A Potential Dichotomy: Clothing, Fashion and the UK Apparel Industry

The research focuses upon the production of apparel in the UK, in order to explore a potential dichotomy between clothing and fashion. Both the terms suggest ways in which the body can be dressed and are used liberally within industries that produce apparel. I consider the currency of sociologist, Georg Simmel’s theory, which identified no fundamental links between the clothing and fashion. In fashion. Clothing is usually constructed with textile materials worn on the physique and is worn by human beings, in the majority of societies. The quantity and style of clothing depends on bodily, societal and environmental considerations, including gender. In contrast fashion is a common term for a popular style in clothing, footwear or accessories and is usually, the newest collection or creation produced by a designer or retailer. The UK designer, Jean Muir regarded herself as a dressmaker and implied there was conflict between the production of clothes and the role of the fashion designer in this process. The investigation seeks to offer new insight into existing research related to clothing and fashion, by centering upon the production of apparel in the UK and the specific needs of the highly developed, UK fashion and clothing educational system. In so doing it identifies how the terms are perceived today, in both the UK and global apparel industries.