The clothing industry is an industry of making and selling clothes. Some people distinguish between the clothing industry and apparel industry but in the 1970s those distinguish between them had vanished. Clothing’s simple and best definition is style or styles of clothing accessory. There are so many expensive accessories around the world. The clothing industry makes those designs, manufacturing it, distributing it, marketing, advertising, retailing and also promoting it according to the market demand. The clothing industry promotes all types of men’s, women’s, and also children’s clothing which were made by their designer according to the market’s demand. The clothing industry is upgrading day by day. In the 19th century, clothing was handmade and individuals but in the 20th-century clothing became a fashion and nowadays clothing is made by using modern technology such as sewing machines and other updated machines. In this global capitalism, arena fashion industries developed their factories for making more and more products of clothing. The departmental store is also increasing day by day and clothing becomes the priority for people. The clothing industry developed first in America and Europe. An American clothing industry might find fabrics in china and manufacture them in Vietnam but now it can be designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold in another or world-wide. The fashion industry has the largest employers in the United States.
The clothing industry has four sectors:
Production History: In 2016, the largest apparel exporting nations were China ($161 billion), Bangladesh ($28 billion), Vietnam ($25 billion), India ($18 billion), Hong Kong ($16 billion), Turkey ($15 billion) and Indonesia ($7 billion). By 2025, it is projected that the United States market will be worth $385 billion. It is also projected that the e-commerce revenue will be worth $146 billion in the United States by 2023.
Producing of raw materials, fibers, textiles, leather, and fur:
The raw material is known as a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished products, using energy, or intermediate materials that are used to produce future products. Raw materials are steel, oil, corn, grain, gasoline, lumber, forest resources, plastic, natural gas, coal, and minerals. The raw material used to produce fabrics also.
Fabric making is also part of the clothing industry. This is the main part of making clothes. After making the fabric the process of making clothes start. There are so many different types of fabrics that are used to make different types of clothes. There is a list of some fabrics and their use:
Canvas: Canvas is a plain-weave fabric made from heavy cotton, lesser extent, and linen yarn. By blending cotton with synthetic fibers, the canvas can become water-resistant or even waterproof.
Cashmere: Cashmere made from cashmere goats and pashmina goats. Cashmere is warmer and lighter than sheep’s wool.
Chenille: Chenille is both yarn and fabrics that are made from soft materials.
Chiffon: Chiffon is a light wave and plain-woven fabric. The yarns are then woven in a plain weave, which means a single weft thread alternates over and under a single warp thread.
Cotton: Cotton is a staple fiber. Cotton is made from the natural fibers of cotton plants. Cotton is primarily composed of cellulose, plant structure, and soft and fluffy material.
Crêpe: Crêpe is silk, wool, or synthetic fiber. Crêpe is usually a light-to- medium-weight fabric.
Damask: The fabric’s design is created through the weave, which is a combination of two different weaving techniques—the design.
Georgette: Georgette is a type of fabric that is made from pure silk, also can be made from synthetic fibers like rayon, viscose, and polyester.
Gingham: Gingham is a cotton fabric made with yarn woven using a plain weave.
Jersey: Jersey is a soft, stretchy, and knit fabric that was originally made from wool.
Lace: Lace is a decorative fabric used to make accents and embellish clothing and home decor items.
Leather: Leather is a durable and wrinkle-resistant fabric. Its shapes could be changed according to any type of animal, etc.
Linen: Linen made from flex and strong plants.
Muslin: It’s made from the plain weave technique, which means a single yarn alternates over another single yarn.
The production of the clothes by designers, manufacturers, contractors:
Garment production/manufacturing is an activity of sequential processes such as laying, marking, cutting, stitching, checking, finishing, pressing, and packaging. This is a process that converts raw materials into clothing products.
Blueprint making: Blueprint making is the 1st most important part. Blueprints can be given by the buyer or the garments can make their blueprint according to the marker or buyer’s demand.
Cutting the goods: Cutting is the 2nd most important part. After spreading the fabric, cutting it according to the size is very important to give the fabric a unique shape.
Stitching Goods: Stitching Good is the 3rd most important part. After cutting the fabric, stitching gives the fabric a perfect shape and size. This process can be done manually.
Delivering goods to the buyer: After cartooning the products, the final step is to deliver the products to the buyer. Every garment has its transport services to deliver the products to the buyer safely. The transport service will deliver the products and collect a receipt or a confirmation paper from the buyer and submit it to the management team.
Retail sales: Retail sales are the purchases of finished goods and services by consumers and businesses. These goods and services have made it to the end of the supply chain. The chain starts with the provider and ends with the retailer.
How to increase retail sales:
Advertising and promotion: Advertising is a controlled, paid message in the media, while promotion includes paid and free marketing activities, such as sales or sponsorships.
Fashion Shows: Fashion designers not only promote their design only to the buyer but also promote it through social media, ads, and fashion shows on television. In the 19th century, Paris used to show their design to their client privately in a house. But 21st century not only garments but also retailer shops also show their fashion to the clients with professional models, where they used to show it to their clients, media, and buyers directly. In 20th and 21st-century fashion shows became more and more open for all peoples and also added a large venue and a runway for models wearing designer clothes.
Media marketing: Using media as a tool of marketing is the best process to sell the products. Using television advertising, posting on social media, website upload and print on newspaper are the main parts of media marketing. Ready to wear cloth, sewing machine tools, and departmental stores also play an important role in media marketing. In the 20th-century photographs printed in the media plays an important role in marketing. Now in the 21st century, social media plays the most significant role in media marketing. Sometimes most of the marketing can be done by using cinema or movie advertising.