Secondary Group
The secondary group is the manufacturing
segment, which makes fi nished garments from
the textiles and other materials bought from the
primary suppliers. This group produces sewn
or fabricated products, which include garments,
accessories, and other items.
Retail Group
The retail group consists of stores, mail
order catalogs, TV home shopping channels,
Internet retail sites, and other retail enterprises
that sell the fi nished goods to those who want
to buy and use them. Retailers are the fi nal link
between product manufacturers and consumers.
They must stock adequate assortments of what
consumers will buy.
Auxiliary Group
The fi rst three groups are almost identical
to the textile/apparel pipeline discussed earlier,
but with different labels. The auxiliary group
supports, or helps, the fi rst three groups.
Fashion auxiliary enterprises function with
all the other groups simultaneously. They include
market researchers and forecasters who provide
information about colors and other trends that
are occurring in the consumer marketplace, 4-8.
These consulting and reporting fi rms help to
analyze and interpret future fashion directions.
They give advice that assists manufacturers and
retailers in understanding upcoming trends and
satisfying consumer demand.
Other examples of auxiliary enterprises are
the many fashion publications and advertising
agencies that produce and disseminate
fashion information and ads. Editors of fashion
magazines visit the fashion markets and attend
major showings to be able to report the latest
fashion news. They educate both consumers and
working members of the industry. Publicity and
advertising agencies assist client companies in
researching the consumer market and planning a
total promotional campaign. The agencies often
prepare and place ads in broadcast and print
media, and develop selling aids and packaging.
Auxiliary businesses also include buying
services in market centers that help retailers
get the right merchandise for their stores.
Additionally, models and modeling agencies
show the new fashions in fun, exciting ways, 4-9.
Trade associations, and their publications, are
also included.
All groups in the four-groups approach
depend on each other and want to satisfy the
fi nal consumers. The primary group depends
on the secondary group to sell their products
on down through the chain. The secondary
group depends on the primary group to provide
the materials for them to make their products.
Both the primary and secondary groups rely on
retailers to sell the merchandise to end users. All
groups gain information, expertise, assistance,
and promotion from the auxiliary group.
Vertical Integration
Vertical integration is the combining of two
or more steps of the pipeline within one company
and under one management. For instance, today
many large textile mills produce their own yarn,
make fabric, and perform the fi nishing processes
which result in a fi nished fabric. They combine
three steps of the textile segment of the pipeline
rather than doing just one step. Some knitting
mills start with raw fi ber or yarn and knit fi nished
socks or sweaters, 4-10. Thus, they produce a
fi nished product ready to be sold to consumers.
They combine some of the textile segment with
the entire manufacturing segment of the chain.
ESP/Ellen Sideri Partnership Inc.
4-8 Fashion forecasters are part of the
auxiliary group that offers trend advice, so
companies in the other three groups can
produce the right goods for market demand.
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