OGFI

SESSION XII
INTERNATIONAL FASHION CENTRES
What we’ll cover…..
Major fashion capitals of the world
Specialties and the creators
Five 5 centres are:
1. Paris
2. Milan
3. London
4. Tokyo
5. New York
Fashion centres emerged because of

concentrations of

Resources

Supplies

Skilled labour

Creativity
o “Designers are influenced by other

designers and vice versa”

∴ many creative people gravitate to

major creative centres

 PARIS

Required resources are available

Creative atmosphere

Govt. support and encouragement

Tremendous cooperation among designers, mills
and auxiliary : shoe, hat, fur, trimmings, findings
and embroidery industries – they are ready to
make very very small quantities
 PARIS

Personalised service – shoes, buttons, laces, etc.

Q. Is Paris the top fashion capital in the world?

1960s – strong trend towards youthful casual

styling

Emergence of prêt-à-porter
Socio-economic stability

Couture was practically out of business

 PARIS

Fashion hub – presence of all main fashion offices

*many famous fashion designers aren’t French!

(Karl Lagerfeld, Kenzo, etc.)
 THE COUTURE
‘fine custom dressmaking’ – made to measure as
per individual client

Today, couture means ‘original’ (pattern + fabric)

Couturier Vs. Couturiere
 THE COUTURE

Business is called ‘Maison’ (HOUSE)

Salon  an elegant showroom where clients can
see the collection and order. Leadtime  usually
several weeks – and takes 2 to 3 fittings
 haute couture

‘high dressmaking’
Hi-fashion (U.S.A.)
Þ highest quality fabric and workmanship

Only those who are in the selective couture

creation list of Fédération Française de la Couture
are considered members of the haute couture
# Couturier membership  Dept. of Industry
 haute couture

Fédération Française de la Couture has 3 branch

Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne – for
promotion and protection of couture. To be a member, one
should have at least 1 atelier in Paris with minimum 15 staff

Chambre Syndicale de Prêt-à-Porter – association

of RTW branches of couture + best of Prêt-à-Porter

Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Masculine –

association of menswear industries of the couture
 French Designers

YSL – king of couture – major influence –

trendsetter – restrained, sophisticated – good
sense of timing
Hubert de Givency, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel
Ungaro, Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), Marc
Bohan(Dior), André Courrèges, Carven, Grès (Alix
Grès), Guy Laroche, Hanae Mori, Jean Partou,
Jean-Louis Scherrer, Lanvin, Lecoanet-Hemant,
Louis Feraud, Nina Ricci, Per Spook, Philippe Venet,
Pierre Balmain, Ted Lapidus, Torrenté
 French Designers
(1)flou (dressmaking),
Ateliers  workshop
(2)tailleur (tailoring for suits & coats)

Boutique  retail shops for RTW & accessories

# large firms may have separate designer for

‘couture’ and ‘Prêt-à-Porter’
 French terms

Ξ large houses  modelistes

Ξ toile  sample garment

Ξ premier d’atelier – production manger or chief

technician

Ξ midinettes – saleswoman/seamstress
Ξ apprentices
 Government support

French T.V. – free exposure

Funding for overseas showing of couture

Publicity helps generate exports + licensing

business (couturiers export 55% of their
production)
 Licensing

Perfumes + stars
Diversification
Example
Pierre Cardin – 400 licenses – menswear, women’s
wear, kids wear, from UG to coats, hats to shoes,
swimsuits to skiwear, accessories, jewellery,
eyeglasses, sheets and towels, ceramics, furniture,
and even bicycle!!
 Licensing

Licensing – popular with couture as well as

RTW

“Promotion w/o exposure to financial risks”

 Future of couture

Shift in economic priorities

Today, couture shares 4000 private clients
worldwide!?

Couture usually loses money but gets huge publicity

RTW + licensing brings in the footfalls & the moolah
 Prêt-à-Porter (RTW)

gets most attention today

prêt designers have become the innovators

their shows are earlier than couture showings

Karl Lagerfeld  star of Prêt-à-Porter' (Chanel,
Fendi)
YSL  ‘Rive Gauche’ RTW collection (left bank of
river Seine)
Prêt-à-Porter (RTW)
 Prêt-à-Porter' (RTW)

Prêt designers  Sonia Rykiel, Kenzo, Jean-Charles

de Castelbajac, Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler,
Chantal Thomass, Anne-Marie Beretta, Jean-Paul
Gaultier, and Angelo Tarlazzi
Prêt designers are further ‘knocked off’
Ton-Sur-Ton : world famous – less expensive
sportswear
 Fashion center in Paris

Avenue Montaigne & Fauborg Saint-Honoré :

center of salon, boutique and ateliers
Sentier district of Paris – center of Prêt-à-Porter'
manufacturing
Fashion center in Paris
Fashion center in Paris
 MILAN

Fashion industry < Paris fashion

Impact on international fashion has grown
significantly

1940  only 30 manufacturers of apparel

Almost total shift from custom made  RTW
fashion is 2nd biggest industry after tourism
 MILAN

Italian look – distinct richness or casual elegance

Wool, silk, leather enriched by colour and texture
combinations
 MILAN
Reasons for success

Global outlook, innovative products, co-operation

among supply chain components

North-Central region around Milan : 80% prodn

Other noted fashion cities – Rome and Florence
Milan is center for ‘moda pronta’ (RTW)
Milano Collezioni – organised by Italian Fashion
Industry Association
 MILAN

Famous designers
Armani, Gianfranco Ferre, Gianni Versace,
Mariuccia Mandelli (Krizia), Tai & Rosita Missoni,
Laura Biagiotti, Luciano Soprano, Enrico Coveri
Prominent manufacturers
Fendi Sisters, UCB (3000 Stores), Sportmax,
Complice, Jenny, Byblos, Ferragamo, Trussardi
 MILAN

MIPEL – leather goods fair

IDEACOMO – fabric fair
Ideabiella – men’s fabric fair

Centro Mode @ Florence runs pitti filati (yarns and

knits)

Pitti Uomo – tailored men’s clothing

 MILAN

Pitti Bimbo – children’s clothing

Rome – center of Italian couture

Most couturiers have RTW lines

 MILAN

Italian fashion rose to prominence due to export

Started with leather goods  knits  everything!!

