What Are The Issues With Leather Tanning Methods Used To Manufacture Handbags?

There may be issues with the leather tanning method used to manufacture handbags, shoes, watch straps and possibly even coats or jackets. Not all leather tanning processes used to treat animal skins are safe.

Leather Tanning

Prior to the manufacture of fashion products, the animal skins are treated in factories called tanneries. Leather tanning is the process of turning animal hides into a workable fabric. Leather tanning makes animal more durable and less like to deteriorate. The customary procedures of tanning use an acidic chemical known as tannin, from which the tanning process acquired its name. Tannin, the chemical used in the process, is actually the German word for oak or fir trees from where tannin was first isolated. Leather tanning includes a process which permanently changes the protein structure of animal skin, converting hide into different types of leathers.

Leather tanning procedures have advanced significantly since the ancient generations and currently leather tanning can be achieved with either vegetable or mineral techniques which use of chrome, alum, zirconium, titanium, iron salts or other minerals.

Rawhide

The word rawhide relates to a skin which is not tanned, but treated by cleaning the flesh, fat and hair, and then by treating it with chemicals known as liming which uses a solution of lime; or bucking which uses wood ash (lye). After the chemical treatment the hide is scraped over a beam with a fairly blunt knife and then dried.

This same process can also be used as a preparation step before the leather tanning process so as to cleanse the fibre network of the animal skin to let the leather tanning agent penetrate without difficulty. Another process used to unhair, degrease and desalt the animal skins prior to leather tanning, is to soak them in water for 6 hours to 2 days. To prevent damage to the skin by bacteria and fungi, biocides and fungicides are added to the water.

Dying

Dyes are added during leather tanning to get a variety of attractive colors. In a visit to Morocco I was intrigued by the Moroccan Leather Tanning Vats located on the outskirts of the old city of Fez. These vats have been in use for centuries. Leather tanning has always been thought of as a decidedly noxious and truly smelly skill. The leather tanning vats were typically found on the fringes of a town. The odors were due to a mixture of urine, animal faeces and decaying flesh. In fact, leather tanning by these old traditional methods yields such rotten smells that tanneries still using old systems are still positioned as far out as possible. The ancient craft of leather tanning and dying is handed down from father to son and the craft is kept within the family for generations.

Toxic Chemicals

In order to boost leather tanning procedures, some tanneries use toxic chemicals which are cheaper and faster than tannins. These include

·         Mercury based biocides (Banned since 1980)

·         Pentachlorophenol (PCP’S) (Banned since 1980)

·         Cyanide

·         Chromium Salts

Chrome Leather Tanning Methods

Chrome leather tanning is a nineteenth-century development, and was implemented because it was an efficient, quick and inexpensive way of treating animal skins. The ease and cheapness of this technique has made it the economical choice of the mega-brands. A vast proportion of luxury goods manufacturers, as well as contemporary brands have chosen to use chrome leather tanning over other traditional techniques.

So why is chrome leather tanning an issue?

Chrome leather tanning is an issue because of its environmental impact. Chromium III sulphate used in chrome leather tanning is recognized as the most efficient and effective agent to treat animal hides. Chrome leather tanning is significantly quicker than vegetable leather tanning and it produces a really stretchable fabric which is great for making handbags and other leather goods.

Chromium III compounds used in leather tanning are significantly less toxic than Chromium VI. However chromium III oxidizes to chromium VI by boiling and sun-drying. Chromium VI is a very toxic heavy metal which is both carcinogenic and environmentally harmful. Unfortunately chromium VI is often found as a waste product from leather tanning. It has been detected in food chains and in the water supplies of both developing and developed countries. When chromium VI leaches into the soil it is absorbed by vegetation and/or ingested by animals. Nearly 25% of chickens in Bangladesh are contaminated by dangerous levels of chromium VI which causes a major national health concern. Toxic chromium salts residues in handbags etc. may affect your health.

