Eli Kochman
Mrs. Crawford
March 27, 2015
How Jews shaped the American Fashion industry The American clothing industry is a multi-billion dollar business, this is due to the fact that everyone needs clothes. Not only do people want to wear plain clothes, they want to wear the top of line fashionable clothing. But the fashion industry didn’t explode until after World War II, with the coming of many Jews to America due to the disarray of Europe. Many of the Jews such as Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, and Diane Von Furstenberg came and revolutionized the fashion industry, and turned it on its head. Jews have always been into fashion and clothing, in fact Elisa Strauss in an article for the Jewish Daily Forward, wrote that the story of Joseph in
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Matt Sieger in his article “Jews and Fashion” that many Jewish fashion designers such as Anne Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg and Calvin Klein came after World War Two to the United States after seeing the success of Ralph Lauren. This caused a paradigm shift in American and world fashion industry.
The next one to enter the American fashion industry was Calvin Klein. Entrepreneur’s article “Calvin Klein a Stylish Obsession” states in 1968 he started his coat company Calvin Klein Ltd. In truth his company flourished by accident, a man came to buy a coat from another company but had the wrong floor. He was astonished by the work of Calvin Klein he made a $50,000 order from him, and then Calvin Klein started to flourish.
Calvin Klein’s next step to fashion success was his radical underwear idea in 1980. His idea was to change from the classic white three pack of underwear to a new style called “boxer briefs”, which are a hybrid between boxers and briefs. His underwear featured his name “Calvin Klein” on the elastic. This took the fashion world with a storm and it made a change to the entire world of fashion, and now all brands copy his idea and style of underwear. This was part of the “The Calvin Klein Look” which was his simple style. His clothe didn’t feature bright yellows and greens, but rather black, white and gray combination. This was the specialty and style of Calvin
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College Fashions article “Know Your Fashion Designers: 10 Facts About Michael Kors” states that at age nineteen Michael Kors left the FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology, to work on designing for a small Manhattan boutiques. When he was 23 he asked Anna Wintour, A formidable fashion designer, to view his clothing designs which gave him a major boost. Then 1981 he got his first break with stores such as Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, and Saks Fifth Avenue, which carried his womenswear line. He also became the creative director of Celine, a French fashion house, in
Berry, Hannah. “The Fashion Industry: Free to Be an Individual.” The Norton Field Guide to
The advancement from conservative to liberal thinking, eventually resulted in revolutionary changes in cultural fabric of American life. The 60s was a decade of sweeping change throughout the fashion world. Previously, fashion was aimed at mainly the wealthy and the mature elites, but as the decade began to unfold, the tastes and preferences of the youngsters became important. Parisian designers dominated the beginning of the decade with their outstanding ability to implement their own ideas into their clothing.
If we didn’t have fashion then a lot of people wouldn’t have jobs because there are a whole bunch of fashion designers out there, also all of the celebrities wouldn’t have name brand clothing because there would be no way to make them because we wouldn’t have designers. Fashion of the 1920’s played a very big role in today’s fashion. Including the material our clothing is made out of also the styles of clothing we wear. Many things women wear today first came from fashion in the 1920's. Flappers, shoe styles, and accessories are a few things that we wear today have came from. Many celebrities still wear some things that people wore in the 1920's including flappers. Have you ever wondered what the amazing fashion of the 1920's was like?
Even though he dropped out of fashion school, he still managed to start his own fashion line.
Although there are many prominent luxury brand designers, it is important to recognize Perry Ellis, who is known as the original American designer that sells primarily sportswear and casual clothing with a unique twist.. Perry Edwin Ellis was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on March 3, 1940. He lived with his grandma in a house full of his aunt’s vintage clothing, which began his passion and taste for his designs. When he grew up, he majored in business at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and later went to New York University in New York to earn his master’s degree in retailing. He began his career in 1963 as a sportswear buyer for an upscale store, Miller & Rhodes in Richmond, Virginia, and was later promoted as a merchandiser for John Meyer of Norwich Conn. in 1967, so he went back to New York.
For Mr. Lauren, the starting point is always his concern for quality and attention to detail, while the creative drama comes from his own romantic sense of elegance and reverence for authencity. Always true to his own purely American vision of fashion, his products are nearly as diverse as the country that inspires them. He designs a wide range of products, including menswear, womenswear, boyswear, girlswear, home furnishing, eyewear, scarves, shoes, hosiery, fragrances, handbag, luggage and leather goods. And the stores that carry his products are located across the United States and around the world.
One of the most successful clothing brands in the world, Polo Ralph Lauren has built its success around more than just its line of luxurious designer clothes, but the company is one of the top marketing designers also. It was awarded “ Luxury Brand of the Year” in 2010 by the Luxury Daily. A company that was founded by a man named Ralph Lifchitz, better known as Ralph Lauren of the Bronx, New York in 1968. Since the age of 12, Lauren’s had a strong appeal and taste for looking classy. He would spend the money he earned working with his father after school, purchasing expensive suites. In his latter years, while working for a company called A. Rivetz & Co., Lauren began designing wide ties, the beginning of what latter evolved into the giant clothing empire known as Polo Ralph Lauren. The success of his designer ties caught fire quickly, retail giant Bloomingdales was the first company to endorse Ralph Lauren’s ties, but that ended quickly, when Lauren refused to narrow his ties, and stuck to his product line. Lauren’s success in the designer clothes business was unusual for someone who studied business at City College. In 1968, he founded the company Polo Fashions, a company that would later expand its market, and is among one of the top designer brands in the world today.
