Introduction of Merchandiser/Merchandising | Objects of Merchandising |Qualities of Merchandiser | Function of Merchandisers

Merchandise means goods bought and sold; and trading of goods. Merchandising is an activity of selling and promoting the goods.

Merchandiser is a person who interacts with the buyer and seller, and also puts efforts into proper relation between buying offices/ buying agents/ agency and seller/ exporter in terms of executing an order.

A garment export unit generally has many departments like stores, cutting, production, packing, checking etc. Merchandising department is the star of the department among all the working departments in the Export concern, because Merchandising is the only department having maximum control over the departments and total responsible for Profit and loss of the company.

The job of a merchandiser is to co ordinate with the entire department in the office as well as the customers. Merchandiser meets the buyers and collects the details of their requirements etc., to develop the relationship with the customer.

Objects of Merchandising
Merchandising denotes all the planned activities to execute and dispatch the merchandise on time, taking into consideration of the 4 Rs to replenish the customer.

Right Quantity: To dispatch right quantity of product what buyer ordered.
Right Quality: It should be with right quality as accepted both parties.
Right Cost: Everybody wants more from what they are paid.
Right Time: No one wants to wait idle even in a Restaurant. Keeping delivery schedule is mandatory.

Qualities of Merchandiser

Planning Capability: Merchandiser should be capable of planning, based on the planning the order is to be followed. If the planning is not done properly it will directly affect the delivery time of the order.

Decision making: For a Merchandiser, decision making power is most important. He should think about the decision to be taken and to act in a right way.

Communication Skill: The communication is very much important to promote the business activity. The merchandiser should remember that communication must be lurid and should having face to face conversation with the buyer.

Loyalty: Loyalty is an essential character of human beings. Especially for the business people like merchandiser it is a must.

Knowledge about the field: Merchandiser should have adequate knowledge about the garments, Computer knowledge, and technical knowledge to communicate with different people in the business is a must.

Co-ordinate & Co-operate: Merchandiser is the person who is actually co-ordinate with the number of departments. To Co-ordinate with different people in the industry he should be co- operative.

Monitoring ability: Merchandiser should monitor to expedite the orders.

Other qualities: Education, Experience, Situational Management, Ability to Evaluate, Dedication, Knowledge of expediting procedures.

Function of Merchandisers

1. Developing new samples, execute sample orders
2. Costing
3. Programming
4. Raw materials / Accessories arrangement
5. Production scheduling (or) route card drafting
6. Approval of various Process, Pattern and size set
7. Pre production follow up
8. Meet Inspection Agencies
9. Production controlling
10. Identifying shortages and make arrangement for the shortages
11. Following quality assurance procedures, quality control procedures
12. Monitoring the in-house, sub-contractors and junior activities
13. Buyer communication
14. Communication with sub-contractors, processing units & other 3rd parties
15. Proper reporting
16. Highlighting to the management
17. Record maintenance
18. Developing samples
19. Placement of orders to suppliers
20. Taking measures for consistent production
21. Taking preventive action to maintain the targeted performance in all areas of activities
22. Attending meeting with superiors and furnishing the required details about merchandising

Purchase order (PO) is received from the buyer which includes:
• PO no/date
• Buyer/Consignee
• Garment no
• measurement
• the description of the garment
• L/C date
• Last date within which shipment to be reach the destination.
• Sign and seal
• Order validity date

After receiving PO from the buyer merchandiser issues PO for the fabric unit, buttons, thread, dyeing unit, printing, embroidery and other raw materials. These raw materials’ are checked and color, quality and size approved by the merchandiser.

Required Quality for a Fashion Designer | The Requirements to Become aFashion Designer

Fashion show

Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social attitudes, and has varied over time and place.

Fashion designers attempt to design clothes which are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. They must consider who is likely to wear a garment and the situations in which it will be worn. They have a wide range and combination’s of materials to work with and a wide range of colors, patterns and styles to choose from. Though most clothing worn for everyday wear fall within a narrow range of conventional styles, unusual garments are usually sought for special occasions, such as evening wear or party dresses.

