2. The Textile and Apparel Industry
Chapter 4
The Textile and Apparel Industry

3. Learning Targets
analyze the three segments of today’s textile and apparel industry.
summarize the structure of the textile and apparel industry.
describe occupations and careers in the textile production, apparel production, and the retail segments and identify the education and training they require.

4. Textile and Apparel Industry
Textile Production
Apparel Production
Retail Segment

5. Textile Production Segment
Focuses on production of fabrics for apparel and other uses
Deals with
fibers and yarns
dyes and finishes
methods of fabric production
Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

6. The Structure of the Textile Industry
Fiber production
Yarn production
Fabric production
Fabric finishing

7. Textile Designing
Textile designers develop designs for fabrics, color combinations, patterns, prints, and weaves
Textile designers often use computer design programs to create designs

8. Think About It
What is the difference between a textile designer and a fashion designer?
Yelena Panyukova/Shutterstock.com 8

9. Textile Converters
Decide what fibers to use, what widths and weights of fabrics to weave or knit, and how many yards to produce
Select dye colors and finishes that help fabrics perform as expected

10. Manufacturing
Includes textile plant operations or processes, including
spinning
dyeing
weaving
knitting
finishing
continued

11. Manufacturing
Employees who use machines in their work include spinners, colorists, loom operators, and machine operators
Engineers—chemical, computer, industrial, and plant—play an important part
Laboratory technicians perform tests on fibers, yarns, and fabrics

12. Research and Development
Develop and produce new products to meet consumer demand and find ways to produce these products
continued
Alexander Raths/Shutterstock.com

13. Research and Development
Research—working to find new products such as fibers, weaves, dyes, and finishing techniques
Development—finding practical ways to use products researchers create

14. Marketing
Marketing—all activities involved in creating and selling profitable products
Manufacturers must decide what raw materials to buy and what fabrics to manufacture
Manufacturers base their decisions on careful studies of what customers want
continued

15. Marketing
Market analysts—people who study fashion changes and consumer demands and use forecasting
Selling is the last step in the marketing process
Textile sales associates show fabric samples to clothing manufacturers

16. Apparel Production Segment
Includes all people and processes involved in designing and making garments
continued
Sapsiwai/Shutterstock.com

17. Apparel Production Segment
Design garments
Make patterns
Cut
Sew
Assemble
Distribute finished items to stores

18. The Structure of Apparel Companies
Apparel production companies have various departments or divisions, and may include
research and merchandising
design and product development
production
sales and marketing

19. Research and Merchandising
Apparel production begins with research
A firm’s staff tries to forecast what their customers will buy
Their goal is to have the right products, at the right price, at the right time so the company will be profitable
continued

20. Research and Merchandising
Apparel designers interpret trends and create sketches and sample designs
continued
Dasha Petrenko/Shutterstock .com

21. Research and Merchandising
Sample designs become a part of a merchandising plan
Designers show sample designs to retail buyers who then make selections
The selected designs are prepared for production

22. Design and Product Development
Fashion designers create designs and ideas for clothes and accessories
They make sketches until one is satisfactory

23. Think About It In what might fashion designers specialize?
wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com

24. Production Production pattern makers make master patterns
Pattern graders make patterns into a wide range of sizes
Markers decide how to place pattern pieces to prevent fabric waste
Cutters cut through the layers of fabric with power saws or electric cutting machines
Sewing machine operators sew the pieces together
continued

25. Production Finishers, trimmers, and pressers complete the garments
Management personnel plan, coordinate, and monitor a business; engineering and management positions include
plant managers
production managers
production engineers
costing engineers
quality control engineers

26. Sales and Marketing
Marketing in the apparel industry is primarily wholesale
Manufacturers sell to retail buyers, who represent shops and department stores and sell to individual customers
New fashions are in production for at least a “season,” or six months
continued

27. Sales and Marketing
When samples are ready, retail buyers view them in showrooms during market week
During market weeks, retail-store buyers come to fashion centers to view new collections and make selections
In several large cities, such as Atlanta and Dallas, there are also apparel marts