In addition to the Fast Food industry, fashion is also play a role in cultural imperialism. People around the world consistently wear clothing from American designers like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren’s Polo, and Dona Karan’s DK. With stores and outlets originating in the United States, these clothing lines branched out and now has locations in countries such as Japan. South Korea, Germany, and Brazil. In addition to American designer clothing being work around the world, other cultures are also assimilating American fashion into their everyday
In the early 1800s, France was the sole fashion capital of the world; everyone who was anyone looked towards Paris for inspiration (DeJean, 35). French fashion authority was not disputed until the late twentieth century when Italy emerged as a major fashion hub (DeJean, 80). During the nineteenth century, mass produced clothing was beginning to be marketed and the appearance of department stores was on the rise (Stearns, 211). High fashion looks were being adapted and sold into “midlevel stores” so that the greater public could have what was once only available to the social elite (DeJean, 38). People were obsessed with expensive fashions; wealthy parents were advised not the let their children run around in expensive clothing. People would wait for children dressed in expensive clothing to walk by and then they would kidnap them and steal their clothes to sell for money (DeJean, 39). Accessories were another obsession of France‘s fashion; they felt no outfit was complete without something like jewelry or a shrug to finish off the look and make it all around polished (DeJean, 61). As designers put lines together, marketing began to become important to fashion in the nineteenth century; fashion plates came into use as a way to show off fashion l...
The story behind the birth of jeans emerges from an interesting collaboration between an innovative tailor and a bright businessman. In 1853, Levi Strauss established a whole dry goods business in San Francisco, selling clothing and many other products to small general stores all through the west of America. One of many regular costumers was Jacob Davis, a tailor in Reno Nevada, who used to purchase his work material from the whole sale house of Levi Strauss & Co. At some point, Davis invented the process to rivet the pocket corners on men’s pants to make them stronger. Having earned great success, Davis decides to write to Levi Strauss, suggesting that they jointly apply for a patent; and Levi agreed. Consequently, in 1873, Levi Strauss & Jacob Davis are granted a patent on the process of riveting pants by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 20. It is patent number 139,121 and this is the invention of the blue jeans.
Kors began his fashion career when he was 19, designing and selling collections for the boutique Lothar’s in New York City. These collections captured the attention of the fashion press, causing “Kors to venture out on his own. In the year 1981, the label Michael Kors became well known, when he created is collection, it never ventured away from his unique vision of chic, but luxurious. In the year of 2001, Kors publicized accessories, such as purses, clutches, and shoes, in the Michael Kors label. In 2002, he created a line of complete men’s clothing. In modern days, the fashion line has a large range of bags, shoes, clothing, eyewear, and belts. (1)
Fashion has been around ever since ancient times, since the time of the Romans, it survived the world wars and is yet today a business with rapid changes. Fashion started off as an art form, a way for the riches to show their social status with unique and innovative designs that only they could afford. It was a way to separate the social classes of the society. In this paper I will include the creator of haute couture, and how the following designers developed couture, as well as having leading names in today’s ready-to-wear industry. The list is long, but I chose to focus on the three most important designers of the modern fashion industry.
Clothing has been around for thousands of years; almost as long as the modern human has. At first, it served the practical purpose of protection from the elements; but, as life for early humans stopped being a constant struggle to survive, they started noticing how they looked and the concept of fashion began to take shape. These first few garments were typically dyed draped cloth that was pinned at the shoulder and/or waist. This was seen in many ancient civilizations around the world, Greek and Roman the most notable. Over time, clothing began to get more and more complex and formed to the body’s shape, eventually leading up to the tailored style we now have today. However, the sophisticated world of Haute Couture; or high fashion, can distinctly trace its roots to Paris during the mid-19th century. Clothing from there was thought to be superior to those from anywhere else, and women began to come from all over Europe just to buy dresses. This was probably due in part to one notable dressm...
Thesis: From the 18th century to present time, the jean industry remains one of the largest, most influential clothing markets.
Therefore, in an attempt to both show the gravitas of fashion’s impact and justify its mirroring of times and therefore society, a walkthrough of fashion throughout history and its adaptation is exceedingly appropriate. To begin with, Britain’s Industrial Revolution in the 1850s to 1900s came with the introduction of sewing machines and chemical dyes. However, this movement of clothe manufacturing rendered its availability strictly to the opulent. This is a direct relation to the economical situation of the time, showing that people’s expenses were not directed towards the most up to date fashion i.e. luxury products but rather necessities indicating a slowly developing economy. As we move from the 1900s to the mid 1920s, the inception of the First World War influenced the need for more ‘practical’ garments. To illustrate, one of the greatest designers of the century Paul Poiret, designed his garments in a style known as the Directoire. His dresses were simple straight tube sheaths defining simplicity and exemplifying both the political and economic situation of the times justifying the necessity for a free moving design in clothing. Why adopt the notion of simplicity and free moving garments? Women had to leave their traditional domestic roles and become part of the working class or work force and adopt and replace many roles that were normally given to men. Furthermore, the Great Depression in the 1930s comes to play its own role in fashion history further pushing the necessity for a fashion to be translated to accustom a busier lifestyle. This created an economic gap between the rich and the poor. Therefore, fashion in the 1940s in the substantial sense portrayed the necessity for work and socioeconomic background and furthermore encased the economic situation where, as previous times in the 1900s, high-end fashion was restricted to the rich. Following a chronological timeline comes the