The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Game Forever

A Wall Street Journal reporter's account of the radical transformation of the fashion industry. The era when fashion was defined by French designers whose clothes were affordable only to the elite has ended. Designers now take direction from mainstream consumers, with creativity increasingly directed toward mass-marketing clothes rather than designing them. Teri Agins explores this significant shift, examining all aspects of the fashion industry including manufacturing, retailing, licensing, image making, and financing. The book includes insider accounts such as Donna Karan's conflicts with financiers, the rivalry between Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, and Isaac Mizrahi's business decline resulting from a commitment to haute couture. The work examines how marketing has become the dominant force in the fashion world.