Recently someone commented online about my column saying that I should write about something that really matters, insinuating that fashion doesn’t have any impact on our everyday lives. I’m not going to go into a rant about how fashion trickles down and whether you know it or not you contribute to the fashion industry every moment of every day. You can go watch “The Devil Wears Prada” for that speech. Instead I will try to make you, the reader, aware of just how important the fashion industry is to not only the U.S. economy, but also the world economy.
In 1995, Women’s Wear Daily put out an article entitled “The Stats on Fashion.” In it, the author outlines some of the economic impacts of the fashion industry on only the New York market. The numbers may surprise you: there were 250,000 jobs in the industry (as it is called by those who work in it). It accounted for $22 billion in the local economy and brought in half a billion tax dollars to the city.
Consider that these numbers were published 12 years ago, when the fashion industry was much smaller than it is today. Also make a note that Dallas is quickly becoming one of the primier fashion destinations in the world.
As for national statistics, the 2002 Economic Census recorded the following numbers concerning just the retail trade: 1.1 million retail establishments, more than $3 trillion in sales, $302 billion in annual payroll, and almost 15 million employees. That comes out to roughly five percent of the population working in retail.
If the numbers aren’t proof enough that the fashion industry is one of the strongest in the world, then maybe some sheer logic will solidify my stance. Walk into any clothing store, and you will find that many of the garments there were inspired by or directly designed by a couturier. There is a reason why the Style Network introduced the show “The Look for Less.” For those who don’t know, “The Look for Less” takes an average person, a photo straight from the runway of a major label, and around $200 to replicate the look.
Famous designers Chip and Pepper (brothers in real life) help the person make it happen in under an hour and a half. The results are amazing: two nearly identical outfits, one of which cost several thousand dollars less than the other. It just goes to show that: 1. It does not take a lot of money to look great, and 2. That almost everything one might buy is affected by the concepts of great designers like Oscar de la Renta, Salvatore Ferragamo, Miuccia Prada and Tom Ford.
In response to anyone who might deny the importance of fashion, think before you speak. What happens in the fashion world is real news, and just take a minute to think what the world would be like without the influence of fashion… we would all be wearing burlap sacks!
The next time someone comes up to me and compliments me on something that I picked up at Target, he or she should totally expect an “I know, right?”
