Abstract
M.Com. (Marketing Mangement)
The fashion industry consists of two components: creating and developing a new
product, and marketing the product. This process is repeated on four levels: raw
materials, manufacturing, retailing, and marketing. It is important for the people in the
fashion industry to know about every level as they are interrelated. The fashion
designer should for example understand the importance of designing and selling
garments, and what the consumer looks for in a garment. The fashion marketer should
know what happens to the garment before it arrives at the store, so that it will be
possible to make wiser marketing decisions. The fashion editor should know every
aspect of the garment before starting a marketing campaign. It is important for the
people in the fashion industry to understand the consumer and his needs.'
Unfortunately, very little information is available in the industry about consumer
demand, and satisfying the need ofthe consumer.
AIM: The main purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a shift of
emphasis to a more user friendly fashion market. Therefore this is an attempt to pin
down current trends in fashion marketing, trends which are highly changeable for a
. variety of reasons. However, it must not be seen as a prediction of the future of fashion
marketing as such for the next decade. This should be seen as an attempt to establish
whether the marketer, and his perception ofcustomer needs, playa more important role
than the customer and his actual needs. The question which arises is whether fashion is
created because of the customer need or does the designer create a fashion for which
the customer the develops a need. It is therefore necessary to determine whether trends
created by designers, marketers and editors create a need amongst customer.
PROCEDURE: Fashion designers, -marketers, and -editors were personally
interviewed to obtain information regarding their marketing strategies, target market,
and especially their success in satisfying their consumers' needs. Nearly thirty
questionnaires consisting offour sections ofmarketing in South Africa were completed
by designers, marketers, and editors, aged 22 to 55.
RESULTS: The conclusion can be made the shift of emphasis in fashion marketing
has not taken place. The consumer together with the designer, marketer end editor play
an important part in the fashion world. Fashion is created for which a customer then
develops a need.