What do you picture as soon as you read the word ‘fashion’? Often, we associate fashion with the fit checks, the glamorous fashion shows, the trends, what celebrities wore, and the like. But did you know, this is just the tip of the iceberg? There is a lot more that goes behind before the ‘fit checks’ actually reach us.

That’s right. Fashion business operates on 4 broad levels, namely the primary, secondary, retail and auxiliary levels. These interdependent levels work in harmony, while being totally different in role from one another. What we see as the final outfit is the result of working at these levels that operate behind the scenes. These form the backbone of such a challenging and ever-evolving fashion industry.

Primary Level: The Beginning

This level lays the foundation of the fashion world. It involves the production and acquisition of the raw materials that will become the final product in the later stages. These raw materials are fabric, fiber, chemical and anything that is needed to make a garment. Textile manufacturers, fiber producers and raw material suppliers are the key players at this level.

The Role of Each Player

• The Fiber Producers: These are the companies that create natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, and synthetic fibers like nylon, acrylic and polyester.
• Fabric Manufacturers: These are the businesses that transform a fiber into fabric by using techniques like spinning, weaving or knitting.
• Chemical Suppliers: These provide chemicals like dyes, pigments or any finishing agent that is applied to fabrics to increase their aesthetics and functionality.
• The Procedure: The process begins with the creation or cultivation of fiber. While the chemical companies develop dyes that will later be used tin colouring the fabric, cotton farmers grow the cotton. By the end of this stage, the raw material is created. It then goes through various processes like knitting and dying to become ready to be used in garments manufacturing.

• The Challenges: This is the most crucial step in the entire fashion process as it determines how organic and sustainable a clothing is. But it is not easy. It is a time-consuming process in a fast-paced fashion world where trends come and go quickly. This is directly proportional to the requirement of a fabric at a mass scale. The creation is time consuming but the demand is ever-increasing. It becomes very challenging to mass-create sustainable material for a fashion that demands excessively and quickly.

Secondary Level: The Creation and Creativity

This is the level where the creation of ‘fashion fits’ happens. Designers with their sketches and sewers with their machines, all work at this level to make the magic happen. This is where the next dream outfit comes to life. The raw material produced at level 1 takes the shape of a whole garment at this level 2. 

The Role of Each Player

• The Designers: A designer’s role is yet another crucial one in the entire process. One decision makes or breaks an outfit. From picking the colour palette to the sleeve, everything is taken care of and a sketch is made.
• The Manufacturers: These are people and factories who put together the fabric and bring the designers’ visual dreams to reality. 
• The Wholesalers: Next come these companies who buy in bulk from the manufacturers and sell them further to the retailers or other wholesalers. They are the bridge between the production and the retail.
• The Procedure: The second level begins with the designers conceptualising a design. The fit, the colour, the sleeve, the cut- everything is decided at this stage. This is done by keeping in mind the trends and the need of the hour. Following this, the manufacturers take over. They work systematically, following all the technical instructions to bring the designer’s sketch to life.
• The Challenges: Designing a whole collection is no child’s play. Whether it’s designing a couture gown or a street-wear, the second level of fashion process has its own challenges. The race is against time so that the collection is out while the trend is still in. With the growing awareness about sustainability, there is an increased demand for eco-friendly yet cost-effective designs, which is a huge task in itself.

Retail Level: Consumer in the Spotlight

This is where the consumers get involved. The retailers, who act as a bridge between the producers and the consumers, offer the buyers the carefully curated products. This is the stage that determines whether a particular product will go viral and trendy, or will be a flop. 

Whether at a physical store, or at an online store, a consumer is everywhere, all the time. A product or a piece of clothing must be so attractive and efficient that the consumer is lured into buying it.

The Role of Each Player

• Boutiques: If you notice, all stores, especially boutiques, are moving towards giving modern looks to the stores. This is to give the consumers a luxurious experience when they come to visit. It plays a key role as the overall experience, apart from the garment itself, defines if they will buy it.
• E-Commerce Platforms: With the digitalisation of everything, the consumer base has also shifted to online shopping. E-commerce platforms are a major fashion shopping stop today.
• Retail Stores: These are also physical shops where a customer has the convenience of trying on a clothing before actually purchasing it.
• Pop-Ups: These are creative spaces that attract a more gen-z and trendy customer base. 
• The Procedure: This is the level where the consumers also participate. A lot goes into retailing, but mostly its about anticipating the next big fashion trend. The retailers must analyse deeply about what could be a hit amongst its consumers, even before it is available. It is risky, competitive but if done right, then also very profitable.
• The Challenges: Retailing is not as easy as it looks on the outside. For online stores, there’s a continuous buzz as to how to make the website more attractive. Apart from that, there is also a challenge to deliver the product at the earliest, to maintain customer satisfaction. While the physical stores are facing a reduced customer attraction because of the rise in comfort of online shopping.

Auxiliary Level

This, as the name suggests, is the additional support offered in the fashion business. It can be in the form of marketing, advertisements, promotion, or public relations. At this level, interaction with consumers is a little informal, so they feel more comfortable and can relate. The presentation is of utmost importance here. 

The Role of Each Player

• Media: The fashion media presents the products in such a way that it attracts customers. Magazines, blogs and influencers contribute at this level in the fashion business.
• Fashion Stylists: These are the people who decide what to curate and how to style it for media shoots
• Trend Forecasters: These are people or agencies who predict the upcoming trend and consumer behaviour in fashion.
• The Procedure: At this level, functioning begins even before the product’s launch. The fashion forecasters predict much in advance about what kind of product will become the hype. Whereas, PR and marketing teams work on building excitement. In a world where perception drives fashion, these additional aids have a big role to play in shaping consumer reaction.
• The Challenges: While it all looks so alluring, it has its own challenges as well. Today, social media and influencers hold so much power in fashion that one negative comment or post from them can take the entire product, trend or brand downhill. Social media is an ever-evolving medium and fashion must constantly keep up with the new trends to stay relevant.

The Four Levels Summed Up

Fashion industry today has become very vast and understanding it in-depth becomes useful in understanding upcoming fashion. All the four levels work independently, but in harmony, in bringing fashion from a thought to reality. 

Although, each level has its own share of hurdles, the success overall depends on the smooth functioning at each. With the evolving industry and growing conscious eco-friendly choices comes more responsibility. Only upon mastering this wide array can this art and business reach an even wider customer pool.

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