Listed below are the 4 major segments of the fashion industry. Each one focuses on a different market. The first is luxury, which is the highest end of the fashion industry. Luxury is defined by the price and quality of the products, while the next segment is fast fashion. Fast fashion clothing is available at an affordable price and can be easily paired with a higher-end piece. The fourth segment is the mass market, which is comprised of lower-priced, less-high-end clothing.
The clothing industry began to shift from custom-made garments to ready-made items during the industrial revolution. The rise of the middle class and the immigration of foreign labor brought the first wave of apparel production. During the early twentieth century, the garment industry was dominated by sweatshops in the Lower East Side of New York City. In 1911, the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire forced more unionization and regulation of the industry in the United States.
In addition to these two groups, the fourth segment, menswear, is also important to the fashion industry. Menswear, for example, is a growing market for tailored products. Custom-made menswear and womenswear is easy to find online and is customized to fit the wearer’s specific measurements. The high-end segment creates collections, while the mass-market segment sells finished garments.
