Unveiling Fashion Business, Culture, and Identity in the Most Glamorous Industry

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Proposing a comprehensive account of the global fashion industry this book aims to present fashion as a social and cultural fact. Drawing on six principles from the industry, Godart guides the reader through the economic, social and political arena of the world's most glamorous industry.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• Affirmation: Fashion as a Bridge between Individuals and Society
• Convergence: The Centralization of Trends
• Autono my: The Emergence of Styles and their Dynamics
• Personalization: Fashion as Craft and Profession
• Symbolization: The Power of Brands
• Imperialization: The Empire(s) of Fashion

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This concise sociological work synthesizes aesthetic/economic fashion theories and history while also focusing on contemporary practices. Using interdisciplinary examples from Europe and Asia, Godart (INSEAD, France) proposes six principles as building blocks for understanding the complex fashion industry, including production and consumption. The affirmation principle emphasizes how individuals and social groups imitate and distinguish themselves using clothing and other art forms. Historical documentation suggests fashion's origins in the European Renaissance when the emerging bourgeoisie used clothing and other luxury items to assert status parallel to that of aristocrats. The convergence principle looks at trends associated with collective desires and tastes. The autonomy principle involves styles previously set by the wealthy and powerful in maintaining social control, but applied in contemporary societies to widespread usage by producers and consumers. Personalization stresses the importance of designers as professionals over the past two centuries. A spin-off, symbolization, recognizes the power of signs and meanings related to branding. The last principle, imperialization, stems from the expansion of fashion through globalization and the communication revolution. Godart claims that while fashion changes and evolves in political, economic, and social areas, by comprehending the underlying forces, a certain stability can be maintained. Extensive notes and bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional readership. B. B. Chico Regis University