Ten years ago, the only contenders for the role of setting the fashion media agenda were mainstream fashion media magazines such as Vogue. With the evolution of blogging and the popularity of blog sites associated with magazine websites, a new contender was born: the fashion-themed blog. Now mainstream fashion media outlets and fashion bloggers sit side-by-side in the front row at designer fashion shows covering fashion news and trends. This study focused on ten elite fashion-themed blogs (fashion blogs) reporting on women’s fashion and ten mainstream fashion media websites during the summer 2016 fashion season looking retrospectively at the fashion forecast from October 2015 New York Fashion Week. The study examined how media outlets respond to fashion blogs and whether the blogs were used as sources by mainstream fashion media or vice a versa. This study has filled a research gap by conducting the first analysis examining fashion blogs through the lens of agenda setting. This research uncovered a media landscape in transition with fashion bloggers and mainstream fashion media communicating in a new and different way. Communicating fashion news is no longer a one-way street controlled by mainstream fashion media magazines. Instead it is a two-way street where each outlet uses the other and neither plays the role of lead agenda setter. This new synergy suggests the acceptance of fashion blogs as credible sources for fashion news and potential agenda setters for the fashion community. The relationship between bloggers and mainstream fashion media also creates excitement regarding trends because fashion bloggers have the ability to instantly comment and generate buzz on a trend when the mainstream fashion media are reporting on other issues or waiting for their magazines to be published. Out of the five trends studied, denim was the leading trend with 44 percent of the posts or articles discussing denim. With every trend, bloggers were present in the five earliest published posts or articles and continued to post on the trends throughout the study period. Style.com dominated the mainstream fashion media landscape, with 25 published articles. For fashion bloggers, Gal Meets Glam and Atlantic Pacific tied with 19 blog posts each. Over 57.6 percent of the total blog posts and blog articles linked to fashion designer websites where readers could purchase the trend being discussed. Fashion bloggers did not quote sources in their posts; 74 blog posts and articles recognized no sources at all. Understanding the new relationship between fashion bloggers and fashion magazine websites will help guide future reporters of fashion and fashion trends.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Fashion, Durban Institute of Technology, 2006. / This dissertation questions and expands currently held notions of traditional fashion identities in South African fashion photography. The impetus for this study stems from observations of a relatively low level of political engagement in local fashion photography as compared to other areas of art and design which seem very enunciative of a politics of identity. Investigation of identity politics in South African fashion photography was informed by a staged investigation. Firstly, accounts of a literature review of fashion theory and key theories of identity allow entrenched constructions of fashion representations to be seen as restrictively politicised. Primary investigation of expert fashion views followed. The concepts of hybridity and fluidity in theories of identity were central to the discovery of alternative politicised fashion identities / M

In the last decades sustainability has become a major topic in society. The population isgrowing, which has increased production and has resulted in a negative impact on the environment. The fashion industry has become a big contributor to the negative impact on the environment through fast fashion. Although consumers continue buying low price garmentson a weekly basis, more and more consumers are becoming more aware of sustainability. As aresult, sustainable labels have entered the industry with a controversy confusing consumers with the different labels available in all industries. It has also created doubt in the reliability of the labels expressed by consumers. Using sustainable labeling is a way of spreading information and awareness about sustainability and to understand how consumers prefer to receive information, and how this affects their purchasing behavior. This has lead to the purpose of the study, which is to explore Generation Y’s attitudes towards sustainability and sustainable labels within the fashion industry. The research was a qualitative study with an exploratory approach. The research used two focus groups from generation Y to collect empirical data about consumers’ attitudes towards fashion sustainability. The sample was purposively chosen with generation Y being the most consumption-oriented generation of all time, and more socially and environmentally aware which was preferred in this study. Conclusions that could be drawn from the study were that the participants knew about sustainable labels and could name several labels, although only in general and not in regards to apparel. The participants were also critical towards sustainability within the fashion industry due to overproduction and environmentally unfriendly materials that the industry uses, making consumer question the fashion industry’s real intentions. There is an interest insustainable clothing but it is perceived as too expensive and unavailable, where one must actively seek for sustainable products. A preferred way to receive sustainable information through labeling was to use a comprehensive regulatory requirement schemes, similar to the one the appliance industry uses.

