Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 68 Fashion Marketing &Merchandising
Most retail company managers subscribe to
STORES magazine and/or other retail trade journals.
Examples of some of the many other specialized pub-
lications are Footwear News (FN), RIS News (Retail Info
Systems News), Dallas Apparel News, and California
Apparel News. There are also many online magazines,
digests, and discussion blogs.
General fashion magazines are not trade publica-
tions. They show fashion direction and merchandise
aimed at consumers, but also spread fashion news
throughout the industry. Retailers often read these
magazines, as well as official trade journals, to keep fi
up with emerging trends and to be prepared for what
consumers will be looking for in the stores.
Geographic Locations
of Industry Segments
In the 1700s and 1800s, textile production was located
primarily in the New England states. After that, tex-
tile mills steadily opened in the Southeastern United
States, and the ones in the North closed. In the
Southeast, there were good sources of power and
lower-wage labor. There was also proximity to raw
materials, such as cotton. Taxes were lower. Land was
plentiful and inexpensive, resulting in new, modern
plants being built.
Today, the textile industry is comprised of fairly
large textile companies—mainly concentrated in
North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina. Much of
the textile production has now moved offshore, or to other countries. Foreign
textile companies are competing with American fi rms by making fibers and
fabrics for our market. This has forced many of the U.S. mills to slow down
their production. To fi ght this competition, U.S. mills are becoming more
automated and effi ficient.
Apparel manufacturing has always been g labor-intensive, requiring many
workers to make the products, rather than relying heavily on machines and
technology. In the 1800s, the fi rst American ready-made clothing was pro-
duced in port cities along the East Coast. Before that time, garments had been
made one at a time by homemakers or hired dressmakers. Men’s clothing was
the fi rst to be mass-produced, after the inventions of the sewing machine, a
standardized tape measure, and sized paper patterns. Later, simple women’s
garments were manufactured in New York City lofts, using the immigrant
labor that was plentiful there.
Today, there are many apparel manufacturing firms in the U.S. of all
sizes, and each produces a particular range of products. Although New York
City is still the center of U.S. apparel companies, most states have garment
T
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A
p
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a
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R
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Fiber production
Textile World
Textiles Magazine
Apparel Magazine
STORES
Chain Store Age
Internet Retailer
Consumers
Textile Chemist
and Colorist
Yarn and fabric
manufacturing
Fabric finishing
Apparel designing,
manufacturing,
and sales
Retail activities
Logistics Management
Supply Chain Brain
Trade
Publications/
Soft Goods
Chain
Steps
Through the
Soft Goods
Chain
Mary G. Wolfe
Figure 4.13 Because there are so many diff types of fferent
products and markets that deal with fashion goods, a variety
of trade journals provide information related to specific
interests.
Most retail company managers subscribe to
STORES magazine and/or other retail trade journals.
Examples of some of the many other specialized pub-
lications are Footwear News (FN), RIS News (Retail Info
Systems News), Dallas Apparel News, and California
Apparel News. There are also many online magazines,
digests, and discussion blogs.
General fashion magazines are not trade publica-
tions. They show fashion direction and merchandise
aimed at consumers, but also spread fashion news
throughout the industry. Retailers often read these
magazines, as well as official trade journals, to keep fi
up with emerging trends and to be prepared for what
consumers will be looking for in the stores.
Geographic Locations
of Industry Segments
In the 1700s and 1800s, textile production was located
primarily in the New England states. After that, tex-
tile mills steadily opened in the Southeastern United
States, and the ones in the North closed. In the
Southeast, there were good sources of power and
lower-wage labor. There was also proximity to raw
materials, such as cotton. Taxes were lower. Land was
plentiful and inexpensive, resulting in new, modern
plants being built.
Today, the textile industry is comprised of fairly
large textile companies—mainly concentrated in
North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina. Much of
the textile production has now moved offshore, or to other countries. Foreign
textile companies are competing with American fi rms by making fibers and
fabrics for our market. This has forced many of the U.S. mills to slow down
their production. To fi ght this competition, U.S. mills are becoming more
automated and effi ficient.
Apparel manufacturing has always been g labor-intensive, requiring many
workers to make the products, rather than relying heavily on machines and
technology. In the 1800s, the fi rst American ready-made clothing was pro-
duced in port cities along the East Coast. Before that time, garments had been
made one at a time by homemakers or hired dressmakers. Men’s clothing was
the fi rst to be mass-produced, after the inventions of the sewing machine, a
standardized tape measure, and sized paper patterns. Later, simple women’s
garments were manufactured in New York City lofts, using the immigrant
labor that was plentiful there.
Today, there are many apparel manufacturing firms in the U.S. of all
sizes, and each produces a particular range of products. Although New York
City is still the center of U.S. apparel companies, most states have garment
T
e
x
t
i
l
e
A
p
p
a
r
e
l
R
e
t
a
i
l
Fiber production
Textile World
Textiles Magazine
Apparel Magazine
STORES
Chain Store Age
Internet Retailer
Consumers
Textile Chemist
and Colorist
Yarn and fabric
manufacturing
Fabric finishing
Apparel designing,
manufacturing,
and sales
Retail activities
Logistics Management
Supply Chain Brain
Trade
Publications/
Soft Goods
Chain
Steps
Through the
Soft Goods
Chain
Mary G. Wolfe
Figure 4.13 Because there are so many diff types of fferent
products and markets that deal with fashion goods, a variety
of trade journals provide information related to specific
interests.