VALS

I recently took a VALS survey, and the results actually surprised me. My reults claimed that I am an innovator who tends to also be somewhat of an experiencer. According to the website, innovators like to take charge and are typically successful and sophisticated. Image is also important, but not because of status...more for the fact that we like to express our taste and personality. I think that this is very true, especially the part concerning image. I do like self-expression and I take image seriously, afterall many people base their judegments of others on first impressions. (the image to the right, and all of the mentioned VALS information, was taken from the website, http://www.sric-bi.com/VALS/experiencers.shtml)



I think that this information is very useful for both consumers and companies alike. They can use VALS to target different pychological groups and make business more profitable and efficient. I think that in terms of correctness, the information given is very true. Wheh I took the survey and reviewed my results, although I was a little shocked by what it had to say, I realized that my VALS type was very much like me.

The target person that my group had the other day in class, was someone who shopped at Eddie Bauer. We said that this person would most likely be a middle-aged man or female who likes the outdoors and has a middle-class job and salary. This person, whom I like to call Jebb, would probably take weekend trips camping or going to the lake, has a golden retriever, and a small family. In terms of VALS, I think that Jebb would not be an innovator or an experiencer. He would most likely be a thinker, because thinkers are people that like to look for durability and funtionality in their products. These practical buyers would shop at places like Eddie Bauer because their products are exactly that: durable and practical.

Forever 21

As many people know, Forever 21 is my favorite retailer and I frequent their stores about once a week. What many people don't know, is the information and background involved in Forever 21's success.

Forever 21 was started by Do Won (Don), who is the CEO, and his wife. The first store was opened on April 21, 1984 in Los Angeles, CA. It was originally opened under the name of "Fashion 21", and later changed to Forever 21 after many other stores were created (hoovers.com). By the end of the first year that Fashion/Forever 21 stores were opened, the sales has risen from $35,000 to $700,000. Now, the revenue from the year 2007 is much higher, at approx. $1,300 million! (forever21.com)

In 2005, there were about 355 stores opened nationwide under the names of Forever 21, Forever XXl, and For Love 21 (answers.com). The number of stores is constantly increasing, as the demand for their cheap and chic clothing also increases. Their main competition is the other stores designed for teenagers and young women, often found in malls. Some of these include Charlotte Russe, Wet Seal, and H&M. (hoovers.com)

(image on top right, from http://www.pluscontracting.com/images/455_F1.jpg)

Favorite Retailer <3

Although their are many retailers that I love to shop at, my favorite one is Forever 21. A picture of this store can be seen on the right, and was taken from <http://mosttoyswins.wordpress.com

/2006/06/04/separation-of-church-and-tube-tops/>. There are so many reasons that this store is my favorite place to shop, but one of them is the convenience. Back home in Virginia Beach, and here in Greensboro, there are many malls close by that have Forever 21 stores in them. This makes shopping very easy for me since the malls are all close to where I live. There is also convenience in the merchandise, as well as the location. In one visit to this store I can acquire a new tank top, a pair of jeans, jewelry, a sweater, and even shoes if I wanted to. This makes shopping both fun and easy, which is something that makes me very happy!

Another reason that Forever 21 is my favorite retailer is the fact that all of their clothes are affordable, maybe even cheap, yet still manage to be extremely stylish. I love that if I see something that I like on the runway, I can go to Forever 21 and find a similar look for a lot less money. It might not look exactly the same, but often times I will end up liking the cheaper version a lot more than the designer one.

The last reason that I love Forever 21 so much is that everything is so cheap and inexpensive. Although the quality may not be as nice as that of more expensive stores, it doesn't bother me because I would rather own ten cheaper tops than have only five tops, even if they are of better quality. I hate wearing the same thing twice and so the idea of quantity over quality suits me at this time in my life.

How has the housing crisis affected home fashion retail?

So everyone knows that we are going through a recession right now, and the effects are obvious seen through the buying habits of Americans. They are buying less now since money is tighter, and so fashion companies have to be more innovative in order for consumers to buy their products. Home fashion is a good example of this, and there are so many aspects in this department. From furniture to home accessories, there are endless possibilities of choices for things to decorate and furnish your home.





Since Americans have less money to spend on everything now days, consumers are buying cheaper pieces of furniture and in lesser quantities. Home accessories are becoming more popular for the average buyer since they are smaller and more affordable. Everything from vases to mirrors, and rugs to picture frames are available for consumers to purchase. The accessories are fun and are easy to use in order to change the look and feel of a room.

