CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Fashion is a system of bodily display, derived from around costume, and extends to jewellery, luggage and perfume shading into a broader definition of luxury goods. Fashion is normally characterised both as forms of everyday clothing and as luxury rather than utilitarian needs. A further defining characteristic, one which gives us the noun ‘fashion’, signifies a constant and shifting value system whereby items may be deemed in or out of fashion, and hence symbolic revaluing leads to their cultural and economic value being repeatedly and quickly transformed.

Stated in these terms the focus is on the changing patterns of objects and their consumption: fashion being a particular case of all consumption. The question follows: is fashion an evocation of a trend, or an industry? The answer is both. In the former sense it is a contested and dynamic information stream that constitutes and defines value. Fashion is time-based and culturally situated in character; it is a combination of design and innovation and, as such, its qualities are context dependent and relationally, not absolutely, defined. In this sense fashion can be a constituent of any product. Some have argued that increasingly the design, or fashion component, of all products is expanding and hence this aspect is becoming an important part of explaining industrial growth and change.

The critical aspect is not the proportion of a product that may be ‘design related’, but that of product differentiation through which the crucial buy/not buy decision is made primarily on the basis of design or fashion, not on price alone. This is what is referred to as the culturalisation, or we might say the fashioning of industry (Scott, 2000). In this sense it may be argued that all industries are becoming fashion industries. This has serious implications of the explanation and understanding of the practices of economic action that are normally based upon the (economic and cultural) values that are not so acutely time, or context, dependent. It may be exceptional, or an indication of things to come, but the dynamism of values and shifting product differentiation, and the production reorganization that are required to sustain it, are the essence of the cultural and creative industries, and the fashion industry in particular. A second perspective we can regard fashion is as an industry in the conventional sense such that raw materials are transformed and worked upon, reproduced in large quantities, and exchanged in a market.

Fashion clothing is the product of distinct skills, institutions and commodities in their unique combinations. In the past the higher value-added end of the fashion industry may have been relatively autonomous from the economy, and it was considered to be a discretionary item. However, now we are in an era where fashion has become a shaper, in some cases a driver, of other industries and whole local economies.

The fashion industry is a combination of the textile and mass clothing industries, as well as those of fashion design and haute couture. This is an unwieldy amalgam, both unstable and subject to continual reformation, which is leading the evolution and dynamics of the contemporary fashion industry and the shifting boundaries of the mass and luxury markets.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

        Clothing and fashion has been in existence for decade. It is certain that as time changes clothing and fashion changes as well in other to fit into the present time. Most at times, clothing and fashion industry becomes neglected by the government in terms of funding; another could be that the industry does not get to know the latest styles that might blow the minds of the consumers. Finally several researches have been carried out on the textile industry but not even a single research has been carried out on clothing and fashion industry, a case study of France.

1.3   AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

        The main aim of the study is to examine clothing and fashion industry. Other specific objective of the study includes;

1. to determine the factors affecting clothing and fashion industry in France.
2. to determine the influence of clothing pattern or style in the fashion industry in France.
3. to determine the contribution of government towards the clothing and fashion industry in France.
4. to proffer possible solutions to the problems.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS               

1. What are the factors affecting clothing and fashion industry in France?
2. What is the influence of clothing pattern or style in the fashion industry in France?
3. What is the contribution of government towards the clothing and fashion industry in France?
4. to proffer possible solutions to the problems.

1.5   STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0:    The clothing style in France fashion industry has not improved over the years.

H1:         The clothing style in France fashion industry has improved over the years.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

        The study on clothing and fashion industry will be of immense benefit to the entire citizens of France in the sense that it will enable the industry to meet up with the demanding needs and fashion trends of the consumers. It will also enable the government to allocate more funds into the clothing and fashion industry, since clothing is one of the basic necessities of human for a complete existence. Finally, the study will contribute to the body of existing literature and knowledge to this field of study and basis for further research.

1.7   SCOPE OF STUDY

        The study on clothing and fashion industry is limited to France.

1.8   LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9   DEFINITION OF TERMS

Clothing  This is a collective term for items worn on the body.

Fashion   Is a popular style, especially in clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle and body.