A Potential Dichotomy: Clothing, Fashion, and the UK Apparel Industry

Abstract

Both the terms (clothing and fashion) suggest ways in which the body can be dressed and are used liberally within industries that produce apparel. I consider the currency of sociologist, Georg Simmel’s theory, which identified no fundamental links between clothing and fashion. In fashion “Not the slightest reason, can be found for its creations from the standpoint of an objective, aesthetic or other expediency”, whereas in general our clothing, “…is objectively adapted to our needs” (Simmel, in Frisby and Featherstone, 2000). Clothing is usually constructed with textile materials worn on the physique and is worn by human beings, in the majority of societies. The quantity and style of clothing depends on bodily, societal, and environmental considerations, including gender. In contrast fashion is a common term for a popular style in clothing, footwear, or accessories and is usually, the newest collection or creation produced by a designer or retailer. The UK designer, Jean Muir regarded herself as a “Dressmaker pursuing her craft not a flighty fashion designer” (Fisher, 2008) and implied there was conflict between the production of clothes and the role of the fashion designer in this process. The investigation seeks to offer new insight into existing research related to clothing and fashion, by centering upon the production of apparel in the UK and the specific needs of the highly developed, UK fashion and clothing educational system. In so doing it identifies how the terms are perceived today, in both the UK and global apparel industries.

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