27241 - Organisation of the Fashion System

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students should have acquired contents and tools that are essential for sociological-type analysis from a cultural production theory point of view, with a specific connection to processes relating to job organisation. Students should be able to analyse and understand the processes relating to material and symbolic production in the fashion system and in the cultural production areas linked to it on both a practical and theoretical level and using the specific bibliographical teaching material.

Course contents

The first part of the course deals with the fundamental sociological theories that have been engaged in fashion as a cultural product; that is, as both a material and symbolic result of the collective action in an organised context. After the first part, fashion system organisation processes will be studied in order to understand the way they work in practice, specifically in the phases of planning, production and commercialization of a collection.

The main topics of the course are summarized below:
1) The theories of fashion as a system:
-Fashion as innovation and collective selection;
-Fashion as a field of production of symbolic goods;
-Fashion as a cultural industry;
-Fashion as a world of art.
2) The lexicon of fashion:
-Haute Couture;
-Prêt-à-Porter;
-High fashion;
-Fast fashion.
3) The fashion system: borders and actors:
-The fashion form and its modalities;
-The relationship with the arts;
-Fashion as an organizational mechanism.
4) The Dior organizational model.
5) The study of consumer behaviour:

- Utilitarianism and hedonism;

- Consumer classification;

- The relationship with the brand;

- Purchasing processes and consumption practices.

6) Forecasting trends:

- The spirit of the time;

- The origin and spread of the trend;

- The fashion forecasting process.
7) General structure of a clothing company.
8) The development of the collections:

- The study of trends;

- The analysis of the historical data of company sales;

- The definition of the collection structure;

- Research and choice of materials;

- Prototype.
9) The fashion show organisation.
10) Retail management and visual marketing.
11) Fashion management and strategic planning.
12) The industrialisation of the product.
13) The sales process:

- The general organization;

- The sales budget;

- Sales campaigns;

- Re-stocking.
14) The forecast and analysis of the sales.
15) The purchases process.
16) The production process.
17) Customer service.
18) Logistics.

Readings/Bibliography

1) - Nicoletta Giusti, Introduzione allo studio della moda, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2009. Students should study only chapters 3-4-5-6-7- of this book;

2) – Nicoletta Giusti, Il “designer di moda”, "man-in-the middle" e intermediario culturale, in "Rassegna italiana di sociologia", n. 4, ottobre dicembre 2009, pp. 570-607;

3) - Vittorio Bini, La supply chain della moda. Strumenti per la gestione globale dell'impresa: dallo sviluppo del prodotto al negozio, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2011;

4) - Simona Ironico, Fashion Management. Mercati, consumatori, tendenze e strategie di marca nel settore moda, Milano, Franco Angeli 2014. Students should only study chapters 2-4-5-6-9-10 of this book.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures on the topics indicated above, with the support of multimedia devices. Professionals working with companies operating in the fashion industry will be invited to lecture and to contribute thanks to their experience, by tackling some of the topics to be dealt with during this course.

Assessment methods

a) Non-attending students:

Non-attending students will sit a written exam using the TCExam platform at the IT labs in Via Domenico Angherà 22, Rimini. The written exam will consist in 15 questions, formulated on the basis of the material stated in the syllabus.

For every question, four possible answers will be suggested from which students should select the one they believe to be most correct.

Evaluation for all students to be examined is based on 30 points. The result is calculated by subtracting from 30 the sum corresponding to possible errors and/or missing answers.

For every correct answer, 0 points will be subtracted, whilst 2 points will be subtracted for every wrong or missing answer.

Students will have 30 minutes to complete this written test.

Non-attending students wishing to improve the result obtained in the written exam will have the possibility to take an oral exam, to integrate their written exam, after studying one text chosen from the following options:

-Paolo Volonté, a cura di, La creatività diffusa, cultura e mestieri della moda oggi, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2003;

- Emanuela Mora, Fare moda, esperienze di produzione e consumo, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2009;

- Marco Ricchetti, Enrico Cietta, a cura di, Il valore della moda, industria e servizi in un settore guidato dall’innovazione, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2006;

- Yunica Kawamaura, La moda, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2005.

In this case, the final grade will be given by the mathematical average of the two marks obtained in the written exam and the oral exam.

b) Attending students

Students who attend classes (at least 70% of the lessons) can choose one of two exam options:

1) The first option is to sit the exam as described above for non-attending students.

2) The second option for students who attend the majority of the planned lessons, is to sit a written pre-examination on the part of the programme relating to the text "Introduction to the Study of Fashion" by Nicoletta Giusti, on November 2019.

This pre-examination will also use the TCExam platform, following the modalities indicated above for the written exam for non-attending students.

Students who attend classes will then be able to sit an oral exam on the remaining part of the programme, based on the exam dates published on AlmaEsami from January 2020 onwards.

The final grade will be given by the mathematical average of the two marks obtained in the written exam and the oral exam.

We would kindly ask all students who register on the exam lists, to unsubscribe if they decide not to sit the exam or are unable to do so. Your cooperation is essential to guarantee optimal organisation of the exams and to ensure that students who are present do not have to wait unnecessarily.

In general, students are expected to know the principal sociological theories that aim to understand and explain the mechanisms of fashion production and diffusion and the operational processes of the fashion phenomenon understood as an organised system.

Considering many students will be close to entering the workplace, a fundamental aspect for evaluation will be good knowledge of the organisational aspects characterizing companies operating in the field of fashion with regard to creative, production and commercial areas.

In the event of an oral exam being taken, top marks will be given if a student demonstrates the ability to present the material in an organic, comprehensive and conscious way also connecting it, if possible, to knowledge gained in other classes. Further criteria for top marks will regard the capacity of analysis and reasoning, language quality and development of a personal point of view, which may even be critical, on the topics dealt with.

A satisfactory result will be given if a student demonstrates good knowledge of the topics treated during class, a good ability to express ideas and if the student develops a personal approach to some of the aspects treated.

A sufficient result will be given if a student demonstrates minimal knowledge of the course contents, without showing a personal approach to the aspects treated and without always using the proper terminology.

A negative result will be given if even minimal knowledge of the course contents is missing and if the student uses an inadequate form of expression.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint slides and videos will be used during lessons.

Office hours

See the website of Luca Fabbri