Luxury brands use chrome leather tanning to manufacture handbags and shoes without appreciating the environmental impact, nor the well-being of consumers. But as long as people continue to buy chrome-tanned goods, there is minimal motivation for luxury brands to move to the safer vegetable process which takes longer, is more costly, and does not as successfully cover up low quality skins.

Vegetable Leather Tanning

Vegetable leather tanning is a slower and more costly practice, but it is much safer for the environment and safer for you! This is the leather tanning process you should demand. Vegetable leather tanning is used by Conti of Tuscany one of my suppliers of both men and women's exquisite Italian handbags.

Vegetable leather tanning uses the traditional tannin technique. Tannin is found naturally in the bark and leaves of many plants such as chestnut, oak and other trees. Tannins bind to the collagen proteins in hides and they become less water soluble, and more resistant to bacterial contamination. This process also causes the hides to become more flexible. Hides are stretched on frames and immersed for several weeks in vats of increasing concentrations of tannin. Vegetable tanned hides are used for the manufacture of handbags, luggage as well as furniture

Leather Tanning Using Other Minerals

Other chemicals such as alum, zirconium, titanium, iron salts can also be used to treat skins. This method is eco-friendly and are known as “wet white” whereas chrome tanning produces a “wet blue”.

Goods That Last a Lifetime

Leathers last for a lifetime. However, many luxury brands now manufacture goods to a much lower standard. Some luxury handbags which cost over a $1500, will last only last for a few years before they need to be repaired. Others will simply fall apart. Cost-cutting tricks in the manufacturing process include:

• Makers compromise on the quality of leather tanning process
• Mega-brands use chrome leather tanning rather than more eco-friendly approaches
• The edges of handbags are finished with acrylic varnish which cause the material to crack within a couple of years. Techniques such as turned edges or burnishing which are more time-consuming should be employed because they result in a product that last for decades
• Manufacturers use poor quality hardware on their products, such as white metal rather than solid brass or plated steel
• Modern stitching techniques are poor quality. They no longer tend to use traditional saddle making techniques which are stronger and more robust

These cost cutting actions have damaged the quality of the designer brands. Handbags cannot be called if the brand has compromised on manufacturing processes and produce items with inferior quality. A price tag on its own does not determine if a product is luxury or not. Some brands, even some of the most renowned names in the industry, have tainted their popularity by driving volume production rather than quality.

It is far better practice for the mega-brands to use techniques and procedures that mean the products will stand the test of time. The responsibility to promote change lies in the hands of the fashion houses and luxury brands who need to be more focused on the environment rather than financial results. It would be a smart move for companies to label their garments with the leather tanning method used so that the consumer can make an informed choice.

Is The Luxury Designer Handbag Market Over-Crowded?

The sales of fashion accessories have increased substantially during the past decade. Fashion accessories now make up approximately 30% of world-wide sales in the luxury-market. This is up from 18% in 2003. The bulk of this growth can be attributed to the sale of the luxury designer handbag. So what mega-brands are selling the best and why has the luxury designer handbag market grown so much in later years? Statistics publicized by Exane BNP Paribas account for mega-brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Hermes, Coach and Burberry. But all other brands are reported as a broad group under “others”. This “other” group took a larger market share, growing from a 38% share of the market in 2004 to a 41% in 2013. This is due in part to other high end brands entering the luxury designer handbag market.

1)     Luxury Designer Handbag are Seen as a Status Symbol.

Bags are an affordable status symbol.Women and now also men are judged by the quality of her handbags. For both men and women, a luxury designer handbag can be mixed and matched with other trendy fashion accessories and to a wide variety of events. Fashion accessories such as a luxury designer handbag can dress up or dress down an outfit.

