How Fashion Became A Billion Dollar Business


In Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, you're going to see how clothing is one of the physiological needs of a human being. We wear it everyday and over time, fashion designers have innovated clothing pieces, added accessories, made footwear more comfortable and more. Fashion became more interesting. More and more people were intrigued. And to be honest, fashion is one of the easiest ways to express oneself.

We find ourselves deciding on what to wear for every event in our lives; may it be big like a dress for our wedding or the pair of pants we're going to use for grocery shopping - fashion is part of our daily lives.

It's such a big industry that in a study conducted in 2017, it was found out that 1.8 million people work for the fashion industry in the United States alone. That should not surprise you so much because one piece of clothing goes through a long process - conceptualization, production, marketing, sale, until it reaches the consumer. There are indeed a lot of people involved.

And even now, during a global pandemic, the fashion industry is still booming. People still find it very therapeutic to purchase clothes even if they're just at home.

Why is the fashion industry so big? What makes it such a sustainable industry no matter what happens in our economy?

Everybody Loves Visual Aesthetics

How sociable we are and who we want to socialize with relies heavily on visual aesthetics. Admit it, you've met people who aren't as gifted with facial features as others but they look good because they are fashionable. They have nice clothes, nice shoes and accessories and that's enough for you to want to get to know them or hang out with them.

Plus, in this day and age where the internet is widely used to portray who you are to the public eye or at least to the people in your circle, people really tend to invest on what they wear so they look good.

This is also true in the world of advertising. Even if a brand doesn't sell fashion or has nothing to do with the fashion industry, they still get people to represent their brands and clothing is what they use to help a talent portray a certain role, which leads us to the next reason why fashion is such a big industry.

What You Wear is a Form of Expression

It's an easy form of art. Every celebrity in the world has his or her own stylist. These people are basically tasked to put together a wardrobe for every event they attend. You may think how this can be a job when the reality is it is as simple as putting together several pieces of clothing. It's actually not.

In show business, the goal is to make sure the audience is fully mesmerized and your simple t-shirt and jeans won't do. Putting together elements for your wardrobe so they look good and cohesive whilst ensuring they are functional and comfortable is a daunting task that must not be underestimated.

Fashion Empowers People

They say that every woman must own at least one little black dress and this is true for a reason. When you like what you wear and it accentuates your great features, then you will feel more confident and empowered. And there is no problem in this. There are so many people who bash others for expressing themselves through fashion. A perfect example is when plus size women get bashed for wearing bikinis in the beach. But when a plus size girl wears a bikini, it means she is empowered and confident.

We are able to express ourselves freely through fashion so people use it as a way to uplift their spirits when they lack self-esteem or feel down.

CONCLUSION

Fashion brings people together, too. Because it's such a big industry, people learn to work with each other and people are able to pin point who they're socially compatible with through what they wear. It can also be a hobby that people bond over with. You can even go as far as saying that it's a form of entertainment like the popular reality TV show, Project Runway.

This industry is gonna stay here forever and rightfully so!