How to Stay Sane as a Faculty Advisor to a Student-Run Event

Serving as a faculty advisor to the student-planned, -promoted, and - produced annual fashion show resulted in some of my most proud professional moments – and some of the most wrenching stressors I’ve experienced to date.As mentioned in a previous Campus Events Professional, the Iowa State University Textiles and Clothing (TC) Annual Fashion Show is the most public event in the TC program and is attended by university administrators, faculty, alumni, industry executives, and family and friends.We have received media coverage for our event and actively seek to raise awareness of our show and program among national and international audiences

Design piracy in the United States women\u27s ready-to-wear apparel industry: 1910-1941

This research investigates the economic conditions of the American apparel industry, as well as the complex interactions of apparel industry members, trade organizations, and the U.S. government to better understand the reasons cited for supporters of apparel style protection versus those who accepted design piracy. The purpose is to examine the concept of piracy within the historical context of the American ready-to-wear apparel industry. Through an analysis of journalistic coverage in trade and popular fashion periodicals, pertinent legal records, economic and census data, governmental hearings, archival sources, and the case study of the Fashion Originators Guild of America, this research analyzes the interrelationships among American access to fashion, the ready-to-wear industry, and design piracy. The precise time boundaries of this research are 1910 though 1941. These years encompassed the rise of the American ready-to-wear industry and coincided with the beginning of the trade publication Women\u27s Wear Daily. The year 1941 marked the end of the Fashion Originators Guild of America\u27s program of self-regulation against piracy. Protection of women\u27s apparel against piracy was controversial and difficult. First, protection of styles against piracy was contradictory to the concept of fashion. Without the social process of imitation, the lucrative business of the women\u27s ready-to-wear apparel industry could not exist. Second, an objective criterion for determining product originality was difficult. These problems were multiplied in the women\u27 ready-to-wear apparel industry which placed thousands of different styles in production each season, each conforming to the prevailing fashion in varying price and quality levels. While the apparel industry continues to debate the rubric of referencing, the FOGA was an important early case highlighting the ethical, economic, and social considerations of a program of industry-wide self-regulation

Leading with relationships: a small firm example

Purpose – For the continued vitality and success of small businesses, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the effective behaviors of small business owners. The main purpose of this paper is to further the understanding of the relational leadership framework as used by a successful small business owner. Design/methodology/approach – Data on the small business owner participating in this study were gathered via formal and informal interviews. Findings – Results of this paper suggest that the profit potential of an organization as well as employee retention can be improved through leadership that embraces the five key components of the relational leadership framework: inclusiveness, empowerment, purposefulness, ethics, and process-orientation. Practical implications – Given the challenges of owning and operating a small firm in today\u27s competitive business climate, it is worthwhile for entrepreneurs to use this case study as an example in effectively managing their organizations. Originality/value – An important contribution of this paper is the identification of strategies related to the relational leadership framework as applied to the small business environment

Design Piracy: A Constructive Controversy

Objectives/Learning Outcomes: To work cooperatively in small groups to discuss the pros and cons of the practice of design piracy in order to stimulate problem-solving and reasoned judgment. To gain a better understanding of the implications of design piracy considering the diverse viewpoints of designers, garment workers, manufacturers and consumers

“The New Costumes of Odd Sizes” Plus-Sized Women’s Fashions, 1920–1929

By 1916 over 13 million women or 12.7% of the total U.S. population was considered overweight or “stout.” In the 1920s, the term “stout.” indicated an (often matronly appearance) with generous bust, back and hip curves that did not fit with fashion s demands of the ideal stylish figure. Research related to ready-to-wear fashions for plus sized women in the 20th century is almost non-existent. The purpose of this study was to explore available ready-to-wear fashions for the plus sized woman during the years 1920-1929. To explore this topic, a historical method approach was utilized using primary sources that included The New York Times, Vogue, and Good Housekeeping. The results of this study identified prescriptive and proscriptive advice regarding appropriate clothing styles and merchandising trends marketed to plus sized women

American Fashions for American Women: Early Twentieth Century Efforts to Develop an American Fashion Identity

The article presents an investigation into attempts to create an American fashion identity for women in the U.S. that emerged during the early 20th century, just as the women\u27s ready-to-wear clothing industry was beginning to take shape. The development of design talent in the U.S. is traced through an examination of trade publications promoting a uniquely American fashion sense. Particular attention is paid to the establishment of the publication Women\u27s Wear in 1910. Campaigns supporting the development of an American style promoted by the National Ladies\u27 Tailors\u27 and Dressmakers\u27 Association are analyzed

Consumer Concern, Knowledge, and Attitude Towards Counterfeit Apparel Products: An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action Theory

Using the theory of reasoned action (TRA) as a theoretical framework, this research investigates the relationship of three variables (concern with apparel industry issues, knowledge about counterfeiting, and attitude towards counterfeit apparel products) with consumer willingness toward paying a premium for non-counterfeit goods

Lessons Learned as a Faculty Advisor to a Student- Produced Event

The curtain dropped on April 25, 2008, concluding my third year as faculty advisor to the Iowa State University Textiles and Clothing Fashion Show. This year marked perhaps our most successful event to date. Attendance increased 35 percent from the previous year and included 2,455 guests in Stephens Auditorium, filling all but the most remote corners

The Trend for Mannish Suits in the 1930s

During the 1930s, fashion and popular press periodicals published reports of women’s suits and separates with the structure and styling of traditional menswear, replete with broad shoulders, notched lapels, deeply cuffed trousers, made in masculine fabrics of woolens, flannels, and plaids. The trend, termed ‘mannish,’ opposed the feminine fashions of the previous decades. Analysis of Women’s Wear Daily, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue revealed factors that contributed to the trend and sartorial components that encompassed the look. The authors contend that the mannish trend begun as a sports style was promoted by Hollywood, couched in the aristocracy of English tailoring and fabrics, and was advocated for by the fashion and popular press

Computer Mediated Communication in Textiles

This study explored some aspects of computer mediated communication (CMC) in a web-based textile science class offered at the university level. Results suggest the CMC elements of popular press, online readings with a posted discussion board aided student acquisition, articulation, and application of course material. Students were pleased with the readability of the popular press readings