Fat Fashion Organizations and Strategy

Organizations and Strategy

Introduction

Fat fashion commonly describes the designs in the clothing industry that move faster from the runways to the stores with the sole purpose of taking advantage of the trends. These collections are mainly about the styles worn by celebrities and presented at the Fashion runways. Fast fashion is beneficial since mainstream consumers can purchase the hot new look at affordable prices. It becomes more common due to quicker and cheaper manufacturing and shipping methods (Hunt-Hurst, 2005). Nonetheless, there has been an increased appetite for the up-to-the-minute styles and the consumer purchasing power roses among the youth to assist them in instant gratification. The trend has been problematic, especially for the developed and established clothing trade labels, since introducing the new collections on an orderly and seasonal basis becomes is tedious. However, it is common for fashion retailers to introduce products continuously in a week to stay on a particular trend (Hunt-Hurst, 2005). The organizations in this sector must employ unique strategies to gain profits and develop a better competitive advantage than their competitors. Similarly, they must work under business ethics that benefit the organizational culture to solve several ethical dilemmas in the industry. Therefore, the companies in the fashion industry must have a corporate culture that affects their ethical conduct and strategic decisions.

Discussion and critical evaluation

The fashion industry's organizational structure is characterized by design, purchasing, sales, and marketing. Design and purchasing are known as the creative department. It is responsible for coordinating the designs of the product lines and working together with the purchasing director and product manager. The department also influences the design and pattern teams. The designers in these companies are often trained in design schools, and they are prominent in English with knowledge in pattern-making (Moorhouse, 2020). The purchasing department defines the product categories, the quantities needed to be purchased, and the prices and qualities for each style (Moorhouse, 2020). It also involves the exact date these products arrive at the stores. The departments manage, update, and improve the company's network of suppliers. The sales and marketing department is one of the essential departments in the industry. It is the cornerstone of fashion companies. The sales department plans and coordinates distribution in various channels, including the multiband, retail, and eCommerce department. It also coordinates the company's merchandising activities (Moorhouse, 2020). The sales and marketing department help the organizations to explore the new areas it may operate in based on commercial developments and attract investors to open new sale points.

The organizational structure impacts the strategic decision. The strategy in the industry is the plan that the entire business sets out to explain how the organization will use its significant resources. It is a pan of action helping the company reach a specific goal and stay on good terms with the vendors and clines. For instance, the organizational structure in Gucci highlights the company's thinking about its hierarchy, assigning tasks, and ensuring that the workforce collaboratively works to achieve a particular goal (Roshchupkina, 2021). Its main aim is to avoid overlapping tasks and confusion when laying a solid foundation for long-term productivity. An overlap in functions leads to a lack of accountability, inefficiencies, and confusion affecting profitability. Gucci's structure clearly defines people's roles, and it revises the systems to improve efficiency and even facilitate teamwork (Roshchupkina, 2021). It also creates synergy and eliminates or creates a new department or reduces costs. A synergistic structure allows a company to adopt a good strategy that benefits its companies.

There are ethical concerns in the fast fashion industry. The first is textile wastage. The industry is more likely to throw away the trendy and cheap clothes and start making others that will take over the fashion world. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that 17 million tons of textile wastes were generated in 2018, and only 2.5 million tons of them were recycled (Manufacturing and sourcing fashion products in a global industry, 2020). The fast fashion industry leads to carbon dioxide emissions. There has been a lot of waste in the landfills, and fast fashion has impacted the environment. It is responsible for approximately 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is more than maritime shipping and flights combined (Manufacturing and sourcing fashion products in a worldwide industry, 2020). It is responsible for approximately 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions annually, more than maritime shipping and flights combined. It is predicted that if things do not change by 2050, fast fashion will have used a quarter of the global carbon budget (Manufacturing and sourcing fashion products in a global industry, 2020). The other ethical challenge of fast fashion is water pollution. The clothes made of synthetic fabrics have microplastics that, when washed away or in landfills, are subject to rain, and the plastic shreds are flushed in the water systems and then the ocean. When plastics get into oceans, they affect marine animals, and the water is unsafe for use (Manufacturing and sourcing fashion products in a global industry, 2020). It also leads to unsafe labor conditions. The fast fashion industry has contributed to the mass production of garments. It means that the laborers in the factories must work for extra time with low wages to meet the fashion demands of the companies. In other cases, children are also employed as laborers, violating their fundamental human rights. The workers may be exposed to mordant dyes and chemicals at times, safety concerns.

Conclusion and recommendations

In summary, the fashion industry has been a unique industry that has been responsible for several ethical dilemmas. For instance, it has been responsible for 10% of carbon dioxide emissions. It has also been the case of unfavorable labor conditions since the workers are constantly overworking to keep up with the fashion trends. Besides, the industry has been responsible for textile wastage and even water pollution. The organizational structure is mainly based on sales, marketing, and product and design sectors. The sales and marketing department is responsible for the products' popularity and the deals that the organization makes within a specific financial year. The product and designing department ensures that the clothes made are unique, and many people buy due to their perfect equality.

Several recommendations could be provided to the sector. The first would be the recycling of textiles. Some fashion retailers recognize the harmful effects on the environment, making them take some steps to reduce their carbon footprints. The best would be recycling the textiles to deal with the ethical issue of textile wastage which results in environmental degradation (Bick et al., 2018). The industry can also repurpose old clothing. The recycling program for damaged garments would be an excellent way of avoiding the wastage of clothes and dumping them. The other recommendation would be to facilitate or rent second-hand clothes (Bick et al., 2018). The organizations can offer thrift stores globally to offer vintage and unique styles, and the second-hand model could be a solution to fight fast fashion (Bick et al., 2018). Buying second-hand clothes and renting them out would slow down consumer consumption and extend the life of the garments, which would have been sent to landfills to reduce carbon emissions. It will make the fashion industry more sustainable instead of combining some possibilities to reduce its harmful environmental impacts. It would also make it easier for consumers to take a stand against overproduction and lower their carbon footprints.

Reflective report

Fast fashion is marketed since it expresses an individual's identity by encouraging them to buy clothes and other distinct accessories that build these identities. These new collections commonly come in the stores two weeks a month, and the consumers are convinced to purchase new clothes. The people learn from the market whether they need more clothes and when they should be fashionable. These changes occur quickly, and people should learn to keep up with fashion. Social media mainly fuels fast fashion, and the influencers share their last updates to inspire the viewers and the younger generations who want more clothing. The purchasing trends in the fashion industry have increased in the last 15 years. These natural consequences fall in actual clothing utilization, whereby some items have been discarded since they are out of style and are worn out. The industry primarily functions by outsourcing some particular processes placed with cheaper labor and fewer regulations on hygiene and safety. The sector has been characterized by laborers who work overtime with low wages and have few rights.