2)     A Luxury Designer Handbag Has Become More Accessible & More Affordable

For brand-names, the retailing of a luxury designer handbag offers clever retail economics. The sales of bags result in high sales productivity as well as selling at full retail price in their branded stores. Brand stores are usually located in larger cities such as London, Rome, New York, Paris, Milan and Sydney and thus have restricted convenience to those who live outside the cities. Through the arrival of the internet, the acquirement of a luxury designer handbag has been expanded. People can purchase over the internet from anywhere in the world, with their purchase delivered to their door. Consumers look for bargains when they purchase online, specifically on sites such as E-Bay and Amazon. This has had the effect of driving down prices.

3)     The Luxury Designer Handbag Market Has Become Much Talked About

The dawn of social media brought about a transformation in the way fashion trends are set for both men and women. A new release of a luxury designer handbag is talked about on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. The dress code of celebrities and royals has become a day-to-day topic of conversation on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Many bloggers and fashionistas put their personal fashion views across online using blogs and forums. More and more people are up-to-date with the latest fashion trends and what is new and where to get it. I follow the Business of Fashion, Purse Blogs, Purse Stories and the Large Purse Shop Blogs. Fashion information is freely available on these sites.

4)     Third world Market Places Such As China Have Expanded

Third World Market places such as China have opened up to the call for the sale of a branded luxury designer handbag. This has occurred due to the growing middle class in these countries with a higher disposable income. They are particularly fashion aware and see these branded bags as a status symbol. I saw evidence of this when I recently visited Guangzhou. Branded stores were located throughout the city in glamorous shopping centres scattered among the busy traditional Chinese marketplaces.

5)     More High End Brands Now Produce A Luxury Designer Handbag

The market selling a luxury designer handbag is becoming more and more over-crowded, as high-end fashion houses such as Dior and Saint Laurent have expanded into the fashion accessories market. In fact the Prada set up a new brand called Miu Miu which produces a luxury designer bag range aimed at celebrities and a younger audience. This has led to more and more availability and choice for branded bags.

6)     Medium to Lower End Fashion Brands are Challenging the Mega-brands

Other emerging fashion brands such as Zara, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Oroton, Tory Burch, and many others are challenging the luxurydesigner handbag market. The bags produced by these companies are just as smart and classy but the price tag is usually much less making them more affordable. To match this challenge, some of the Mega-brands have produced what I would call a second tier of luxury designer handbag which they also retail at a lesser price. The lower priced bags are still sought after by fashion conscious consumers.

6)     Generation Y Has A Bigger Disposable Income

Generation Y who have grown up with computers, cell phones and technology are often seen as self-entitled, overly precocious, demanding and just plain rude. They change their jobs readily and spend money more easily. I have 4 generation Y children who love to shop online, and do not blink an eye to pay the price of a new luxury designer handbag. Although they do their research first in order to get the best bargain. Unlike their baby boomer parents who were more frugal and were taught to save rather than to spend.

Exane BNP Paribas Infographic | Source: Exane BNP Paribas

7) Has the Luxury Designer Handbag Market Become Over Crowded?

To offset the mounting pressure of the ambitious new brands, some of the mega-brands increased their entry-level price points to highlight the exclusivity and desirability of their own landmark luxury designer handbag. Unfortunately this back fired a little because although they experienced a rise in exclusivity, it was accompanied by a reduction in sales revenue. Consumers who are spoilt for choice in an over-crowded market, have little loyalty and alter from one design to another. This is particularly apparent in the Chinese market.

It seems apparent that the mega-brands have increased their entry-level price points, but abandoned the market range below $500, and prefer to focus on the $500 to $2,000 price range. The median price of a luxury designer handbag is now around $1,500. Some fashion houses have designed innovative more extravagant models priced above $3,000 so as to retain exclusivity at the higher end of the market. Some of the high end brands have a signature luxury designer handbag which became the landmark by which they became recognized. However they still need to concentrate on developing new landmark products with iconic shapes which emphasis sophisticated design. However discretion often goes out the window when these high end mega-brands are produce full logo bags as a means of status distinction.

