Clothing and customers

Clothing alteration hands repair and alter items of clothing for their customers. They can work in dedicated clothing alteration shops, behind the scenes in a dry cleaners, or for clothing retailers. Many also work in specialist shops, such as bridalwear retailers or tailors who offer a fitting service.

As a clothing alteration hand, your work would involve:

·         fitting the customer with a garment and deciding where to make adjustments

·         agreeing alterations and marking them out using chalk or pins

·         deciding what kind of stitching would suit different types of fabric

·         taking up or letting down hemlines

·         adjusting seams, darts or waistbands

·         repairing zips and other fastenings.

You may also stitch by hand or use an industrial-type sewing machine, like an overlocker.

You could combine this work with other roles, such as dressmaking or tailoring, which would involve estimating the cost of a repair and managing accounts.

Hours

You would usually work between 35 and 40 hours a week, which may include evenings and weekends.

You would be based in a shop or workshop, in a dry cleaners or, if you are self employed, you may work from home. Most of your time will be spent sitting at a sewing machine.

Income

Clothing alteration hands can earn between around £12,000 and £16,600 a year, depending on experience.

They may earn more by working on a piecework basis.

Entry Requirements

You may not need any academic qualifications to work as a clothing alteration hand, although employers will normally expect you to have sewing experience. You could start out by working as an assistant to a dressmaker or a tailor, or as a sewing machinist in a clothing factory.

You will need good eyesight, and normal colour vision for matching threads to fabrics.

Larger companies, particularly department stores and clothes retailers, will often prefer you to have a recognised qualification. There is a range of courses available that cover some of the skills needed for this job, for example:

·         City & Guilds Awards, Certificates and Diplomas at levels 1 to 3 in Creative Techniques (Fashion)

·         BTEC Awards, Certificates and Diplomas at levels 1 and 2 in Fashion and Clothing

·         NOCN Certificate at Level 2 in Skills for the Fashion Industries

·         NCFE Awards and Certificates at levels 1 to 3 in Creative Craft (Pattern Cutting, or Dressmaking).

·        

Training and Development

You will usually be trained on the job, working alongside experienced colleagues, learning a variety of sewing techniques.

You could develop your skills further by working towards an ABC Level 2 Certificate in Manufacturing Sewn Products and an ABC Level 3 Certificate in Apparel Manufacturing Technology. Achieving a Level 3 qualification may help you move into areas such as pattern grading, pattern cutting, tailoring and design.

Skills and Knowledge

·         an interest in textiles, colour, fashion, design and trends

·         good sewing skills – both by hand and on a machine

·         an appreciation for detail

·         an understanding of garment construction

·         good communication skills and tact when dealing with customers

·         the ability to work quickly and accurately

·         the ability to work on your own initiative.

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fashion outlet

Information sources and clothing

The intention of this article is to do an exploratory approach to consumer attitudes and clothing brands purchasing behavior of young Greeks and Portuguese’s. The article makes a comparative study between Greece and Portugal. Both countries are European, Mediterranean, and entered at the European Union at the same time. The purpose of the study is to analyze the attitudes of Mediterranean young consumers towards the clothing brands from the viewpoint of information sources, shopping behavior and purchasing choice criteria. Academic researches in this field have mainly used quantitative methods. We decided to use a qualitative method – focus groups - because of the richness of information that we could obtain. In this study we used college-age consumers. 

This target group is very sensitive to fashion clothing and a good percentage  of them purchase their own clothing. The focus groups were audio taped and videotaped recorded, transcribed and thematic analysis conducted. A number of themes emerged from the focus groups that were organized and exposed. Some of these elements have close associations within issues raised in the literature. In the first part of this article there is presented a discussion of the literature background about consumer purchasing behavior toward clothes. 

