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When many people think of the fashion industry, they generally associate it with the sale of clothing and associated items. This might include clothing, underwear, accessories and shoes. The fashion industry however, is more than just simply selling clothes. Its’ reach is much further. The fashion industry helps to set the standard for what is acceptable dress, what’s hot and what’s not.

It also has a very significant cultural influence. Many people can determine a specific decade simply by viewing pictures of clothing. For example, if an individual is shown a picture of bell-bottoms and platform shoes, they would automatically associate these types of clothing and shoes with the 1970s. If they saw pictures of pastel sweater vests and penny loafers, they would likely think of the 1980s. If they viewed pictures of individuals in grungy looking clothes, they would correctly date this style of clothing to the decade of the 1990s. In the present decade, the fashion industry has really encouraged a very open and eclectic mix of fashion often combining vintage clothing, bright clothing and modern styles. It is this way that the fashion industry is very powerful. It can influence an entire generation to dress in a certain and identifiable way.

With all of the positives and power associated with the fashion industry, there are some real challenges as well. One of the major challenges which has been a problem for a while, but has recently gotten a lot of press, are knock offs. There seems to be developing, a perceived need by fashion designers and others in the industry, for copyrights to protect profits and design. Some big-name designers will find their designs being copied, manufactured with inferior materials and then sold for much cheaper prices in stores and on sidewalks in major cities. This can significantly cut into a designer’s profits. If an individual can purchase a bag that looks very similar to a designer one and has a similar feel for far less money, then they are likely to do so. Consequently, it is much harder to command a higher price for the original design. This results in the designer to losing money. Their creativity is also being used for profit by someone who essentially stole their design. This “theft” is not unique to purses. It also happens with clothing and shoes. In fact there is an entire industry that specializes in creating knockoff designs to sell to the masses for much cheaper prices then the originals. This has become a big problem and designers look posed to fight back.

Another huge challenge in the fashion industry is the glorification of unhealthy body images. For the last few decades there has been a push for a standard of beauty that is unrealistic, unattainable and frankly, unhealthy for most women and girls. It has been called the waif or twiggy look and essentially requires models to be sizes 0-2. Most models can only become those sizes by adopting dangerous dieting tactics. Many models and young girls and women that emulate them, have eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Some models have died in an effort to be thin enough to walk the runways and participate in the fashion weeks of the most popular designers.

However, in some places, there is beginning to be a shift. Fuller or natural sized celebrities have helped this push, for example Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce are two singers and actresses who have curves and have been accepted and celebrated in the fashion and beauty industries. This bodes well because it’s a much more healthy and realistic image of womanhood. Some people in the fashion industry are also attempting to make changes. For example, the Fashion Week in Milan requires that all models have a certain BMI index before they are allowed to walk on the catwalk. This was adopted because one model died shortly after participating in the Milan Fashion Week due to a long battle with anorexia. Therefore, a policy was adopted that required models to be a healthy size. If their BMI isn’t high enough, they can’t model.

Diversity is another challenge that has dogged the fashion industry in America for quite some time. There has been a push for many years to include African-American and other models of color. In many ways, there have been some positive changes made, but more headway needs to be made. The United States and the world in general, is very diverse and so it’s a good thing for that diversity to be mirrored in fashion shows.

The fashion industry is a very powerful industry the not only affects the clothes that people wear, but also the culture. Certain fashions can color an entire generation or decade. You can identify a certain time period based on the styles of clothing that people wear. Fashion can make women feel beautiful, sexy and alive. It can also make them feel ugly and inadequate. Some of the challenges in the fashion industry include knockoffs and the protection of a designer’s original designs, the portrayal of unhealthy body images for women and young girls and the lack of diversity on many runways. The fashion industry will have to take a long, hard look at itself and decide if changes are needed. Because it wields so much power and can be such a positive influence, let’s hope that the fashion industry acts responsibly. Encouraging women and young girls to be fit and healthy, instead of undersized and unhealthy is the right thing to do. Championing diversity and representing different types of beauty could be a worthwhile legacy that the fashion industry chooses to embrace. Lastly, finding a way to protect the creations of designers will also be very important. While imitation may be the highest form of flattery, it also can be theft. Earning money off of another’s design without their permission is essentially stealing. The discussion of copy write issues and other forms of protection may be in order. How all of these things will turn out, we will have to wait and see. Until then, let’s appreciate the positives of the fashion industry and provide constructive input to ensure that it is representative of our world.