Homepage | (Static sitemap) | ? Help | Links | Contact us

 

Clothing

Headings on this page :

Introduction

Below, we outline some clothing trends.

Related pages :

• TEXTILE RECYCLING (eg charity shops, recycling centres, charity clothing collections)
• Charity shops page

Some clothing trends

Ever-changing fashions - styles, colours . . .

Types of clothes

The reduction in demand for warm clothes - due to central heating

The decline in popularity of formal wear - such as suits, ties

The decline in popularity of hats

The decline in popularity of skirts and dresses

The rise in popularity of trousers for women

The rise in popularity of new-style footwear - eg trainers

Materials

The decline in popularity of products using animal fur (ethical concerns)

The introduction of artificial fabrics - eg nylon, polyester, PVC

The decline in the use of metal - and the increasing use of plastics

New types of fastener - eg Velcro

Manufacture

Outsourcing/subcontracting

The ever-increasing mechanisation/mass production/automation of clothes manufacture

Costs - A progressive relative decline in the cost of materials, and a rise in the cost of labour

The decline of UK clothes manufacture

An increasing reliance on imports of clothes from abroad, especially from the developing world - eg India, China

A decline in the quality/durability of clothes - eg imports from China
(thus impeding the scope for re-use/resale)

Retail

A switch from made-to-measure (bespoke) to off-the-peg products

The ever-decreasing cost of clothes (in real terms)

The rise of 'fair trade' products (ethical concerns)

Increased sales of clothes by supermarkets

The growth of bargain clothes shops - like Primark

The growth of discount stores - such as 99p shops

The rise of out-of-town retail outlets

The Internet

The rise of Internet shopping, including clothes

The increasing popularity of auction sites - eg Ebay (including second-hand clothes)

Re-use and recycling

Increasing emphasis on re-use and recycling :

• to reduce the consumption of scarce resources
• to reduce global warming

The introduction of kerbside textile collections by local councils - as part of their weekly waste collections

The increasing popularity of car boot sales (second-hand goods)

The birth and rise of the 'Freecycle' website (second-hand goods)

The growth of charity shops (see below)

See the Re-use and recycling page

Charity shops

The 'professionalisation' of charity shops - eg better shopfittings

The increasing use of paid staff - eg shop managers

The increasing proportion of sales of new goods

The introduction of 'gift aid' on donations of goods - eg by Sue Ryder shops

The increasing use of online sales by charity shops (including donated clothing) - eg Oxfam

See the Charity shops page

Useful sources of information

University of the Arts, London - Web Guides - Textiles and clothing :

www.arts.ac.uk/library/4788.htm  

University of the Arts, London - Web Guides - Fashion : `

www.arts.ac.uk/library/4822.htm