The colors are playful and change with the seasons and trends. Even if someone is tight on money, they can afford to buy something small for their home. The image on the right, taken from http://mocoloco.com/upload/2007/06/interior_lifest_4/interior_lifestyle_accessor.jpg, is a good example of the way home accessories are used in everyday life.

challenges of apparel retail

There are many problems and challenges that retailers face in the fashion industry today. These can range from trying to figure out retailing strategies and distributors, to deciding initially what type of retailing that company want to have. A few of the types of retailers include department stores, specialty stores, warehouse retailers, supermarkets, or discount retailers. As you can imagine, a lot of challenges have to be overcome for the retailer to be successful!

According to the textbook The Business of Fashion: Designing, Manifacturing, and Marketing, retailing can be defined as "a business activity of selling goods or services to the final consumer". This means that retail has a lot of components to it since it has to appeal to the consumer, and there are many different types of potential buyers. The retailer has to target certain groups of people and every season needs to be up to the consumer's standards if they want the items to be bought.

The distribution process is also important for retailers, and plays a key role in the process of selling to the consumer. Quick Response, supply chain management strategies, and product lifecycle management are a few of these components. They tie the company and the retailers together, and provide the success that they each require. If any part of this process goes wrong, then the outcome with be problematic and the results could be disastrous.

sweating about sweatshops

One topic that many people think about is that of sweatshops,and whether or not they should be used when producing something. Personally, I think that there are both good and bad points to using a sweatshop. Say you owned a company that wanted to sell a pair of jeans for $45.00, but still be able to bring in a large profit. The best way, economically speaking, would be to use the workers in a sweatshop and have them manufacture the product. This would be very cost efficient in the sense that they get payed very little for what the make, which also means that you pay very little for what is made. If it only costs you 5 or 10 dollars to have a pair of jeans manufactured, then your profit will be a lot more lucrative than if you payed more to have it put together.

Of course, sweatshops are very sad places of employment, and most times have harsh working conditions. These places provide very little pay to it's workers, and there are often times only one or two breaks offered throughout the entire working day. According to coopamerica.org, a Honduran worker got paid 43 cents an hour to make clothing for Wal-Mart. These wages are incredibly low, and for many people that are forced to work under such conditions, it isn't enough to live on. Some people are working to support families of large numbers, and more often than not, children are also forced to work in the same conditions just so their families can afford food and shelter.

Sweatshops are an ever-present issue all over the world, and companies and economies are caught up in the circle. "Since multinational corporations are constantly pressuring suppliers for cost-cutting measures, workers most often find conditions getting worse instead of better"(coopamerica.org). This is very sad, but it is something the company and the buyer have to decide upon. You can either choose to pay a little bit more for clothing not mad in a sweatshop, or you can buy cheaper things that have been made by people in harsh conditions. Whether most people will admit it or not, sweatshops are good economically speaking but bad socially and humanely.

fashion: art or usablility? ...plus Milan fashion show

So, one topic that many people discuss is that on the topic of whether or not fashion is art or usability. I think that the answer to this question is a mix of the two. Fashion can be, and is, interpreted in many different ways. There are those designers and buyers who consider fashion something that is a necessity, and is something that should showcase the wearer. In this case, fashion would be a form of usability, something that is practical. Then of course there are those who, when fashion is brought to mind, think of wild and crazy ideas! Fashion can be adventurous and creative, which is why I love it.



Whenever something has a pattern, or good craftmanship and details, I think of art. Art does not have to be something that is hanging on the wall or in a museum, it can be wearable too. Fashion obviously has a lot of thought and planning put into it, and that creativity and effort should be viewed as an art form.



I watched the Milan fashion shows, and there were a few basic trends throughout them. There seemed to be a focus on technology and transparency, as well as many outfits being top-heavy: or having a soft bottom and a stiffer top. Marni took a nice spin of some of the "classics", such as the pencil skirt, the twin set, and the suit. This shows the fashion world as both usable and artsy.

Another artist that caught my attention was Fendi. The designer had a cool idea of taking the transparency theme and bringing it to another level. There were some dresses that were see-through, but had a sheath or something under it in order to make it wearable. This can be seen in the picture attached, as provided by style.com.