A fashion blogetorial

Citation

Hayes, S. (2012), "A fashion blogetorial", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 16 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/jfmm.2012.28416daa.001

A fashion blogetorial

A fashion blogetorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Volume 16, Issue 4.

I have commented before on how I find it tricky to write the first editorial of each volume because it is published after Christmas but written in early December. I have a similar problem with the editorial for the last issue of each volume, it's hard to sign off for a year in the middle of June! So I thought, in the vein of many academics currently, I would compile some of my blog (thefashioneer.com) postings along with a few tweets (@thefashioneer) for 2012 to sum up what I have been thinking so far this year on the issue of on-shoring – a subject close to my heart and pertinent to our field of study. Although, as with most recently, the focus of this issue is consumption of fashion goods we must remember they have to be made somewhere. Now that was a given 30 years ago, changed 20 years ago and became accepted, but in the last year the origins of our sewn products is being questioned – could we be at the tipping point for a return to locally produced clothing? Here's what I think […]:

In my recent visit to a garment production unit we discussed the issue of piece rates. You will note from my previous postings that I think they are the Devil's work and serve only to reduce quality in goods, emphasise individual effort and cause the potential for excess WIP when miss-used. Well, the people I spoke to are still very, very keen on the use of piece rate schemes (with correctly set and arbitrated SMVs of course) to allow them “to earn good money”. But the same issues came up the factory had what I would consider to be substantial WIP suspended on the overhead rail system and one of the operators said emphatically “why should she earn as much as me when I am working my guts out and she is just bumbling along?” I still think there is work to be done on a payment and incentive scheme that recognises individual effort but rewards for quality and team working – just got to come up with it!We had a great day at our annual showcase event in Hollings MMU yesterday. Some fantastic work by students, and therefore staff, was on display and our numerous enterprise partners where there to support them with a range of awards – both cash and mentoring. What struck me – in the theme of this blog – was just how many people were talking very, very positively about the potential for suitably organised manufacturing to return to the UK. We genuinely feel there is a sea change in opinion on this. We are at the tipping point – now is the time. I think the skills we need are lying dormant and if we fail to wake them now – and exploit this mood change – we will lose them forever. A generation gap can be bridged, a gap of 2 generations probably can’t be.Just in the middle of watching the second part of “the town taking on China” on catch-up TV and I am glad to note that the Amtico flooring I have just had installed probably came from the midlands! Poor Malcolm but if 1 manufacturing job creates 4 or 5 other jobs it's worth sticking with! Back to my earlier point, look at the way of life lived by the Chinese workers. This is not news to those of us involved with this industry and it certainly isn’t all bad as sometimes the media would have us believe. But, it's not how most of us would want to live especially if we had to slog our guts out for just over minimum wage. We have to come up with a better way of doing it. Like the man says, the UK can’t sustain itself by selling cappuccinos over the Internet! This is where we need to get well intentioned industrialists with grounded academics and proper social enterprises. Now!Thinking a little more about the prospect of a manufacturing resurgence in the fashion and textile sector in the UK I am convinced we must not make the same mistakes we did in the late 80s early 90s. There has to be a better payment model than piece rates to motivate production performance. Perhaps now we have, almost, forgotten what it was like to bounce to the rhythm of the radio chasing a personal performance of 160% so you could buy that new handbag we can really benefit from team working and group incentives in fashion manufacturing. What about looking into home working, now our homes are so much more connected to each other. Time for some manufacturing innovation.You can’t help but notice how much air-time has been given to the theme of bringing back manufacturing to the UK. I can’t argue with the intentions of such projects by Portas and Caldeira but you have to say the BBC 2 program at least gets a bit closer to the issues. If we continue to use the piece rate system to top up the minimum wage, send 50% of our school leavers to university and keep building more supermarkets you have to ask yourself if anybody is ever likely to want to work in a sewing factory on the production floor ever again?! And if they do, will they simply form a perceived underclass of makers for the consumers?

I hope in some way that compilation has stimulated you to think about the potential re-shoring of manufacturing wherever you are in the world, garments should be developed globally and produced locally if we really want to make an impact on sustainability issues in fashion. Do tweet me or leave a comment on my blog with your opinions.

Back to this current issue of JFMM, in which we bring you a selection of research papers ranging from the sensory experience to be expected by a consumer in a small fashion boutique to the effect of eWOM between young consumers. Inside or out, JFMM has it all for you – enjoy and we’ll be back next year.

Steve Hayes