Today Italy’s specialty  jackets, coats, tailored

garments
Italy – top 3 textile and apparel exporter
Buyers of Italian fashion  Germany, France
followed by U.S.A.
 LONDON

Couture has virtually disappeared

Resurgence of ‘swinging London’ of 1960s

Manufacturing has spread all over UK

Young designer from all over the world study at
UK’s famous art colleges – they stay back to start
on their own or work for some other designer
 LONDON

Top Designers
Betty Jackson, Katharine Hamnett, Wendy,
Dagworthy, Jasper Conran, Nigel Preston, Maxfield
Parrish, Body Map, John McIntyre, Jean Muir,
Zandra Rhodes, Caroline Charles
 LONDON

UK has a long tradition of clothing like – riding

wear, tweed jackets, trench coats, cardigans from
Burberry & Jaegar
Menswear – Savile Row tailors
Prince Charles – Gieves & Hawkes, #1 Savile Row
New men’s designers – Paul Smith, Charlie Allen,
Roger Dak
 LONDON

Savile Row gives 3 fits

1. Traditional, form fitting

2. Squarish, conservative
3. Slim, trendy, continental fit
 TOKYO

5th fashion capital

Japanese women – until WW II – Kimono

1950s & 60s – women with jobs became eager for

western outfits (practicality)
Japanese apparel industry made line-for-line copies
of western fashion
 TOKYO

1970s  Kenzo Takada & Hanae Mori 

studios/shows in Paris
Japanese designs  unusual shapes, sombre
colour combo, asymmetrical balance, use of
natural fibers
Japan is ‘textile capital of the world’
 TOKYO

Top Designers
Issey Miyake, Kansai Yamamoto, Yohji Yamamoto,
Rei Kawakubo (Comme Des Garçon)
 TOKYO

RENOWN
Renown is the largest manufacturer in Japan, 3rd
largest in the world. Levi Strauss is the largest
followed by Blue Bell
It has Japanese manufacturing rights for over 40
international brands (Perry Ellis, Norma Kamali,
etc.)
 EUROPE

Germany
Decentralised

Berlin, Munich, Krefeld and Düsseldorf – major

production center
Publication  Hamburg
Accurate and dependable technical production
 EUROPE

Germany
Designers  ESCADA, MONDI

Huge fashion fairs in Düsseldorf, Munich and

Cologne
 EUROPE

Spain
Govt. subsidised ‘alta costura’ (haute couture)

Madrid – H.Q. of women’s and kid’s RTW

association
Leather products, moderate price knitwear
Mass produce for French companies
 EUROPE

Scandinavia
Denmark – more conservative apparel

Sweden, Finland, Norway – more youthful styling

Copenhagen – Scandinavian Clothing Council
 EUROPE

Eastern Europe
Factories in Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary and
Romania produce for companies of France,
Germany and UK
Yugoslavia also tries to promote its own fashion
internationally
RUSSIA – DOM MODELE
 Israel

Production is spread in and around Tel Aviv

Textile/apparel = 12% of industrial output

Exports mostly to UK, DE, FR and Denmark

Well known for its leather wear
 Latin America

Have important raw material

Large supply of low-cost labour

Govt. supports manufacturing and exports to

North American countries
 The Orient

H.K.  known for fast, low cost, made-to-measure

dress making and tailoring
Many western manufacturers have factories in
Orient or they have an agent for monitoring
production/quality
 Canada

Fashion is 4th largest employer

Montreal is the main center of garment industry

Toronto  2nd important followed by Winnipeg and

Vancouver
Produces full range of products – cheap to very
expensive
Outwear > furs > leather goods > children’s wear
 Canada

Top Designers
Alfred Sung, Wayne Clark, Leo Chevalier, Harry
Parnass & Nicola Pelly (Parachute), Margaret
Godfrey, Jean-Claude Poitras, Robert Chernin,
Marilyn Brooks And John Warden
 New York

American RTW is largest and most competitive

Uses most innovative marketing methods

N.Y.  garments center  because supplies and

skilled labour is available
 New York

7th Avenue district

Origin of most American fashion
6000 garment firms
2/3rd of all American made women’s + kids clothes are
either designed or made here
Plush showrooms in front, cluttered design room@back
No. of large firms have been continuously increasing
 New York
Top Designers

Calvin Klein, Geoffrey Beene, Norma Kamali, Ralph Lauren

Liz Claiborne – most successfully publicly traded
corporation in fashion industry
Bill Blass, Adolfo, Louis Dell’ Olio for Anne Klein, Kasper,
Mary Mc. Fadden, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera,
Donna Karan, Adrienne Vittadini, Zoran, Shamask, Michael
Kors, Tarquin
 New York

Mainstay of USA RTW + sportswear

N.Y.C. > L.A. > Chicago > Philadelphia > Boston >
Dallas

N.Y. > Pennsylvania > New Jersey > Massachusetts

 California

2/3rd firms are located in L.A.

LEVI STRAUSS – San Francisco

California designer  most innovative in

sportswear and swimwear
Chicago & Rochester  menswear
Seattle  menswear (Generra, Union Bay)
 California

Philadelphia  Kidswear, ladies dresses

Dallas  moderate price sportswear

St. Louis  junior dresses

Miami  resort wear

Boston  outerwear