This innovative book addresses the practical day-to-day realities and technicalities of the garment-making business-wholesale, manufacturing, designing, and private-label product development.

Apparel Product Development is comprehensive, yet easy to read and accessible, it explains step-by-step how to handle a real, roll-up-the-sleeves job in today's fashion industry.

It features a wealth of "insider" perspectives, wisdom from the pros, detailed illustrated procedures, and several "hands-on" exercises for real-world practice.

This book will give you the big picture with sufficient detail to be able to:

• Decide if this field is right for you, with an up-close look at apparel product development
• Put subsequent specialized fashion and garment construction courses into perspective
• Serve as a commonsense (rather than glamorized) foundation for a fashion career
• Help students with the transition from the world of school (known) to the world of business (unknown)

Features:

• NEW-Expanded product development focus
• NEW-Broader global perspective
• NEW-Updated research references
• NEW-Business opportunities for the 21st Century
• Emphasis on critical, "how to" information
• Visual step-by-step explanations of product development
• Detailed presentation of cost sheets and spec sheets
• Careful illustrations of designer "work boards"
• Extensive use of graphics throughout
• Structured exercises
• Profiles on a wide range of industry people
• "Words of Wisdom from Industry Pros"
• Extensive writing examples and exercises
• Entire chapter on industry terms
• Vocabulary words defined in margins

Contents

1. THE FASHION WORLD VERSUS THE REAL WORLD
   1. So You Want to Work in the Fashion Business?
   2. Segments of the Garment Industry: Where the Jobs Are
   3. Changes in Today's Fashion Industry-Whose Label Is It Anyway?
   4. The Customer: Different Generations, Different Motivations, Different Clothes
   5. How Much Do Customers Spend and What Sense of Style Do They Have?
   6. Where Are Customers Buying Their Clothes?

2. THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
   7. Research: Putting out Fashion "Feelers"
   8. Fashion's Triangle of Balance: You Can't Sell Granny Bloomers to Baby Boomers!
   9. Building the First Design Ideas: Don't Lose That Thought!
   10. Going from Planning to Costing: Squeezing out Those Pennies
   11. Line Building: From Specs to Samples
   12. Production: Go, Team, Go!
   13. Selling the Line: How Final Is the Sale?
   14. Three Seasons at Once: Spinning Plates on Poles

3. TECHNOLOGY, POLITICS, AND GEOGRAPHY: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ALL THIS GOING?
   15. Apparel Goes On-Line
   16. The Politics of Apparel Importing: Rewards and Punishments
   17. The Geography of Tomorrow's Manufacturing or, "I Have to Change Planes in Kuala Lumpur?"
   18. Manufacturing in the United States: Is There a Future?

4. SO, AFTER ALL THIS, IS THE FASHION BUSINESS FOR YOU?
   19. Apparel Business in the 21st Century: Where Will the Opportunities Lie?
   20. Garmento Lingo: Talk Like an Insider
   21. Words of Wisdom from Industry Pros

Index

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