SWOT analysis on Personal Design Practice

STRENGTHS:

• Diverse - beach to evening to couture



• Custom made couture



• Luxury beach wear in an area close to beach with a gap in the market



• Boutique style for more personal approach with smaller quantities

WEAKNESSES:

• Not widely known



• Newly established



• Lack of contacts - manufacturers, agents, etc.

OPPORTUNITIES

• New clients looking for new and exciting design


• Opportunity to grow nationally and internationally



• Opportunity to grow into separate boutiques - Swimwear, Apres Cinq and Couture



• To gather more inspiration for overseas for more cutting edge design

THREATS:

• High local costs eg. rent, manufacturing, distribution


• Competing boutique owners in area already established



• Economic crisis on consumers

New Fashion Centres

I found this topic quite interesting, as it's exciting to see some new centres emerging around the world that can be compared to that of London, Paris, Milan or New York. I mean the original centres of fashion will always be iconic and remembered but its nice that consumers can now be closer to fashion centres and be apart of the fashion world. Also, it gives tourists a chance to visit new and exciting cities while taking in the glamour of the fashion world. I think sometimes people opt for europe for the very reason they have a fashion history and are internationally recognised as being fashion centres, now people might chose to travel to different places where they can still experience a fashion hub!

Fast Fashion and Sustainability

This is a touchy subject for me. For starters let me get something straightened out concerning my opinion on sustainability. This is such a huge topic to debate and discuss and so many avenues to go down its hard to know where to start and when to stop. For me sustainability can get a bit tedious. We spend so much time, money and effort to create a sustainable world through Eco friendly devices in everything including fashion, that I think on some level we are losing the meaning of certain things. For example, at what point will fashion no longer be fashion and be technological body protection? or, if we are to create this wonderful sustainable world are we all going to be walking around in potato sacks??

For me, I wanted to work and study in the fashion arena so I could immerse myself in all the beauty and luxury of such divine, handcrafted items that I have been yearning over since I was a child. To open up my creative mind and fill my life with timeless garments like masters before us have done! Now, of course, (as with everything in life) I was brought up not to be wasteful, and to appreciate everything that we are lucky enough to have and this philosophy carries through to my design practice as well. However, my dream and my future horizons and ambitions, unfortunately for some, do not parallel a concentrated effort to trying to save the inevitable.

Luxury

This first chapter was so indulgent for me. Daslu seems to me to be the epitome of shopping. The dream world for fashionistas,shoppa

holics and style icons!!!!!!! The way Daslu has grown from such a small boutique of luxury to this volcano of extravagance is spellbinding. When reading this chapter sometimes it felt as if it was a novel, filling my imagination, surely this is heaven and not a real place! I don't think many if any of us will ever get to experience the Daslu luxury, that level of abundance is well beyond ever knowing, however we can still dream!!!

Men's Wear and Uniform

This weeks reading on Uniform and Menswear didn't really put light on any issue's I didn't already know about. The fact that a lot of clothing has derived from uniform and visa versa seems to be common knowledge. I think that the reason women find men in uniform so attracted is that is denotes power, authority and control which women find tantilising. To have this same look in every day clothing is a play on that power and gives the impression of strength. I belive people, both men and women, also find uniform attractive is because you can be someone your not, play a part in that 'costume'.

Gender and sexuality

From the text from this week I felt a bag of mixed emotions. I found it extremely intersting that it was saying that basically men and women have been dressing the same way for year; this is totally opposing what I originally thought before reading this text. I have always thought that in past centuries women always dressed very femininly eg. flowery, pretty, volumptuous; and that men were very masculine. I suppose I always found that it has only been in the last 50 years that women have started dressing more like men. It was fascinating to read and discover that in fact in past centuries, men dressed very similarly to women, and the silhouettes and details were very cohesive. It's almost as if history is flipping itself around. From the 16th Century where women wore bloomers, and men wore lots of frills and almost dress like clothing through to today where women wear trousers and suits which were primarily for men.

I also found this week that in a small way today's topic relates to that of subcultures. Women having to act a certain way in certain situations eg. before being married she would have to look virginal, inticing, young and beautiful then once married would have to take on a different persona as being a strong housewife, able to produce a large family. Taking on these different persona's although not voluntarily, is what subculture groups do by choice.

I believe although the world seems to be moving forward and away from a patriarchy there are still underlining tones and acceptability in certain situations for this inequality of gender.

Subcultures

Today's lesson on subcultures verified that fact that in today's society subcultures are more widely accepted and not so taboo. As with the past decades where each subculture was more prominant in a particular decade, today subcultures are integrated into everyday society with many subcultures present at once. Relating to the Sexpistols for example I think the reason they made such a huge impact of society of the time was the fact that the politcal stance of the country was in disrepute. Therefore the youth of the time weren't of huge importance politically and we're able to speak out and make a stand. Subcultures today seem more subtle and not so prominant, this being that the world has come to accept differnce.