What are the Requirements to Become a Fashion Designer?
As a fashion designer, you are responsible for creating any number accessories and apparel items for consumers around the world. By studying fashion trends, your job is to stay ahead of the latest fads and deliver enticing colors, designs, and fabrics to suit the needs of everyone from business professionals to kindergartners. Glamorous, dynamic, and fast paced, the fashion industry can be extremely competitive, especially for those who lack sufficient training in the field. While there are no formal requirements to become a fashion designer, each successive year of schooling moves you closer to a successful career in industry.
It is theoretically possible to become a fashion designer without spending a single day in the classroom. However, the industry continues to advance at such a fantastic pace that to not have at least some theoretical background can become a sizeable disadvantage for aspiring designers. Through formal training you can explore areas such as:

1. Stitching, sewing, and cutting
2. Fabric selection
3. 2D and 3D art
4. Graphic design
5. Computer-aided design
6. Fashion portfolio management

The industry also has a business side that requires successful fashion designers to source materials, coordinate suppliers, secure contracts, plan events, and foster relationships with distributors and stores all over the globe. Over the course of your two to four years of study, your program should be able to teach you fashion-specific business administration skills.

Fashion Models | Different Types of Fashion Models

Fashion Model

• Models may be used to display and promote clothing. Fashion modeling may involve catwalk or runway modeling or editorial modeling, covering photography for magazine spreads, ad campaigns, catalogues, print etc. The emphasis of fashion photography is on the clothes or accessories, not the model. Fashion models may be used to display or promote various types of clothing, such as lingerie, swimsuit,bikinis, etc. Other models may be used in showroom,fit modeling, fitness or sporty modeling. Some are used for petite modeling or plus-size modeling. 
• The first person described as a fashion model is believed to be parisian shopgirl, Marie Vernet Worth. She was a house model in 1853, to her fashion designer husband, Charles Frederick Worth.

Female Body Type

*Main articles: Size zero and Female body shape

* The British Association of model Agents (AMA) says that female models should be around 34-24-34 in (86-61-86 cm) and at least 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) tall. The ideal measurements used to be 35.5-23.5-35.5 in (90-60-90 cm) which were the alleged measurements of Marilyn Monroe. However, today’s fashion models tend to have measurements closer to the AMA recommended shape, although by no means all models have these exact statistics, and fashion houses may require other sizes for their models.

*The unusually thin shape of fashion models has been criticized for allegedly warping girls’ body image and encouraging eating disorders.Organizers of a fashion show in Madrid in September 2006 turned away models who were judged to be underweight by medical personnel who were on hand. In February 2007, six months after her sister, Luisel Ramos - also a model - died, Uruguayan model Elina Ramos became the third international model to die of malnutrition in six months. The second victim was Ana carolina Reston . Luise Ramos died of heart failure caused by anorexia nervosa just after stepping off the catwalk.

Male Body Type
*The preferred average dimensions for a male model are a height of 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) to 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), a waist of 26–33 in (66.04–83.82 cm) and a chest measurement of 32–40 in (81.28–101.60 cm)

Supermodels
* Supermodels are highly paid, high profile fashion models. These (usually female) celebrities, also known as cover girls, appear on top fashion magazine covers, in catalogues and in fashion shows.

* The first model to pave the way for what would become the supermodel was Lisa Fonssagrives. The relationship between her image on over 200 Vogue covers and her name recognition led to the importance of Vougue in shaping future supermodels. Her image appeared on the cover of every fashion magazine during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s from Town & Country,Life and Vogue to the original Vanity Fair.

* Model Janice Dickinson has asserted that she was the person for whom the term was coined, as she popped the term herself while talking to her agent at the climax of her career by saying, “I’m not superman, I’m a supermodel” In the 1980s, regulars like Gia Carangi, Carlol Alt,Janice Dickinson, Clindy Crawford, Christie Brinkley, Kim Alexis and Poulina Porizkova began to endorse products with their names as well as their faces, getting in front of everything from Diet Pepsi to Ford Trucks.
Glamour Model:
* Glamour models posing on the red carpet - Hollywood, CA 03/09/2008
* Main articles: Glammour photography and Pin-up girl
* Glamour photography emphasizes the model and the model’s sexuality rather than products, fashion or the environment. Glamour modelling often focuses on the body of the subject and insinuations of sexuality serve to enhance a product’s attractiveness. Glamour models may be used for mass-produced calanders, pinup and for men’s magazines, such as Playboy magazine. Famous glamour models include Pamela Anderson, Jordan, Jodie Marsh,Lucy Pinder, Megan Fox etc.

Presentation of Fashion Show | Historical Background of Fashion Show

Fashion Show

Fashion Show
A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase his or her upcoming line of clothing. In a typical fashion show, models walk the catwalk dressed in the clothing created by the designer. Occasionally, fashion shows take the form of installations, where the models are static, standing or sitting in a constructed environment. The order in which each model walks out wearing a specific outfit is usually planned in accordance to the statement that the designer wants to make about his or her collection.

