Essay Example on Although most designers are found in Paris and Milan

Designers Although most designers are found in Paris and Milan London has many international influential designers The city boasts of designers like Jasper Conran Katharine Hamnett The UK has other creative designers besides having a diverse high street shopping opportunities The country also invests more in the education system in a bid to raise nurture world class future designers However there is still a shortage in the designer business Fares and Mower 2017 International sourcing The clothing industry in the UK imports most of its supplies the problem with this method is that the industry has to decide between importing raw materials from high price sensitive volume markets that are low wage economies and the quality end of the market that are mainly from Europe The three main suppliers include Asia the Far East Europe and within the UK 

The entry of China in the international textile supply industry has further complicated the supply with the introduction of the quotas as a result the quality of the products made in England is compromised Manufacturers Since the early 2000s there has been a reduction in the clothing manufacturing industry in the United Kingdom with most companies changing their traits to mere cut make and trim for others to design From the initial design and manufacturing Those that remained in the business have had to do rapid improvement in their manufacturing methods For instance there has been severe cost cutting in other areas in an effort to remain afloat in areas where the emphasis on good and quality design is paramount Marketing intermediaries These are channels that connect the consumers to the manufacturer This includes the retailers agents distributors advertising agencies wholesalers marketing research agencies In the case of the UK fashion 75 of the sales are divided between 17 retail chains This chock out the smaller retailers from the competition On the other hand the price competition has been on the rise since the 1990s with the consumers looking for the values for the money However this competition is not driven by the price alone The consumers also take into account the quality of the design in regards to the comfort quality and good design As a result some companies have had to restructure to address cheaper imports the increasing competition and changing customer expectations issues In the long run this has also led to narrow product ranges Flecher 2016 Consumers The current consumers in this market are more fashion educated they are demanding products that are designed to perform in a certain way that meets their various needs As a result the manufacturer needs to do a proper marketing research for their new product before launch as they may end up filling their stores with rejected goods Today most consumers want to express their personalities through what they chose to wear For instance there is an increase in the number of working women who wish to wear clothes designed for their particular needs 

Most of the industry players are working around the clock to correct this notion However most manufacturers feel that with the increasing competition in the market and very small profit margins there is no need to invest too much or experiment Most upmarket have resorted to price cuts as the only way of luring customers in the shops Yet the main competition occurs in the sourcing of goods Global sourcing of cheap raw materials is the only way the European competitors are able to keep the manufacturing cost down while at the same time offering good quality and well designed products Since the introduction of a single market system in Europe competition for continental clothing producers has further intensified This is partly attributed to shorter lead times and low transport costs Which has seen low cost products from eastern European countries that were granted special treatment of their exports after pleading with the EU This increases competition as the clothing industries in these countries have undergone special restructuring to meet the European Union standards