The Dynamics of Fashion-Chapters 3,4

In chapter 3, it basically states how a cardinal rule in any business is "know your customer." That, in itself, is truly important in the fashion industry. As a fashion design major, one must know what is in style and must be updated with the latest trends. Moreover, it is also important to be aware of the conditions that affect a particular customer's environment and to know how the environment differs from one group to another. Four major environmental factors were explained in chapter 3 that affect fashion interest and demand: market segmentation by geographics, demographics, psychographics, and behavior, the degree of economic development and well-being of a country or society, the sociological characteristics of the class structure, and the psychological attitudes of consumers.
In market segmentation, geographics are population studies that focus on where people live. Demographics are population studies that divide broad groups of consumers into smaller, more homogeneous market segments such as age, sex, family size,  etc. The psychographics, however, are studies that develop fuller, more personal portraits of potential customers and their lifestyles. Psychographic studies more fully predict consumer purchase patterns and distinguish users of a product. Lastly, in an attempt to gather even more insight into customer preferences, some retailers and manufactures use research on behavior.
Another major environmental factor is the economic environment. In the economic environment, the growth of fashion demand depends on a high level of economic development, which is thoroughly reflected in consumer income, population characteristics, and technological advances. Consumer income can be measured in terms of personal income, and the more personal income consumers have the more socially acceptable they consider themselves to be. Consumer income has a great impact on the fashion industry as well as population. The majority of the population of the United States has some capricious income and can influence the course of fashion; moreover, by the size of the total population and the age mix of the population.
Thirdly, the sociological environment, is another factor that completes the environmental factors. We strongly need to understand the sociological environment in which fashion trends begin, grow, and fade away. Social freedom, mostly from women, exemplifies the changes that fashion undergoes within the sociological environment. For example, short skirts, popular in the 1920's are commonly interpreted as a reflection of women's freedom.  However, war, disaster, and crisis is also an exemplification of the sociological environment. People develop a need for fashions that are compatible with changes in their attitudes and also changes in their environment.
Lastly, the psychological environment has a great impact on the environmental factors as a whole. The five basic psychological factors that influence fashion demand are boredom, curiosity, reaction to convention, need for self-assurance, and desire for companionship. People tend to become bored with fashions too long in use, and that explains why the desire for change is so grand in the fashion industry. Curiosity causes interest in change for its own sake. Yet, one of the most important psychological factors influencing fashion demand is the reaction to convention. People's reactions take one of two forms: rebellion against convention or adherence to it. But, as human beings overall, the desire for companionship is fundamental.  Fashion plays its part in the search for all kinds of companionship.

Chapter 4 thoroughly explains the theoretical notion of how fashion is like a river; because of its continuous flowing-sometimes it is slow, while other times it is turbulent. All of this is true of fashion, too. There are specific factors that influence fashion movement. The accelerating factors, such as widespread buying power and leisure time, are ever growing and accelerating in the 21st century as the pace of life becomes rapid. On the other hand, the retarding factors are the development of fashion cycles     that either discourage people from adopting incoming styles or encourage them to continue using styles that might be considered on the decline. One important influence of the fashion movement is the recurring fashions. In the study of fashion history, we interpret that styles reoccur, with adaptions that suit the times in which they appear. Occasionally, an entire look is reborn; this is very common in the fashion industry.

Being in the fashion industry, on must learn to play in the apparel fashion game. The pieces of the game are the various parts of the female body: waist, shoulders, bosom, neckline, hips, derriere, legs and feet, as well as the figure as a whole. The rules of the game, however, begin with the most vital rule in which fashion emphasis and it does not flit from one area to another. The second rule of the fashion game is that only certain parts of the body can be exposed at any given time. The third rule is that fashion attention must always go forward.
Knowing that fashion must always go forward, as designers we must predict the movement of fashion. Basically, the successful forecaster of fashion must: distinguish what the current fashion trends are, estimate how widespread they are, and determine when these fashions will appeal to the firm's target customer groups. Fashions are accepted by a few before they are accepted by the majority. An important step in fashion forecasting is isolating and identifying those fashion leaders and keeping track of their preferences.

More or less, fashion leaders are people that constantly seek distinction and therefore likely to launch a succession of fashions rather than just one. Fashion today take its influence from people that are famous. Because they are seen so frequently, the public has a good sense of their fashion and lifestyles and can imitate them to the extent of the public's means and desires. Individual communities have their own fashion innovators and influentials, but fashion's acceptance ultimately depends on fashion followers.