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Data and analyses of consumer attitudes, preferences and shopping habits. |
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Data and analyses of the cotton textile retail sector,including fiber share by category. |
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Data and analyses of trends in the cotton textile supply chain, including commodity economics. |
A classic scene in the cult movie classic “Party Girl” shows Parker Posey’s character Mary parting with some of her designer clothes at a consignment shop to make rent. The owner offers her $50 for a Gaultier jacket, to which she replies, heavy on the enunciation, “It’s Go-tee-Ay. It’s a collector’s item.” Then, a half-dozen years ago, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis had a chart topper about how they were popping tags with only $20 in their pocket. While thrift shops and consignment stores may have been considered a novelty or last resort in the past, the resale market is now a very hot business.
Ask the person nearest you why they buy things on Amazon and they’re likely to say, “It’s easy and I get free shipping.” Ask people why they like fashion, and you may hear, “It’s fun, it expresses who I am, it makes me feel good.” While every designer and store hopes they’re the one meeting these consumer ideals, Amazon patiently gathers data on what consumers are really responding to and really buying. And then they’re releasing their own private label apparel to match. The dark fear is the ecommerce goliath will take over fashion, with everyone wearing Amazon brands they buy from Amazon.com. Experts say that may never come to pass, but there are ways to combat that just the same.
It’s that scary time of year again. No, not Halloween. We’re talking about pre-holiday, the anxiety-laced period that retailers and manufacturers have been prepping for, but that stage before consumers have truly begun shopping. Experts have good news though. Despite another year of store closures, the shopping season should produce positive results.
One of the biggest topics of conversation in small retail is how to compete with the major players, be it the chains, discounters, or e-commerce, especially Amazon. It’s not an easy time for anyone in retail right now, considering Gap, Sam’s Club, and The Children’s Place were among the 3,800 store closures this year. However, not everyone is taking a dim view on the future of small business shopping. Some are excited. Some are pragmatic. But the consensus is small apparel stores will compete.
Designers are always looking at past fashion trends to help decide what everyone should be wearing in the future. The recent New York Fashion Week (NYFW) was no different: silhouettes and accents from the ’70s and ’80s were out in full force. And nowhere were there pattern-changing LED trompe l’oeil dresses, digital message T-shirts, or jackets whose sleeves let you scroll through your mobile notifications.
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