After that is presented the research questions and the description of the methodology used to examine these questions empirically. Finally is presented the major findings of this study and the discussion of the results. Implications for strategy development and areas for further research are presented at the end of the article

Clothing store

Among the factors that influence clothing purchasing is the store environment. The fashion stores were mentioned as important forms of brand communication: “the stores and the shop-windows are a certain form of advertising. . . people pass and see the image the store or the brand wants to give” (Ana, PT). Many brands that do not use traditional advertising use the stores and shopwindows to communicate the brand, for instance: “Zara does not use advertising on mass media, however has a strong identity and everybody knows the brand and the stores” (Marta, PT).

Some of the Greek interviewees prefer small stores: “because you can have better relation with the shopkeepers. I like to have contact with the storekeepers; I want them to tell me if the clothes suit me” (Thetis, GR). Another interviewees are expecting for just a “technical support from the staff” (Leon, GR), “you don’t want to have a person always beside you asking if you want help” (Joana, PT). In general the interviewees like to chose the clothes without any help: “I want to have the comfort to look whatever I  want by myself and I try on many things” (Ioanna, GR), “It is dif- ficult to try on clothes and have someone near you all the time” (Leon, GR). On the other hand, interviewees consider big stores “impersonal”.

Fashion involvement and clothing choice criteria

Fashion involvement is associated with differences in sensitivity to social surroundings. Those who are highly motivated to fit into a particular group will need to be aware of the fashion cues not just of that group but also of others less desirable groups, so that the “wrong” cues may be avoided (Auty and Elliot 1998). Clothing has frequently been recognized as a product category likely to induce high involvement. In general terms, involvement is a state of motivation, arousal, or interest. Personal relevance is a key concept in explaining, defining, and operationalizing involvement (Kim, Damhorst and Lee 2002). Seo, Hatchote and Sweaney (2001, p. 210) define clothing involvement as “the amount of time and effort a consumer spends in the selection of clothing”. Some researchers have examined fashion involvement as a multidimensional construct that involves fashion innovativeness and early adoption, interpersonal communication about fashion, fashion knowledge ability, and fashion awareness (Kim, Damhorst and Lee 2002). Consumers vary greatly in their knowledge about a product and their degree of familiarity with it. Knowledge can come from product experiences, such as ad exposure, interactions with salespeople, information from friends or the media, previous consumption and usage experiences (O’Cass 2001b). When consumers form an attitude toward the product they make evaluative associations between the product and its attributes. Some of that attributes may be utilitarian - such as durability or comfort - or hedonic - such as color, fashion ability, or styling (Kim, Damhorst and Lee 2002).

Beaudion, Moore, and Goldsmith (1998) analyzed the attitudes toward buying domestic and imported apparel products using a selection of attributes: good fit, durability, ease of care, good price, comfort, quality, choice of color, attractiveness, fashionableness, brand name, appropriateness for occasion, and choice of styles.

Brand image of the clothing store is particularly critical. Previous studies found that some attributes like fashion and style of clothing, store design and layout, price, quality of the clothes, refund and exchange policy, company reputation, selection of clothes, knowledge and friendliness of staff were particularly important to consumers (Birtwistle and Freathy 1998; Partolese and Dias2003).

When we are talking about fashion clothing consumption we should take some dimensions in consideration: fashion consciousness, individual orientation, status orientation, style opinion leadership, price orientation and shopping habit (Seo, Hathcote and Sweaney 2001, p.210).

Therefore, shopping involves many dimensions, and it is an important function of the consumers’ choice of clothes (Seo, Hathcote and Sweaney 2001). Informational sources, such as print media, commercial broadcast, world of mouth, and store displays,  are generally used to ascertain information about clothing. Mass media has been found to be the dominant information source for the younger age group (Lumpkin 1985; Shim and Kotsiopoulos 1992).

Japanese clothing

The traditional Japanese clothing is the Kimono which has been an international favorite since long ago. Apart from outfits, footwear is also given equal importance in Japan. From the 20 th century fashion and clothing in Japan has gone through amazing changes. Street fashion which was mostly a blend of western and oriental styles was particularly popular among the teenagers. At one point of time, the Victorian style of clothing and make up had also fascinated the Japanese youth. Together with the ever changing fashion the clothing style in Japan also continues to alter itself. Some of the items which come within the traditional Japanese clothing or wafuku are:

• Kimono
• Yukata
• Obi Belt
• Kimono Sash
• Happi coats
• Tabi socks
• Zori sandal
• Geta sandal
• Hakama pants

The Japanese kimono is no less than a national treasure; it is an integral part of the culture and tradition of Japan. Clothing in Japan, especially the traditional ones are inspired by the change in season. Bright and colorful floral prints are very common in Kimonos. In the winter season, designs of pine trees and plum blossoms are common in all the fabrics and in the summer months, maple leaves are a common theme.

