If one takes an in-depth look at the fashion industry, one can see that this industry is larger than the music, film, and book publishing industries. The fashion industry makes its mark by setting newer trends in clothing and by influencing the fashion conscious consumers through various means to make them fall in line with those trends. In a way, trend-driven spending is good for the fashion industry as a whole, because it generates more profit for the designer houses. In fact, the creation of new trends is facilitated by a designers’ relative freedom to copy, a trait typical of the big dollar fashion industry. However, if the law had prohibited copying of the various designs churned out by fashion designers, then everything would have taken a different course. Then, the fashion industry, as such, would have had a much difficult time creating and responding to the different trends at different times.
Change is constant, and that is how this industry has turned out to be. Since modern day fashion is in a state of flux, one has to keep one’s finger on the pulse to catch up with the pace. Fashion industry comprises clients that include public as well as privately-held domestic manufacturing units, foreign apparel manufacturers, big house designers and the retailers. In fact, setting trends means inducing or luring the consumers to follow the latest in styles and trends. This process has led to a sea change in the popular concept leading the public to treat fashion clothing as a medium to express one’s attitudes and status. These fashion goods will get replaced in accordance with the changes in fashion and trends. In other words, these designer clothes are not treated as durable goods that need to thrown away only when they are unfit to be used. But, a bill is pending before the House which is seeking to extend copyright protection to the various designs in fashion. And, if copyright law is extended to fashion designs in clothing, the exclusive innovation culture in the fashion industry will come under the legal scanner.
The male and female models that throng the ramps, images of men and women found in magazine covers and pages of fashion weeklies and red carpets are some of the images that usually come up when someone mentions the term ‘fashion’. But, there are also people working behind the scenes in an effort to translate the ideas to create apparels that breathe life. Let it be in the creative, technical or business side of fashion industry, there are so many exciting career paths reserved for the ingenious and creative minds, in the world of fashion. Fashion industry is primarily concentrated in the cities of New York, London, Paris, and Italy. While the creative section offers career opportunities for people to work as illustrators, designers, costume designers and stylists, the business side of fashion opens up the future as fashion merchandisers, marketing personnel and trend analysts. And, coming up with new-fangled and exhilarating ways to design an item of clothing is the most challenging task faced by a fashion designer and the design team.