The way that each outfit is presented on the catwalk isn’t necessarily the way the designer is trying to make people wear his or her creations in everyday life. In this instances, this is more of an intellectual/artistic construction of the designer for the same purpose of making a statement or presenting a particular idea. It is then up to the audience to not only try to understand what the designer is trying to say by the way the collection is being presented, but to also visually de-construct each outfit and try to appreciate the detail and craftsmanship of every single piece. A wide range of contemporary designers tend to produce their shows as theatrical productions with elaborate sets and added elements such as live music or a variety of technological component like holograms, for example

History of Fashion Show
Because “the topic of fashion shows remains to find its historian,”the earliest history of fashion shows remains obscure. In the 1800s, “fashion parades” periodically took place in Paris couture salons.

American retailers imported the concept of the fashion show in the early 1900s.The first American fashion show likely took place in 1903 in the New York City store Ehrlich Brothers.By 1910, large department stores such as Wanmakers in New York City and Philadelphia were also staging fashion shows. These events showed couture gowns from Paris or the store’s copies of them; they aimed to demonstrate the owners’ good taste and capture the attention of female shoppers.By the 1920s, retailers across the United States held fashion shows.Often, these shows were theatrical, presented with narratives, and organized around a theme (e.g. Parisian, Chinese, or Russian).These shows enjoyed huge popularity through mid-century, sometimes attracting thousands of customers and gawkers.

In the 1970s and 1980s, American designers began to hold their own fashion shows in private spaces apart from such retailers. In the early 1990s, however, many in the fashion world began to rethink this strategy. After several mishaps during shows in small, unsafe locations, “the general sentiment was, ‘We love fashion but we don’t want to die for it,’” recalls Fern Mallis, then executive director of the Council of fashion designers of American. In response to these shows, the New York shows were centralized in Brayn Park during fashion week in late 1993. Lately from the 2000 to today, fashion shows are usually also filmed and appear on specially assigned television channels or even in documentaries.

Requirements To Become A Fashion Designer | How To Become A FashionDesigner | Instructions To Become A Fashion Designer

When a group of people follow some things. Then this will be fashion. Style is the basic element of fashion. Fashion designers create the designs for clothing and accessories in stores around the world. However, few designers become as successful as Armani, Karan or Versace. Most work for mass-market manufacturers, designing basic pieces of clothing.

There are two skills which any good fashion designer possesses: 
Sewing and drawing. Sewing is obviously of vital importance, but it helps to be able to draw/sketch your ideas on paper. These are perhaps the two most fundamental skills required in order to become a fashion designer.

You can always learn both drawing and sewing in fashion school (actually, those are typically mandatory classes), but creativity and a passion for fashion is something you must have in your blood.

But becoming a successful fashion designer requires a lot more than simply being able to sew and draw. Becoming a successful fashion designer requires determination, commitment, and equally important, a comprehensive understanding of how the fashion industry works.

Knowing the business side of the fashion industry can literally mean the difference between a highly successful and completely unknown fashion designer.

A Fashion Design Program at a reputable school can prepare you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to break into this exciting, competitive industry. You’ll learn firsthand from professionals in the field in a structured and practical setting. You’ll learn how things are done in the industry and how to do them efficiently so you can make the most of your time. You’ll be guided through the exact steps you’ll need to take in order to start your career as a fashion designer and you’ll be well prepared and ready to face the challenges that await you.

Instructions

• Be honest with yourself about your ability to sketch and your eye for design and detail. The competition is fierce in this field, and you’ll need a strong inner drive to succeed. 
• Increase your chances for success by obtaining a two-year or four-year degree in fashion design. Ask your high school guidance counselor for a list of well-known fashion design schools. Expect to show samples of your sketches as part of your application.
• Take as many marketing and business courses as possible, in addition to design courses. Knowledge of the business end of the fashion industry is vital to your career.
• Develop a working knowledge of a variety of design-related software programs.
• Put together a portfolio of your own designs. It must show how creative you are and convince potential employers that you would be an asset to their business.
• Set up an internship as quickly as possible. You will gain valuable experience, and it might lead to your first job after graduation.
• Make as many industry connections as you can while you are in school. Include people in design-related fields, such as advertising.
• Regularly read fashion bibles such as “Women’s Wear Daily” and “Vogue” to remain current on trends and future trends.

Tips & Warnings for a Fashion Designer:

• Remember that most fashion designers are employed in New York or, to a lesser extent, Los Angeles.
• Expect to work long hours at a low salary initially, doing relatively obscure design work.
• Learn how to use a sewing machine. Your designs will be more impressive if you can show prospective employers the finished item, along with the sketch.
• The dropout rate in this field is high, because of the low pay and the poor opportunity for advancement.