Background   By the beginning of the 20th century, the men’s suit entered the menswear market as one the most important fashion garments everdevised. At the same time, fashion became mainly a female engagement, resulting in an under representation of men’s fashion through out the past decade. Relating to the textile and apparel industry, fashion forecasting has become an increasingly important business activity. But the nature of fashion forecasting and the historical neglecting of the men’s suit has created complications when performing this activity. Purpose   The purpose of this thesis is to examine the men’s suit and its development from the given starting point in the 20th century until today, in order to derive a fashion forecasting model suggesting its development by 2029. Design/methodology/approach   This thesis uses an abductive research approach and qualitative multi-methods to answer the research questions. The usage of an intermediate research project answers the first research question. The second research question is answered through the synthesis ofa literature study and semi-structured interviews. The third research question is answered through the derived forecasting model, accomplished through theory matching. Findings   By carrying out a historical investigation of the men’s suit, and then applying this to the derived forecasting model, the men’s suit is expected to be found in both single- and double-breast styles. The suit will have classical features represented through the length, canvas structure, and shoulder construction. Originality/value   This paper carries out a historical investigation of the men’s suit never been done before. It introduces an evaluation framework to categorise and classify the men’s suit, as well as a forecasting model followed by an actual fashion forecast.

INPRINT is a local fashion house , involved with the adaptive re-use of the Saxon Building in the Pretoria CBD. The design attempts to: -Celebrate the relationship between past and present, new and old within architecture and the fashion industry. -Showcase the relationship between fashion retail and the craft of garment production. -Redefine the relationship between interior architecture and fashion. -Provide a platform to encourage and exhibit local fashion design and production. The reinfusion of energy into the interior space of the Saxon Building along Church Street gives the interior and the building as a whole its significance as currently it is insufficiently used and has no reference to the sites historical significance. Reprogramming and designing of this space also contributes to the current Tshwane urban renewal project of the surrounding area. This project was initiated due to a fascination between the role that interior environments and clothing have on an individual, as well as the dramatic change in fashion retail since the 1800’s. Through the introduction of a multi use program, the original function of the building, a retail store, becomes more accessible to a variety of users and the general public within and around the CBD. The interior as a whole becomes a network of interactive spaces encouraging personal relationships and social interaction, thus engaging the public with the craft of fashion. The existing character has been reinterpreted allowing the Saxon Building to regain its former identity and significance. This investigation supports the idea that spaces, as with clothing, contributes to the identity of the users, the South African garment industry and the greater context. / Dissertation MInt(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2014 / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

The childlike character of ideal femininities has long been critiqued in feminist literature, from Mary Wollstonecraft (1792) to Susan Faludi (1992). Yet, despite the partial gains of feminism the ‘woman-child’ continues to be a prominent subject-position in fashion photography of the West. This thesis builds upon earlier feminist critiques of the infantilisation of women by considering the meaning of childlike femininities in the period spanning 1990 to 2015. In particular, it questions whether representations of childlike femininities can shed their dehumanising, ‘second sex’ connotations and be resignified to a more progressive end in the contemporary context. The possible appeal of ‘girly’ subject-positions to women, following several waves of feminism, is explored through reception studies carried out with female participants in focus groups, as well as theory on the ‘female gaze’. Images were principally drawn from three British fashion magazines: Vogue (UK), i-D, and Lula. Drawing on the work of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, this thesis demonstrates the ways in which discourses on childhood, girlhood and womanhood overlap and intersect to produce the figure of the ‘woman-child’ in the fashion media and beyond. This subject-position is shown not to be singular but rather as appearing in a number of guises. The many permutations of childlike femininity are subsumed into four overarching categories: the Romantic woman-child; the femme-enfant-fatale; Lolita style; and the Parodic woman-child. This thesis thereby contributes to existing debates in fashion studies by considering in greater detail the different discourses on childhood and femininity that come into play when women are positioned as childlike. A multi-faceted visual methodology is employed, combining visual analysis of imagery with experimental reception studies. Reception studies were conducted in focus groups with female participants and provide insight into the way these women made sense of the ‘woman-child’. In addition, they provide an indication as to whether the participants liked or disliked childlike femininities in the fashion media, thus pointing to the possible investments women might have in childlike subject-positions. Finally, including an element of social research served to challenge and/or reinforce the researcher’s own readings of the imagery, pointing to new avenues of research and expanding the discursive field of enquiry. This aspect of the thesis makes a methodological contribution to literature on the reception of still media imagery in fashion studies, magazine studies and feminist media studies.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze customer loyalty and market fashion apparel, identify customer perception and participation in loyalty programs. Evaluate current approaches of using customer loyalty programs by the biggest fashion houses. Based on the research results suggest recommendations for creating loyalty programs on the market with fashion and clothing. The solution was used focus group methods, questionnaire probes, expert interviews, desk research and market testing, which focused on loyalty and loyalty programs in the fashion industry. Fashion market is divided into segments of low-cost, mass, luxury. Access to loyalty from customers and companies side is different in each segment. Contribution of this thesis is the comparison of loyalty programs on the market of fashion and testing of selected forms of programs. Results of research findings represent a starting point for gaining loyal customers in the fashion industry.