The up and coming brands sell a more functional, luxury designer handbag to younger consumers with lower budgets where price is a more important buying benchmark than for the higher end brands. Emerging brands position themselves by using one of three product strategies: attempt to own a shape, concentrate on best sellers or be a lower-priced fast-follower. This approach may not be sustainable in the long term. These brands often go for easy-to-spot logos and canvas prints.

It is obvious that this is no time for any of these companies, mega-brand or not, to be relying on previous success. In a market oversupplied with choice, a tactic based on past success and reputation, whether associated with a logo or not is a recipe for failure.

Consumers these days are very knowledgeable because they can research online before buying. They look for new and exciting products and get bored quicker than in the past. The manufacturers of a luxury designer handbag has to keep on their toes and watch what social media, blogs and forums are saying about fashion trends. They have to be innovative and not rely purely on their past success. Consumers want to be trend setters and want to be admired and talked about and even envied especially on social media.

Micro Bags are the Latest Fashion Trend

Large purses have been the fashion trend since the beginning of the 2000’s. Women seem to love to carry a large purse heavy with all your stuff in it. But this trend has not been good for our bodies because it is proven that heavy purses cause a lot of pain amongst women who end up paying mammoth bills for treatment from orthopaedics, chiropractors, physiotherapists and the like. Thankfully it appears that fashion trends are now swinging away for the large purse and small micro bags are becoming the new fashion trend.

Some of the high end brands are now producing micro bags which are small enough to look good as a fashion accessory but large enough to hold a few vital items without hurting your back or your bank balance.

Micro bags offer entry level consumers access to a high end designer brands without having to pay the high prices of a larger sized designer purse. Micro bags are seen as distinctive little pieces. Other cheaper options are the less expensive, logo covered canvas purses offered by the designer fashion houses. However check out the prices because these micro bags can still have a price tag of around $1500.

For most women, micro bags still need to be functional and be big enough to carry the bare essentials at least – mobile phone, lipstick, tampons, condoms, credit card and keys. Each person will know what they need so the biggest decision is will the small size be big enough to carry what you need in it? Make sure it will facilitate your basic requirement or I know from experience it will frustrate you and ultimately it will end up sitting in your cupboard unused.

Micro bags have become popular with celebrities and high end customers. They can be worn as a delightful little miniature to attach to a larger designer handbag or as a separate piece. Whatever the reason the high end customer feels like she's receiving something different and very trendy for very little more. What’s a few hundred dollars to these people anyway? These mini purses worn as charms for your bigger bags!

A lot of women tend to carry micro bags in the evening when out on the town. Personally I love to wear mine as part of my outfit over my shoulder like cross body bag. Really I think of it as my designer wallet to keep my belongings secure when I am out. I don’t have to take it off - it is attached to my person all the time. I find that fact alone so convenient and it gives me peace of mind. The fact that it is so small and light and light it never causes me pain even if I wear it for several hours. Also I love how I can keep my micro bags so organised. Unlike my large purses which are constantly in such a mess and stuffed with rubbish I do not need.

 
I think micro bags look classy, fashionable and very practical. I highly recommend micro bags to those who are tempted to buy one. You can purchase amuch less expensive version if you do not want to pay a high end price. And you can economise on what you carry when you go out. Your health will benefit because you will prevent back ache and shoulder pain and that has to be good for you.
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Choose an Impressive Nappy Bag

What Should You Look For In A Nappy Bag?

 Just because you are now a mum and have to carry around a baby and all their daily needs there is no call for you to be unfashionable. There are tons of well designed nappy bags on the market to provide for your needs. You don’t have to lose your pleasure for nice-looking and fashionable handbags even if that handbag now happens to be a nappy bag. 

There are a variety of ways you can hit the street with a gorgeous nappy bag and still be in style. Who cares if it is overflowing with nappies and formula! There are so many assorted bags that don’t even look like a nappy bag. These trendy bags for women can function as both a purse and your mobile day-care center.

A branded nappy bag such as Coach, Kate Spade, Vera Bradley truly do not look like a nappy bag at all. This means you can still go out and look incredible while having fun with your baby. Branded bags bring a sense of class and you can buy a nappy bag in a signature style or step it up and purchase a branded nappy bag, which is absolutely attention-grabbing with its luxurious details.

