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Chapter 4 Substance of the Fashion Industry 69
and accessory designing and production companies.
California ranks second in the apparel industry—
mainly producing sportswear, as in Figure 4.14, and
exquisite Hollywood-type evening wear. e
The success of many U.S. apparel producers has
also been badly threatened by the great abundance of
imported apparel coming into this country from for-
eign manufacturers. Many U.S. textile and apparel
companies are now doing their manufacturing in for-
eign countries, where labor is cheap.
Retailing is located everywhere; it is not centered g
in any one part of the country or the world. All types
of retail stores exist in large cities, suburban malls,
and small towns. Mail-order retailers send catalogs to
many people’s homes. TV shopping channels broad-
cast into consumer homes, while Internet retailers sell
products worldwide.
Some national retail companies have stores
throughout the country, such as JCPenney®, Macy★s,
and The GAP®. In fact, through expansion efforts, some
of these companies also have stores in other countries,
Figure 4.15. Headquarters for these companies are in
large cities across America. Other regional retailers
have stores in only one area of the U.S., such as the
Mid-Atlantic states or the Southwestern states. Many
retail shops are sole proprietorships—having only one
location, possibly in a small town or resort area.
Many household textile products sold in the U.S.
are made in the Carolinas and Georgia, as well as in
California and New York. Imports are not as com-
mon in household fabrics as in apparel. The High
Point Market in High Point, NC, is the largest furnish-
ings industry trade show in the world. It holds major
exhibitions twice a year showing the latest in products, display techniques,
merchandising tools, and advertising aids for every aspect of the household
textiles products business.
Technical textiles that are highly specialized for certain niches are pro-
duced in many parts of the United States. Commodity industrial textiles, pro-
duced in quantity and having multiple commercial uses, are imported from
other countries around the world.
Textile/apparel trade associations are either located near Washington, DC,
so they can impact advantageous government action, or they are near their
particular market center. Several textile trade organizations have offices in fi
the Southeastern U.S. Some apparel manufacturing, retail, and auxiliary
group trade organizations are in New York City or another fashion center.
Trade association directories are usually published each year that list corpo-
rate members in alphabetical order as well as separate listings under headings
of the major business activities of that industry segment.
Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock.com
Figure 4.14
California has a strong apparel manufactur-
ing industry, producing and selling innovative, high-quality
designs.