Fashion Marketing: Contemporary Issues, Second edition - Pr School

206 Fashion Marketing
factors influencing that specific context level. The inner layers refer specifically
to the complete dress appearance. Clothing, including garment pieces, materials
and all perceptual elements are embedded in the larger context of
appearance, which includes garment to garment and/or accessory combinations.
These are viewed in conjunction with the wearer’s body and personal
attributes as defined in the central layers of the model. The outer layers represent
the micro- and macro-environments of the user, referring to his or her roles
and identities. Immediate body space and ‘social situation in which a person is
observed provides a context for viewing his or her appearance, which may be
framed in terms of group associations. Culture provides a larger framework for
interpreting that appearance according to aesthetic rules, historical context, and
fashion’ (Kaiser, 1990).
Identifying the linkages within and across contexts is necessary to understand
the similarities and differences in the assignment of meaning to clothing.
Defining the contexts that affect the target consumer and understanding their
interactions should be integrated in the creative design process because of the
impact they have on the consumer’s perception and selection of dress elements.
The processes explained in this model help understand the dynamics that lie
behind fashion and product life cycles, as well as the creative design process.
The success of new products builds on the success of previous products.
Creative design
In today’s competitive environment, creativity has a prominent place as it is
what differentiates market leaders from the runners up (Sheasly, 1996). Creative
thinking is the raw material of innovation, which enables a company to do
things better, more cheaply, more effectively and more aesthetically (Bati, 1994).
If creativity is indeed the main factor that helps differentiate one brand from
another, two essential questions need to be addressed. The first is to figure out
a way to measure the value of creativity in a product according to the target
consumer’s perception. Second is to develop a process to achieve this value
most effectively and efficiently.
Creativity involves three components: skills, newness and value (Young, 1998).
These components make up what is known as the creative product. It is
difficult to distinguish between ‘the creative product’s social value versus its
intrinsic value, the simplicity versus complexity criteria, and the distinction
between creative achievement, creative skills/abilities/talent, and creative dispositions’
(Kato, 1994). Eysenck (1997) distinguishes four general fields of creativity:
product, process, person and environment. After briefly reviewing the
multiple definitions of creativity and design, these terms will be analysed in
a marketing context. This last section will show how the dimensions of value
and newness are associated with the product and the market, while the skill
component relates more to the process, the environment and of course the person
or team who can achieve such a product successfully deeme d creative by
the target consumer.