When deciding on  a nappy bag don’t forget about your hubby. If he is going to be encouraged to take the nappy bag out with him,  it is better to purchase a man bag to suit. Leather or canvas messenger bags are a fine choice as they have all the crucial compartments without being over the top. A backpack or a tote are also excellent ideas for a nappy bag.

 

Some types of nappy bag have been manufactured only with children in mind. They may have images of Disney or other cartoon characters on them. Whilst these make a practical nappy bag they may not be as chic and you would not like to use these bags as an everyday designer bag for a stylish mum.

Modern nappy bags are typically made from high end materials like Italian leather, cotton and polyester blends, jute and velvet. They must be comfortably large enough to accommodate all the stuff you need to carry as well as be light when empty. The latest nappy bag will have features such as key clips and external pockets for water bottles, wallets and mobile phones

Whether you imagine yourself making a mummy fashion statement or whether you want to be practical and relaxed, the size and capacity of the nappy bag are the best tests of its convenience. A nappy bag whilst looking trendy, still has to do a job and therefore needs to be practical and serviceable.

A nappy bag must have space to hold the many fundamental necessities for both parent and baby. As well as being sufficiently roomy, the nappy bag must be capable of storing everything in a rather organized and effortless way so you can simply get to what you are looking for.

 The best nappy bag will be lightweight and weigh next to nothing when empty. This makes for easier carrying when the nappy bag is crammed to capacity. As it will be!! The stuff  to pack in a nappy bag includes:

• Milk formula
• Water bottles
• Snacks for both you and bubs
• Toys and books
• A changing mat
• Nappies (Diapers)
• Bottom wipes
• Bags to seal dirty diapers
• A burp cloth
• Breast pads
• A change of clothes for your child
• A change of top for you especially when breastfeeding is getting established
• A wallet
• A mobile phone
• Keys

 

The ideal nappy bag is washable or can be wiped easily. It will get dirty just through the shear nature of it. Dirty little bottoms and dirty little fingers, burps, and leaky bottles and the rest of those natural little functions will take their toll. So if you can frequently clean the nappy bag, the longer life it will have.

A stylish nappy bag often has a water waterproof interior and is zippered. The most serviceable nappy bag will open wide for easy access. Some also have insulated exterior pockets for water bottles which save on space and are very handy.

Buying Fashion Accessories Online

Follow the Trends and Purchase Your Fashion Accessories ONLINE

Do you get excited when you’ve purchased on line? I do!  The expectation of receiving the delivery of things purchased online has grown to be a new and thrilling phenomenon. Waking up on the morning your fashion accessories, which you purchased through an e-commerce store, are due to arrive is very thrilling and you no doubt will be checking your front door every five minutes or so  to see whether your package has arrived!

E-commerce is not only remarkably convenient, but the products obtainable online are typically less expensive than their retail counterparts. The e-commerce market for handbags, footwear and other fashionaccessories is enormous! And by that, I mean tens of billions of dollars of fashion accessories sales are processed every year.

Statistically handbags,  shoes and fashion accessories constitute a large portion of the e-commerce pie. In 2012, revenue generated from the online footwear industry alone was around $8 billion which was an increase of about 16% from 2011. The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS)  report that textile, clothing, handbag and footwear store sales grew by 17.8 percent in September 2013, and represented 10.1 percent of total sales made online. And this huge growth is expected to continue for many years.

To put it all into perspective, compare these e-commerce figures to the annual revenue for brick-and-mortar footwear stores in the United States in 2012. The total sales for these stores combined was $24.9 billion which was actually  down from $26.6 billion 4 years ago, in 2008.

Popular brands such as Nike have had to rely on e-commerce sales for growth of their businesses.  Nike’sannual report for North America shows that revenue growth for  2013 were stimulated by 3 things  - organic growth in comparable store sales, the addition of new stores and the rapid growth in online sales. Sales direct to the consumer made up about 25% of their sales and this % is expected to increase.

