4 The Textile and Apparel Industry Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objectives Analyze the three.

4The Textile and Apparel

Industry

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objectives

• Analyze the three segments of today’s textile and apparel industry.

• Summarize the structure of the textile and apparel industry.

• Describe occupations and careers in the textile production, apparel production, and the retail segments and the education and training they require.



Textile and Apparel Industry

Textile and Apparel Industry

Textile Production

Apparel Production

The Retail Segment

continued



Textile Production Segment

• Focuses on production of fabrics for apparel and other uses

© Bobby Deal/RealDealPhoto/Shutterstock



Textile Production Segment

• Deals with – fibers– yarns – dyes– finishes– methods of fabric production



The Structure of the Textile Industry

• Four stages of production

I. Fiber production

II. Yarn production

III. Fabric production

IV. Fabric finishing



Textile Designing

• Textile designers – develop designs for fabrics, color

combinations, patterns, prints, and weaves– often use computer design programs to

create designs



Think About It

What is the difference between a textile designer and a fashion designer?

© crystalfoto/Shutterstock



Textile Converters

• Decide what fibers to use, what widths and weights of fabrics to weave or knit, and how many yards to produce

• Select dye colors and finishes that help fabrics perform as expected



Manufacturing

• Includes textile plant operations or processes– spinning– dyeing– weaving– knitting– finishing

continued



Manufacturing

• Employees who use machines in their work include spinners, colorists, loom operators, and machine operators

• Engineers—chemical, computer, industrial, and plant—play an important part

• Laboratory technicians perform tests on fibers, yarns, and fabrics



Research and Development

• Develop and produce new products to meet consumer demand and find ways to produce these products

continued

© Alexander Raths/Shutterstock



Research and Development

• Research—working to find new products such as fibers, weaves, dyes, and finishing techniques

• Development—finding practical ways to use products researchers create



Marketing

• Marketing—all activities involved in creating and selling profitable products

• Manufacturers must decide what raw materials to buy and what fabrics to manufacture

• Manufacturers base their decisions on careful studies of what customers want

continued



Marketing

• Market analysts—people who study fashion changes and consumer demands and use forecasting

• Selling is the last step in the marketing process

• Textile sales associates show fabric samples to clothing manufacturers



Apparel Production Segment

• Includes all people and processes involved in designing and making garments

© Sapsiwai/Shutterstock continued



Apparel Production Segment

• Design garments

• Make patterns

• Cut

• Sew

• Assemble

• Distribute finished items to stores



The Structure of Apparel Companies

• Apparel production companies have various departments or divisions, and may include – research and merchandising– design and product development– production– sales and marketing



Research and Merchandising

• Apparel production begins with research

• A firm’s staff tries to forecast what their customers will buy

• Their goal is to have the right products, at the right price, at the right time so the company will be profitable

continued




• Apparel designers interpret trends and create sketches and sample designs

© Dasha Petrenko/Shutterstock continued




• Sample designs become a part of a merchandising plan

• Designers show sample designs to retail buyers who then make selections

• Then the selected designs are prepared for production



Design and Product Development

• Fashion designers create designs and ideas for clothes and accessories

• They make sketches until one is satisfactory



Think About It

In what might fashion designers specialize?

© AISPIX/Shutterstock



Production

• Garment-making process involves multiple steps performed by many workers including – Production pattern makers make master

patterns– Pattern graders make patterns into a wide

range of sizes

continued



Production

• Markers decide how to place pattern pieces to prevent fabric waste

• Cutters cut through the layers of fabric with power saws or electric cutting machines

• Sewing machine operators sew the pieces together

• Finishers, trimmers, and pressers complete the garments

continued



Production

• Workers in engineering and management have good communication and problem-solving skills

• Engineering and management positions include

– plant managers– production managers– production engineers

– costing engineers– quality control engineers



Sales and Marketing

• Marketing in the apparel industry is primarily wholesale

• Manufacturers sell to retail buyers who represent shops and department stores

continued



Sales and Marketing

• In retail sales, shops and department stores sell to individual customers

continued

© Losevsky Pavel/Shutterstock



Sales and Marketing

• New fashions are in production at least a “season,” or six months

• When samples are ready, retail buyers view them in showrooms during market week

continued



Sales and Marketing

• During market weeks, retail-store buyers come to fashion centers to view new collections and make selections

• In several large cities, such as Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago, there are also apparel marts



Think About It

Where are the major U.S. fashion centers?© Cedric Weber/Shutterstock



Custom Work in Apparel Production

• Some people have their clothing custom-made

• Tailoring is a form of custom work• Suits and coats are the garments most

often tailored



Think About It

Why might someone choose to have garments custom-made?