Japanese traditional dresses can be divided under two broad heads, one having elaborate designs while others are simple in desgn. Uchikakae wedding Kimono and happi coats are the dresses which worn on special occasions. For formal occasions Japanese women choose to wear light colored kimonos with an elegant kimono sash. It is a tradition among young girls in Japan to wear colorful and bright kimonos with long sleeves. Shiro-maku is the name of the kimono worn in traditional Japanese marriages. Though western culture and fashion has made its place in the Japanese hearts, the traditional clothing styles has not lost its importance. The exotic dresses have even made an impression in the western world.

Men's Clothing Fashions From The 20s

Men’s suit Lapels where not very wide during the 1920s, which was a trend that was started during World War I (1914 to 1918). This is also the era in which men began to wear cuffed trousers. 

Flannel also became increasingly popular, and so did two-toned white and tan or white and black shoes for casual wear. Some of the casual shoes that were worn by men were made with fringed tongues, and/or winged tips. 

The black patented leather shoes were still worn for more formal dress. However, the lace-up styled shoe was becoming more and more popular for men. 

Additionally, both men and boys often wore short knee pants (knickers) along with sweaters (i.e. Fair Isle slipovers) or casual shirts. Moreover, the shoes that boys wore usually were made of canvas. 

One other fashion change that was significant of the 1920s is the fact that baby clothing were designed to be more practical. More comfortable outfits such as rompers and short dresses replaced the frilly laced dresses and other formal baby attire. 

For older girls, dress was different as well. They usually were seen wearing items such as cotton frocks, cardigan sweaters, and canvas shoes or sandals. 

Indian Clothing

A historical record of Indian clothing is difficult to trace. While there is an abundance of sculpture and literature dating from the earliest periods of civilization in the Indus Valley (which flourished along the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan) around 2500 B.C.E., scholars have had difficulty dating the changes in clothing styles and naming the variations on certain styles over time. Another problem in identifying trends in Indian clothing is the abundance of different ethnic and cultural groups that have lived and are living in the country; each of which has its own distinctive style. These circumstances make it possible to make generalizations about Indian clothing, but not to make concrete statements about each and every style worn in the country. 

The oldest type of Indian clothing was fashioned out of yards of unsewn fabric that were then wound around the body in a variety of ways to create different, distinct garments. This clothing was woven most commonly out of cotton but could also be made of goat hair, linen, silk, or wool. Some of the most popular garments are a wrapped dress called a sari, a pair of pants called a dhoti, a hat called a turban, and a variety of scarves. These styles of garments have been popular in India since the beginning of its civilization and continue to be worn in the twenty-first century. Changes in the styles worn by Indians reflected their contact with other peoples. As different tribes of people invaded or entered

India to trade or to live, they brought with them distinctive clothing styles. Throughout the different regions of India, the changes in clothing styles can be linked to some contact with other cultures.

For example, Indians knew how to sew long before the sixteenth century when the Moguls, or Muslims, invaded, and they had long adorned their wrapped garments with elaborate embroidery stitches. But when the Moguls took power over the region, the Moguls’ style of sewn clothing became popular among Indians. Sewn jackets and trousers were among the styles popularized by the Mogul leaders, although traditional wrapped clothing remained common. Trade contacts also spread Indian clothing styles and cloth to other parts of the world. The Dutch and the English established trade routes with India in the late 1400s, and by the 1600s Indian cotton was exported to regions throughout Europe and the American colonies, where shawls made of Indian cloth became especially popular. In the twenty-first century India continues to be a major source of finely woven fabrics for garment manufacturers worldwide.