 

What all of these statistics demonstrate is that e-commerce is on the rise, and people are looking more and more to purchase online. The retail market is fiercely competitive at the best of times, and this is especially true for the online handbags footwear and fashion accessory sector.

People are looking for e-retailers they can trust. Be careful with purchasing big-name products online. Check out the authenticity of popular brand items, such as Rolex, Armani, Gucci, Prada or Adidas because they are often reproduced by scammers. The last thing you want is to buy a fake brand item thinking you have got a real McCoy.  You can buy handbags and fashion accessories in safety at my e-retail stores.

The Greek Prime Minister Establishes a New Dress Code for Business Men

The new Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, and his Greek government have established a new dress code for business men across Europe and the western culture.   

 And I trust it will be an extremely welcome one to most business men at least. The Greek politicians are disregarding the conservative suit and tie dress code of European politics, preferring a more laid-back style. Most of the Greek cabinet members have copied the much more informal and comfy dress code of their 40 year old leader who does not wear a tie even when dressed up in a suit.

 The new Greek Finance Minister, 53 year old Mr Yanis Varoufakis, is one of the biggest supporters of this informal dress code. He is almost seen as a rock star for his flamboyant fashion sense. He travels on a motorbike with a backpack slung across his back. He certainly does not wear ties and usually does not tuck in his shirt.  Recently, when he attended a meeting with the Ex-chequer, George Osborne, at Downing St in London, he was dressed in tight black trousers, an overly tight bright blue shirt and wore a knee length black coat which attracted a lot of attention with both positive and negative comments. Imogen Fox, reporter for the Guardian Newspaper said, “It was apparent from the photo call on Downing Street that we are witnessing a bit of a fashion moment.”

During his election campaign, Mr Tsipras pledged that he would don a tie when Greece achieved a debt reduction agreement. When he met recently with the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, he was given an Italian tie which he suggested  he could wear when Greece resolved its financial crisis. 

The wearing of a tie used to be considered to be the way to impress especially in a business sense. But as a rule, most business men I know loathe wearing a tie. They feel ties very confining and not at all comfortable, especially those who live in hot climates.  I find most business men loosen their tie or take them off at the first possibility they have – as soon as they get home or even at official functions after the formalities have finished such as during a meeting or at  a wedding reception. I am of the opinion that most business men would condone a change to the formal dress code and would be keen to accept a more informal approach without having to wear a tie.

I am certain that business men everywhere would respect Mr Tsipra for setting off the acceptance of this more casual dress code trend.   Would you?

Social Media Has Transformed The Cycle Of Fashion Trends

Social media sites, in particular, illustrative sites such as Pinterest and Instagram have had a marked effect on the way fashion trends are set. 

Social media is a powerful tool which has revolutionized the cycle of fashion trends including fashion accessories  and handbags. Fashion trends are now set and approved by groups on social media who decide what they like and don’t like by expressing their wants and needs on specific social media sites. New fashion trends appear all day, every day. Luxury brands have to respond to this demand by manufacturing collections designed on the presentation of fashion trends found on  social media sites.


The consequence of this is that fashion trends traditional seasonal characteristic has vanished and has been replaced by a constant stream of innovative styles which can quickly go viral. However the fashion trends which go viral can vanish almost as quickly as they developed. Social media dictates the fashion trends of the day. But in contrast to the traditional seasonal cycle of fashion which lasted for some time, today’s trend can be here today and gone tomorrow.

In 1937, James Laver, the English author, critic, curator and fashion historian drew up a fundamental timeline of how fashion trends transform. According to Laver’s Law, when a trend is current, it is ‘smart.’ One year before this it is ‘daring.’   20 years later, it becomes ‘ridiculous.’ And 50 years was how long it took for fashion trends to begin to sneak back into style again.

