that you
would want to buy at any cost at your favorite brand store.Have you ever
wondered how these brands work round the clock to get you that favorite
piece(eg -Zara, H&M,Primark)?
So friends, colleagues,students, entrepreneurs, digital marketers who are interested in knowing how this happens, let's look at
some of the basic models of most of the fashion brands -
1) Research & Design - Fashion designers extensively
study and research the global fashion trends, new materials almost a year or more before a
particular product goes on the floor. A lot of inspiration comes from the
fashion shows, trade shows around the world eg - New York, Milan Fashion
show, The Bread & Butter show, Pitti Uomo shows to name just a few. These
trend studies are discussed and then samples are made and refined continuously
to suit the markets that the brand is present in. A lot of back and forth
happens before a final design is approved.
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2) Merchandising - The merchandising
department is constantly in touch with the designers to develop a product. They
also work closely with the planners, vendors to decide the right quantities,
right price,volume for the product.
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3) Manufacturing - A lot of brands
outsource their manufacturing to vendors. There is a huge demand for facilities across Asian countries
like India, Bangladesh, China,Vietnam, Philippines etc, primarily for the labour and cost advantage.But all these
facilities have to adhere to strict rules and guidelines as per the brand requirements. Once
the orders are fulfilled they are shipped to the Brand's central warehouse (
wherever it maybe) and then to the retail stores across geographies.
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4) Production Dept
(Quality dept)- The
production department along with the merchandisers visit these factories to
check on the deliverables and during the process a thorough quality check is
done by the quality department. This can help track the progress of the
garments and keep a tab on the quality of the garments.
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5) Supply Chain - The supply chain department
along with the planning department helps distribute the stocks across the retail
store network of the brand. Planning and distribution is essential for any
brand to keep up with the current trend in the market and that the item is
available for the customers at the right time.
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6) Marketing - While all the above aspects are in process, the Marketing team works at the back end with the
designers,planners, merchandisers and partner agencies to devise the communication for the particular
season. The garments shown in the campaign needs to resonate the current trend
in the market and ideally should be visible across all mediums i,e -
newspapers, hoardings,social media, digital marketing, cinema advertising,
emailers, sms, brochures, flyers, all to attract the customers to its stores. CRM also plays a major role in attracting repeat buying.
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7)Conclusion: So now you know how
the fashion industry works,but would you want to know how digital is also
shaping up the future of retail fashion? Watch this space for
more! Meanwhile do write in your comments below or mail me on
sumkul@gmail.com