Overweight people claim to be mistreated by the fashion industry. If they were, it would be in line with branding theory supporting the idea of rejecting fat consumers to improve user imagery for fashion brands. However, fashion companies do not confess to such practices. To shed some light on the subject, I have conducted two studies. The first attempts to illustrate what effect, if any, user imagery has on fashion brands. It is an experiment designed to show how the weight of users affects consumers’ perceptions of mass market fashion brands. The findings show that consumers’ impressions of mass market fashion brands are significantly affected by the weight of its users. The effect of male user imagery is ambiguous. For women’s fashion on the other hand, slender users are to be preferred. In the second study I examine what effects these effects have on assortments. I compare the sizes of mass market clothes to the body sizes of the population. No evidence of discrimination of overweight or obese consumers was found -quite the contrary. The reasons for these unexpected findings may be explained by the requirements a brand must fulfil to make management of the customer base for user imagery purposes viable. The brand must be sensitive to user imagery; a requirement that mass market fashion fulfils. However, it must also be feasible for a company to exclude customers, and while garment sizes can be restricted to achieve this, the high volume sales strategy of mass market fashion apparently cannot.

The thesis deals with selected global problems and their inclusion in civic education with a focus on the topic of fast fashion. The theoretical part presents the phenomenon of fast fashion and its negative impacts on the environment and human health, approaches issues in the world of work and violations of human rights and freedoms. These global issues are considered in the context of educational areas, cross-cutting themes and also as part of the global education. The second part of the work is a concept of a didactic project of lessons with the theme of fast fashion inspired by the educational program of the ARPOK organization. The aim of the work is to increase awareness of the issues arising from fast fashion and the realization that the individual can influence the world by their actions and vice versa, how the current world affects the life of the individual. KEYWORDS fast fashion, slow fashion, greenwashing, environment, decent wages

Hace ya varios años Gamarra dejó de ser ese lugar comercial que producía tantas ventas a lo largo del año. Debido a la fuerte competencia del mercado y la falta de valor agregado en sus productos, el Cluster Textil se encuentra en una grave crisis. El centro de enseñanza y difusión de la Moda propone espacios para estas nuevas necesidades de la zona. No solo se quiere capacitar a sus empleados para que puedan competir en la industria, si no también se busca dotar a Gamarra de espacios que les permitan difundir sus productos y sobretodo sus marcas. El partido arquitectónico nació por el análisis del entorno, sus aspectos climáticos, accesibilidad y condiciones ambientales. Se buscó en este que se creen espacios integradores los cuales sirvan de conexión entre Gamarra y el Centro, repotenciando a ambos. El centro de enseñanza y difusión de la moda busca convertir a Gamarra en el Nuevo centro de la Moda metropolitano mediante la capacitación de sus integrantes y la difusión de sus marcas en espacios adecuados y de calidad. / For many years now, Gamarra has ceased to be the go-to commercial destination, with substantial sales and margins throughout the year. Due to strong market competition and lack of added value in its products, the Textile Cluster is currently in a serious crisis. The Fashion Diffusion and Education Center proposes spaces for the new needs in the area. Not only does it want to train its entrepreneurs, so that they can compete in the industry, but also to provide Gamarra with spaces that allow them to diffuse their products and all their brands. The architectural concept was born from an analysis of the area, its climatic aspects, accessibility and environmental conditions. The concept aims for the creation of integrated spaces between Gamarra and the Center that serve as a connection and empower both. The Fashion Promulgation and Education Center seeks to transform Gamarra into the new Metropolitan Fashion Center, by training its entrepreneurs and spreading its brands through quality. / Trabajo de suficiencia profesional