28. Think About It Where are the major U.S. fashion centers?
Cedric Weber/Shutterstock.com

29. Custom Work in Apparel Production
Some people have their clothing custom-made
Tailoring is a form of custom work
Suits and coats are the garments most often tailored

30. Think About It Why might someone choose to have garments custom-made?
ProStockStudio/Shutterstock.com

31. The Retail Segment Retailers include
department stores
discount chains
specialty stores (carrying specific kinds of apparel)
online and mail-order companies
The retail segment involves the processes of fashion merchandising and fashion promotion

32. Fashion Merchandising
Fashion merchandising includes
planning
buying
selling
Merchandising is the central function of retailers
Blend Images/Shutterstock.com

33. Fashion Promotion Fashion promotion is an important part of selling
It includes
advertising
setting up window and store displays
media publicity
special events such as fashion shows

34. Merchandise Managers Operate one or more departments within a store
Plan seasonal sales, promotional sales, and special events
Decide what merchandise to sell and at what price
Dinga/Shutterstock.com

35. Buyers
Responsible for selecting clothes to sell in stores they represent
May go to major fashion centers or markets several times a year
Order items and amounts to be delivered to their stores after viewing manufacturers’ merchandise
continued

36. Buyers Keep records about what customers are buying in their stores
Are interested in what styles, colors, and sizes are selling best
Make decisions that largely determine a store’s profits

37. Sales Associates Only store employees most customers ever meet
May form lasting bonds with devoted customers
Earn an hourly rate, salary, or salary plus a commission
Dmitry Kalinovsky/Shutterstock.com

38. Stock Clerks Receive merchandise Prepare price tags
May help with straightening stock
GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com

39. Market Researchers
Study customer wants and needs, sometimes using forecasting companies
Communicate this information to manufacturers, designers, and buyers

40. Fashion Coordinators Promote stores and merchandise
Gather and relay fashion information to merchandise managers and buyers
Work with advertising and publicity
Plan fashion shows

41. Display Directors
Create attractive displays seen in stores and store windows
Work closely with fashion coordinators
Adisa/Shutterstock.com

42. Fashion Illustrators
Work for retail stores, pattern companies, and advertising agencies
Create attractive and detailed drawings
Comaniciu Dan/Shutterstock.com

43. Fashion Writers
Inform public about new trends in fashion as soon as they occur
Mila Supinskaya/Shutterstock.com

44. Fashion Models
Serve many needs for photos in press releases, online and mail-order catalogs, pattern catalogs, and advertisements
Are essential in fashion shows
Benis Arapovic/Shutterstock.com

45. Alterations
Alterations specialists must have superior sewing skills, work fast, and fit clothing properly
Nenad Aksic/Shutterstock.com

46. Learning Target
summarize the concept of vertical integration.

47. Vertical Integration of the Textile and Apparel Industries
Prior to 1970s, most companies focused on one aspect of fabric or apparel production
Textile mills produced fabrics that they sold to apparel manufacturing companies
Apparel manufacturing companies produced apparel that they sold to retailers
continued

48. Vertical Integration of the Textile and Apparel Industries
Today many large corporations use vertical integration, handling all stages of production
This allows companies to control all steps in the creation of their apparel, leading to greater cost control

49. Review Name the three segments of the textile and apparel industry.
textile production, apparel production, the retail segment
Name the four stages of production that form the basic structure of the textile industry.
fiber production, yarn production, fabric production, fabric finishing
continued

50. Review
Textile converters are responsible for “costing the fabric.” What does this mean? How is it done?
setting prices by computing all the costs involved in producing the fabric and then adding a margin of profit to determine the fabric’s selling price
What kinds of activities take place during market weeks?
Answers will vary
continued

51. Review
Describe an occupation in each of the three segments of the textile and apparel industry.
Answers will vary
Summarize the concept of vertical integration.
a system used by some large corporations that handle all stages of production, from producing the fibers to sewing the garments to selling them in stores 51