CTE 3809 EXAM 3 REVIEW CH 5 CONSUMERS AND INDUSTRY FASHION INNOVATION AND DIFFUSION ACCELERATORS Blogs Web sites or parts of sites that contain ongoing commentary on products or topics contributes by a recognized or self proclaimed experts rather than by advertisers Consumer created product information and advice can from them Blogs focus on an innovation product category or general topic whereas unauthorized Web sites focus on one firm or brand Co designs Mass customization A hybrid of mass production and customization and is defines as the mass production of individually customized goods and services Permits customer involvement in both the process and the manufacturing process One source of personalized product innovation for consumers One variation of mass customization is Co design where a product s design is based on the consumer s selections from a range of design feature offerings In Co design the customer uses CAD to create individualized product from design options from a company s style fabric color surface deign and size alternatives Creative class This is a growing economic class in which creativity is a key factor in professional roles This class is creating a profound shift in the way people work in values and desires and in everyday lives Customer made movement Now called crowdsourcing is the phenomenon of corporations creating goods srvices and experiences in close cooperation with experienced and creative consumers tapping into their intellectual capital and in exchange giving them a direct say in what actually gets produced manufactured developed and designed Pluralistic aesthetic Personal style is determined by the individual resulting in an array of simultaneously expressed styles accepted by the culture Consumers in developed countries are confident in their design preferences and engage in this It this aesthetic helps drive innovation but creates a challenge for fashion forecasters because there is no clear trend Rich media Consists of web site features that enable creation and manipulation of product images to stimulate or surpass actual experience with the product Rich media enhances consumers attitude toward and willingness to purchase from talk about and return to the retail site Examples of Rich media include zoom features mix and match product features Style confident consumer These are consumers who do not depend on an arbiter of taste to dictate how they or their environments should look Virtual model A more advanced Rich media that allows the consumer to try product images on a virtual body form similar to his or her own CH 6 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY RELATED TO FASHION TRENDS AND FORECASTING Anti fur movement One of the fastest growing markets for fur products in the world is in Britain Led to a total ban on fur farming in 2003 Bamboo Fast growing grass Pest persistent Easy to grow in many climates Primarily grown in Asia particularly China Soft hand Many of the desirable cotton characteristics of strength and absorbency Easily dyed producing beautiful colors Used for terry cloth towels and bed linens Hemp When consumers became aware of sustainability organic cotton colored cottons and hemp drew attention Organic cotton Eco friendly fiber Uses lower amounts of insecticides and herbicides Natural dyes Green cotton that has been washed with mild natural based soap is not bleached or treated with chemicals except possibly natural dyes Biodegradable end of life option for disposal of garment Environmental friendliness green In order to determine environmental friendliness 6 aspects must be determined product design materials selection production and sourcing distribution packaging and transportation product care or maintenance and end of use management Fast fashion Retailers and manufacturers who organize their firms to deliver new styles in weeks instead of months keep inventories very lean rarely repeat styles but are able to capitalize on the fast changing trends Mass customization Process of delivering a unique personalized or customized product using mass production techniques and at a cost competitive with mass production Minimum fabric waste fashion It is influenced by sustainability and social responsibility on fashion trends consumer trends toward green products consumer trends against the use of real fur or leather consumer trends toward recycled fashion in design and product development the amount of fabric waste is determined by garment and pattern design depending on the shapes and number of pieces the most common way to minimize fabric waste in garment and pattern design processes is to use rectangular pattern shapes Recycling end of life option Social Responsibility an umbrella term that covers all responsible practices related to labor standards human rights and environment Sustainability defined as a system utilizing renewable resources that meets the requirements of the present without compromising the requirements of future generations or disrupting present or future environmental balance Sustainability can enhance business in several ways financial payoffs increased revenue customer related payoffs increased customer satisfaction increased brand reputation new market opportunities operational payoffs process innovation productivity gains reduced product cycle times and organizational payoffs increased employee satisfaction improved stakeholder relationships reduced regulatory intervention sustainable performance is made up of 3 elements improving social environmental and financial performances Most companies are spending money in sustainability programs which require technological improvements Sustainable design refers to the practice of maintaining quality of life by using creative and innovative design ideas to substitute less harmful products and process for conventional ones sustainable design requires designers to think creatively about possible strategies in the global apparel industry CH 7 THE FORMAT OF TREND FORECASTS AND THE INFLUENCE OF TREND FORECASTING ON BUSINESS DECISIONS Color board offers a visual overview of new trends in color can be used for PP presentations or virtual online presentations predicted colors are developed into several different color palettes including new directional colors fashion driven colors and stable colors Leading edge techniques digital communication DVDs videos TV and Web sites Weblogs mobile devices shopping applications smart phones expected to overtake PC sales and the