Fashion & Interior Design

For freshmen/sophomore-level courses in Introduction to Fashion, Fashion Product Development, and Apparel Manufacturing.

This innovative text addresses the practical day-to-day realities and technicalities of the garment-making business—wholesale, manufacturing, designing, and private-label product development. Comprehensive, yet easy to read and accessible, it “sits students down” and explains step-by-step how to handle a real, roll-up-the-sleeves job in today's fashion industry. It features a wealth of “insider” perspectives, wisdom from the pros, detailed illustrated procedures, and several “hands-on” exercises for real-world practice.

• NEW - Expanded product development focus—Includes the pros and cons of this growing specialization.

  • Clarifies for students the relationship between the labels in the clothes and the different kinds of companies behind them. Ex.___

• NEW - Broader global perspective.

  • Allows students to take a better look at today's overseas emphasis and new trade developments. Ex.___

• NEW - Updated research references.

  • Reflects the current focus on the Internet as a valuable resource tool. Ex.___

• NEW - Business opportunities for the 21st Century.

  • Serves students with the latest information on luxury market, licensing, and the new emphasis on private label. Ex.___

• Emphasis on critical, “how to” information.

  • Provides students with “on the job” information by answering questions such as What does a fashion job actually “feel” like? and What tasks will I be doing day by day? Ex.___

• Visual step-by-step explanations of product development—From beginning to end.

  • Enables student to explore the research process, how to put together a line—and where it can go wrong, along with the duties and roles of those involved at various stages of the product development process. Ex.___

• Detailed presentation of cost sheets—Includes exercises for completing three cost sheets and calculating mark-ups for both wholesale and private labels.

  • Gives students a concrete example to cost out garments, and explains each space on the sheet and the math involved. Ex.___

• Detailed presentation of spec sheets—Includes clearly explained and diagrammed exercises.

  • Requires students to measure garments to determine actual size specifications, and teaches them “grades” and “tolerances”—valuable skills they will use on the job. Ex.___

• Careful illustrations of designer “work boards”—Shows the entire six-month process at monthly stages.

  • Shows students how ideas go up and come down, and how each month the line becomes more concrete and specific. Ex.___

• Extensive use of graphics throughout.

  • Offers students a teaching tool that shows customer-and-store-segmentation on a 9 square grid that is consistently repeated, and illustrates the “triangle of balance” tool with examples to gauge the viability of a given product or line. Ex.___

• Structured exercises—Outlines necessary skills and how to develop them.

  • Teaches students how the industry segments customer types, predicts if a line will be successful or not, and successfully sells its merchandise. Ex.___

• Profiles on a wide range of industry people—e.g., leading fashion designers; product developers; manufacturers; production managers; and educators.

  • Draws students into “in person” interviews in which industry members address a specific point in the text from their own perspective. Ex.___

• “Words of Wisdom from Industry Pros”—Represents firms such as Liz Claiborne, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Pamela Dennis, and Polo.

  • Offers students advice that will give them a tremendous head start—e.g., “the best way to break into the industry.” Ex.___

• Extensive writing examples and exercises.

  • Challenges students with the “right way” to communicate in writing and express their thoughts. Ex.___

• An entire chapter on industry terms.

  • Provides students with a list of common—but often overlooked— terms and explanations. Ex.___

• Vocabulary words defined in margins.

  • Helps keep the tone of the main text conversational and easy to read. Ex.___

• Expanded product development focus—Includes the pros and cons of this growing specialization.

  • Clarifies for students the relationship between the labels in the clothes and the different kinds of companies behind them. Ex.___

• Broader global perspective.

  • Allows students to take a better look at today's overseas emphasis and new trade developments. Ex.___

• Updated research references.

  • Reflects the current focus on the Internet as a valuable resource tool. Ex.___

• Business opportunities for the 21st Century.

  • Serves students with the latest information on luxury market, licensing, and the new emphasis on private label. Ex.___

1. THE FASHION WORLD VERSUS THE REAL WORLD.

2. THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.

3. TECHNOLOGY, POLITICS, AND GEOGRAPHY: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ALL THIS GOING?

4. SO, AFTER ALL THIS, IS THE FASHION BUSINESS FOR YOU?

Introduction to Fashion (Fashion)
Fashion Product Development (Fashion)
Apparel Manufacturing (Fashion)

The title for the first edition of this text was "So You Want to Work in the Fashion Business: A Practical Look at Apparel Product Development and Global Manufacturing." This revised and expanded second edition still includes all the broad fashion industry information contained in the first. However, in response to the rapid growth and success of private label apparel, this edition has added details, definitions, and research sources that apply directly to private label product development. Many students are finding exciting and rewarding careers in this explosive new segment.

• NEW—Why are department stores and discounters increasing their private label lines—I.N.C., Charter Club, Alfani at Macy's, Arizona at J.C. Penney, Real Clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue, Merona at Target?
• NEW—Why are the private-label-only stores among today's most successful—Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, Talbot's Club Monaco, Zara?
• NEW—Where can students find new research sources including dozens of new sites on the Internet?
• NEW—How are the new, computerized, product development programs such as Gerber's PDM affecting product development careers?

The text outlines the skills that students will need for careers in fashion, provides step-by-step instructions, and structures exercises to help them start to develop these skills.

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Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students, contact your Pearson Higher Education representative for pricing and ordering information.

Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students contact your Pearson Higher Education representative.