Western Fashion Industry

Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe and America, as of 2014 it is an international and highly globalized industry, with clothing often designed in country, manufactured in another, and sold world-wide. For example, an American fashion company might source fabric in China and have the garments manufactured in Vietnam, completed in Germany, and shipped to a warehouse in the United States for distribution to shops internationally. The fashion industry has long been of the largest employers in the United States. and it remains so in the 21st century. However, U.S. employment declined considerably as production increasingly moved abroad, to China. Because knowledge on the fashion industry usually are reported for national economies and expressed in terms of the industry's plenty of separate sectors, aggregate figures for world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to receive. However, by any measure, the clothing industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output. The fashion industry consists of levels:

The fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Prior to the mid-19th century, most clothing was custom-made. It was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors. By the beginning of the 20th centuryâ??with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory method of production, and the proliferation of shops such as department storesâ??clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

the production of raw materials, mainly fibers and textiles but also leather and fur
the production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors, and others
retail sales
various forms of marketing and promotion
These levels consist of plenty of separate but interdependent sectors. These sectors are Textile Design and Production, Fashion Design and Manufacturing, Fashion Retailing, Marketing and Merchandising, Fashion Shows, and Media and Marketing. Each sector is dedicated to the objective of satisfying consumer demand for attire under conditions that enable participants in the industry to operate at a profit.