© Levent Konuk/Shutterstock



The Retail Segment

• Retailers include – department stores– discount chains– specialty stores (carrying specific kinds of

apparel)– Internet and mail-order companies

continued



The Retail Segment

• Fashion merchandising includes – planning– buying– selling

• Merchandising is the central function of retailers

continued



The Retail Segment

• After garments are through production, they are ready for sale to consumers

continued

© Blend Images/Shutterstock



The Retail Segment

• Fashion promotion is an important part of selling

• It includes – advertising– setting up window and store displays– media publicity– special events as fashion shows

continued



The Retail Segment

• Merchandising and promotion involves

– merchandise managers

– buyers– sales associates– market researchers

– fashion coordinators– display directors– illustrators– writers– models



Merchandise Managers

• Operate one or more departments within a store

• Plan seasonal sales, promotional sales, and special events

• Decide what merchandise to sell and at what price

© Dinga/Shutterstock



Buyers

• Responsible for selecting clothes to sell in stores they represent

• May go to major fashion centers or markets several times a year

• Order items and amounts to be delivered to their stores after viewing manufacturer’s merchandise

continued



Buyers

• Keep records about what customers are buying in their stores

• Are interested in what styles, colors, and sizes are selling best

• Make decisions that largely determine a store’s profits



Sales Associates

• Only store employees most customers ever meet

• May form lasting bonds with devoted customers

• Earn an hourly rate, salary, or salary plus a commission

© Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock



Stock Clerk

© Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock

• Receive merchandise

• Prepare price tags

• May help with straightening stock



Market Researchers

• Study customer wants and needs

• Communicate this information to manufacturers, designers, and buyers

© Stephen Coburn/Shutterstock



Fashion Coordinators

• Promote stores and merchandise

• Gather and relay fashion informationto merchandise managers and buyers

• Work with advertising and publicity• Plan fashion shows

© Benis Arapovic/Shutterstock



Display Directors

• Create attractive displays seen in stores and store windows

• Work closely with fashion coordinators

© Adisa/Shutterstock



Fashion Illustrators

• Work for retail stores, pattern companies, and advertising agencies

• Create attractive and detailed drawings

© VikOl/Shutterstock



Fashion Writers

• Inform public about new trends in fashion as soon as they occur

© samotrebizan/Shutterstock



Fashion Models

• Serve many needs in photos for press releases, Internet and mail-order catalogs, pattern catalogs, and advertisements

• Are essential in fashion shows

© Benis Arapovic/Shutterstock



Alterations

• Alterations specialists must have superior sewing skills, work fast, and fit clothing properly

© siart/Shutterstock



Objective

Summarize the concept of vertical integration.



Vertical Integration of the Textile and Apparel Industries

• Prior to 1970s, most companies focused on one aspect of fabric/apparel production– Textile mills produced fabrics that they

sold to apparel manufacturing companies– Apparel manufacturing companies

produced apparel that they sold to retailers

continued



• Today many large corporations handle all stages of production (verticalintegration)– They produce fibers– They sew garments– They sell garments in stores

• This allows them to control all steps in the creation of their apparel, leading to greater cost control

Vertical Integration of the Textile and Apparel Industries



Review

1. Name the three segments of the textile and apparel industry.

continued

textile production, apparel production, the retail segment

2. Name the four stages of production that form the basic structure of the textile industry.fiber production, yarn production, fabric production, fabric finishing



Review

3. Textile converters are responsible for “costing the fabric.” What does this mean? How is it done?

continued

They set prices by computing all the costs involved in producing the fabric. They then add a margin of profit to the production cost to determine the fabric’s selling price.



Review

4. What kinds of activities take place during market weeks?

continued

Manufacturers hold special fashion shows for buyers. Models wear the new designs to help convince buyers to order them. Fashion writers and fashion-promotion specialists attend these invitation-only shows and gather information about the new fashions.



Review

5. Describe an occupation in each of the three segments of the textile and apparel industry.

continued

Answers will vary.



Review

6. Summarize the concept of vertical integration.

a system used by some large corporations that handle all stages of production from producing the fibers to sewing the garments to selling them in stores

4 The Textile and Apparel Industry Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objectives Analyze the three.

Documents

educational use

apparel industry slide

marketing slide

production of fabrics

designs slide

textile industry

expected slide

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