Laver’s Law was relevant in the days when designers dictated fashion trends. Each season forecasters released books with predictions of the up and coming fashion trends. They predicted styles, colours and fabrics which would dictate the fashion trends into the future.  Manufacturers would then take up the challenge and bring these futuristic fashion trends to life.  This was a slow process which some times took several years for the model to reach the market. So it is no surprise that the turnover of new styles, colours and fabrics was reserved to a steady, seasonal pace.

Fashion trends had a traditional bi-annual cycle which sustained a fairly long and predictable life cycle.  But I often wondered about how these bi-annual cycles set by the luxury brands based in places like London, Paris and New York affected the fashion trends in places like Australia and NZ who have opposite seasons to Europe, the UK and the USA. The winter season in Australia is the summer everywhere else and vice versa.  How does the cycle work in countries where there is opposing seasons?

However in today’s environment, things are very different. Fashion trends are no longer dictated by the top luxury brands but by the consumer on social media. This together with the capacity of these top brands to mass produce products very speedily and cheaply means that manufacturers can get new fashion trends to on the shelves very quickly. Brands can respond to fashion trends recognized on social media very efficiently and have product ready for sale at the same time as the style is still hot to trot.  Brands and retailers have to be responsive in order to keep up with the demands on social media. They need to have a constant feed of product drops which meet the fashion trends dictated by the consumer on social media.

The understanding of fashion trends cycling and the whole nature of forecasting is now very changed. Designers now need to use inspiration and innovation to create fashion trends and unleash them on social media, then track them to see how they develop. Social media will dictate the fashion trends of today, but they do not predict the fashion trends of the future.

With the aid of social media, fashion trends are born and die a great deal faster than ever before. This more unstable, fragile market sees brands, celebrities, magazines, bloggers and end consumers on social media all try to gain influence over what is ‘in’ or ‘out’ of style.

But what are fashion trends? In the past they were mostly unaffordable styles created by luxury brands which appealed to the rich, the famous and the beautiful. Did fashion trends of former times really provide for the normal person with an everyday purse and common figure?  Personally I would say they did not. Fashion trends were something you read about in glossy magazines, saw celebrities wearing and which you dreamt about. But realistically you could not afford them and probably could not fit into them either.  Have you ever seen a size 18 in a Versace shop?

I often go with a very wealthy but extremely thin woman to view the latest releases at luxury brand shops such as Versace. The shop attendants are very focused on my friend and have a range of small sizes to fit her petite frame. However, I have a much more developed figure and in all my trips to these stores over many years I have never found clothing which would fit or suit me. These fashion trends are just not designed for me.

I believe that fashion trends set by the consumer have more chance of reaching the average consumer like me who wants to look stylish and trendy on a tight budget. Some brands such as Zara and H&M are focusing on the lower end consumer with a fuller figure and that is heartening.  The styles are also forever varying. Zara for example releases over 10,000 new designs annually.

It is vital for brands to work on their brand identity first and use fashion trends as q tool to create their designs. They should uncover the fashion trends that will add value to their brand, have staying power, and that can be leveraged in a specific market and consumer demographics. Brands must  work less on forecasting and more on responsiveness to the fashion trends set on social media.
Some of the traditional luxury brands and larger retailers like Marks and Spencers are still focused on the conventional cycle of seasonal runway shows and do not have the speed to respond to the changes demanded by social media fashion trends. But regardless of whether a retailer is working within the bounds of the traditional calendar, or is responsive to the whims of social media, brands must be kept alive and looking fresh all year round. 

Various fashion trends, in particular the really trendy ones, turn out to be short-lived. Others keep on evolving as they are more about lifestyle choices and style. Retailers are moving away from being trend-focused to being more lifestyle-focused and brand-focused. Fashion trends available on social media have the outcome of assisting people to choose what would look good on them and what and where they should be purchasing. With the advent of social media the consumer has become very knowledgeable and much more informed about the fashion trends which will go well with their personal style. Social media has definitely transformed the cycle of fashion trends.