APD 242 Project 2

Pink and Yellow Image

Prada Spring Ready-to Wear 2010

www.style.com

Flower

www.stockvault.net

Red Image

Alexis Mabille Spring Couture 2009

www.style.com

Christmas Decorations

www.stockvault.net

Green Image

John Galliano Spring Couture 2009

www.style.com

Snake

www.ophedrysaestivus.com

Black Image

Elie Saab Spring Couture 2009

www.style.com

Van

www.stockvault.net

Brown Image

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring Couture 2009

www.style.com

Mushroom

www.stockvault.net

Yellow Image

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2009

www.style.com

Old Abandon Gas Pump in Italy

www.stockvault.net

Pink Image

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2009

www.style.com

Laptop and CD

www.stockvault.net

Blue Image

Hayden Panettiere

www.stylescoop.net

Car

www.stockvault.net

Black and White Image

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2009

www.style.com

Skunk

www.thinkquest.org

Coral Image

Eva Longoria Parker

www.marieclaire.com

Coffee Cup

www.stockvault.net

Failed Retailers

Over the past few months, we have watched many retailers fail. Circuit City, Linens N Things, Goody's, and many more have become unsuccessful in the midst of this struggling economy. But we have to wonder what is really causing all of these retailers to fail, and who is going to be next.

According to Retail Info Systems News, one reason why so many retailers are closing is the price of gas. Not only is gas affecting the consumers, but the retailers as well. Since stores have to have clothing and other items delivered to them, they too are being affected by the gas crisis for a while now. Another reason why retailers are closing their doors more vigorously is because of the need to markdown clothes more often. According to BBC News, stores are having to do markdowns even when they are not planned just so their clothes will sell. Consumers are struggling too and this is prohibiting them from shopping at their leisure as much as they used to.

Whether it is because of the gas prices, or simply because consumers are not willing to buy, the retailing industry is struggling tremendously right not. Even though a lot of stores are already closing some of their locations, there are definitely more to come. There are some stores that are still floating above water and I am certain they are doing everything they can to make sure it stays this way.



Citations:
BBC News
Retail Information Systems News

Target Audiences and VALS

All retailers have a target market which they are trying to sell to. They can vary anywhere from little children all the way up to women in their 50's and older. No matter what the store, there is a target audience that they seem to be selling their products to.

An example of a target audience would be for the store R.E.I. My group discussed this retailer in class and decided that the target audience would be men and women in their 30's and 40's who like to do things outdoors. The products sold in R.E.I. are not only clothing but also hiking gear, fishing products, and even camping gear, plus many more things.

When I took VALS survey, my results came out to be an experiencer and a striver. For the most part, I agree with what each one had to say. I felt as though I am more of an experiencer than a striver simply because it said that money defines success for strivers and that is not me at all. But for the most part, I felt that the survey did a good job of desribing me.

Information On My Favorite Retailer: Express

Since I have made it clear that my favorite retailer is Express, I am going to talk a little bit about its history. Express started almost thirty years ago as an experiment. Express started in 1980 as an experiment along with eight other stores called Limited Express. This is now called Limited Brands. Express had so many opportunities in front of it and they took them.

There are more than 550 stores across the United States as well as a website online to shop from. The CEO and President of Express right now is Michael Weiss. They bring in more than 1.8 billion dollars in sales.

In 2007, Express finally became and independent and privately held company.They were bought by the Golden Gate Capital in San Francisco. This is a great opportunity for Express to grow even larger than they are today.

Favorite Retailer

My favorite retailer is Express. There are many reasons why I like this store.

The first reason is because of the quality of their clothes. Their clothes are made with better products and seem to last longer than other brands.

The second reason I like Express is because of their jeans. Even though they are a bit expensive, their jeans are very comfortable and look the best on me more than other pairs of jeans.

The third reason is because of their sales. Since their clothes are more expensive than some stores, they tend to have really good sales and that is the best time to buy their clothes.

The fourth reason is because of the good service which they provide. I am always helped when I walk in the store and the employees are always really nice.

The final reason that I like this store is because of the layout of the store. Everything in the store is easily accessible and easy to find. The clothes are usually sorted by color and that makes it convenient to find what you need in a timely manner.

Express is a great place to shop and I always enjoy my time spent in the store.

Housing Crisis Affecting Fashion

Since we are in an economic crisis, the housing market has been struggling as well. Many people are not buying house right now due to the fact that they do not have any money and if they do it is usually being spent on other things. Surprisingly, this is affecting the fashion industry, more specifically, the home fashion industry.

Because people are not buying new houses, or spending money to upgrade or remodel their current homes, the need for home fashions has decreased. Most people are having to spend what money they have are more practical things such as gas and groceries. Even if Americans want to move into a new house or remodel one which they are currently living in, it is usually not possible at this time.

Another factor in the housing market depends on the location the house are being sold in right now. Houses located in areas that are not as flat tend to be a bit more pricey because of the lack of land. Home furnishing stores in these areas struggle more than the home furnishing stores in areas where the land is mostly flat. The housing market is just another example that we are going though an economic crisis and it is also affecting the fashion industry.

Guest Speaker

The guest speaker we had today was very informative and interesting. She was the best one we have had so far this semester. I really enjoyed her, mostly because was a recent graduate and knew what kinds of things we were dealing with right now and how to help us most.

She gave us vital information that we would need in order to succeed in our careers. For example, she explained to us that our internships are very important and can dictate your future career. I was surprised to hear that but it does make a lot of sense. She also told us that she still blogs in her job. I found this amusing because I never thought I would blog after this class! I also enjoyed hearing about her career and how she got into it. She seemed to have worked really hard and made great connections with people to get where she is today.

Overall, she was a great speaker and really easy to listen to. She made her presentation funny and entertaining. She also had a great personality. Not only was she a great speaker, but she was very informative about matters that are relevant to us now and also in our very near future.