By Basemah Alhobishy
Clothing is a primary nonverbal cue from which assumptions are made in first impressions. Clothing is an important part of the identity construction process and its ability to transmit immense meaning and messages allows clothing to serve as a major component in forming judgments of others (Dorrance, 2011). My passion for fashion has been a part of me for quite some time now. I love fashion because it is like an extension of my personality and what kind of mood I'm in. Fashion is an experience of art; it is a symbol of leisure where designers express their talents by creating unique designs, mix fabrics and transform a body to a piece of art. Fashion is a collective activity as it is not created by a single individual but by everyone involved in the production of fashion (Kawamura, 2004). Therefore, managing this industry can fairly contribute in solving some issues that are related to sustainability. In fact, fashion industry can be a means for providing job opportunities with good work conditions and fair wages for employees. It is also a means to reduce the harmful effects on the planet. Small clothing businesses can also be a change agent as they can help their small communities by providing jobs, so local people are no longer need to leave the community to a bigger city to find work. In addition, their communities become self-sufficient in terms of clothing products as they do not have to import garments from other countries. However, these small business need to make a profit to be financially sustainable in order to achieve this mission. Profit is a necessary condition for the success of a firm, and a sustainable profit is crucial to the success of any long-term development project, but what do we mean by “profit”? Let us clarify what we are talking about; profit is what remains after a business has covered its costs, it represents the return on the owner’s investment and helps the owner to survive life just like any other employee. For instance, Salt Spring Island is one of these small islands where local clothing designers struggle to gain a profit to maintain their businesses. This is because the seasonality and the high competitive due to the availability of the nonlocal clothes. They use multiple venues to market their works like the Saturday market, galleries, and the studio tour. However, there is still a lot have to be done to help them remain in business like involving in social network sites and seeking support from big brands to increase their visibility.
.
Work Cited
Dorrance, E. A. (2011). The language of clothes: Nonverbal communication intention and misinterpretation. (M.A., College of Charleston). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/867834927?accountid=12246. (867834927).
Kawamura, Y. (2004). Fashion-ology : An introduction to fashion studies. Oxford, GBR: Berg Publishers
