The FIT FOUNDATION reception last night thanked the scholarship donors who back our mission of supporting the future for students like 2019 graduate, Allison Fern Clausius!
On Tuesday, March 30th 2021, NPD Industry Analysts shared how the apparel and intimates consumer has evolved, how the Intimate Apparel Industry fared during 2020, and how brands and retailers that won innovated and transformed. We thank Kristen Classi-Zummo and Todd Mick for sharing their knowledge with us!
This virtual panel discussion with members of the Underfashion Club focused on intimate apparel careers and what it takes to be successful in the intimate apparel industry.
Philip Fimmano, Partner and Director at TREND UNION, a leader in compiling trends from around the world since 1986, spoke to our crowd from the Underfashion Club at the Harvard Club of New York about “The Impact of Socio-Cultural Changes on Fashion 2020-2021.” Socio-cultural trends have had an impact on all aspects of fashion, from sustainability to color trends, fabrics/materials and accessories.
The overarching theme of this educational event was the idea of brown as a color and a metaphor for society getting closer to the earth and the diversity of people. Philip linked the color to the way we will be living in the future. Brown is more in-tune with the current period after 30 years of black, transforming any item into something luxurious, modern, and less aggressive. The consumer wants to be different, focused on ecology, and casual. Browns and neutrals soften the edges on the body when worn.
The Consumer Evolution seminar was given by Todd Mick, Executive Director of Apparel and Kristen Classi-Zummo, Apparel Market Analysis Director of The NPD Group; an authority on market size and trends in over 20 different industries. They shared information regarding consumer trends in the intimate apparel industry with The Underfashion Club at The Harvard Club of New York.
Todd Mick discussed the evolving consumer using 3 key themes:
The Underfashion Club met on March 12th at the Harvard Club of New York to learn about Consumer Evolution with The NPD Group; an authority on market size and trends in over 20 different industries. Presenters Todd Mick, Executive Director of Apparel and Kristen Classi-Zummo, Apparel Market Analysis Director shared their knowledge and data regarding consumer trends in the intimate apparel industry.
Kristen Classi-Zummo described today’s changing consumer using key themes:
Industry Lead on Fashion and Luxury retail on Facebook and Instagram, Bora Chow shared her expert insight with the Underfashion Club at the Harvard Club of New York in her presentation “Consumer Behavior & Expectations in a Mobile First World”!
Bora has been at Facebook for about three years. Prior to joining Facebook, Bora spent a majority of her career in the publishing industry and most recently, she was at Vogue for five years, helping them grow from the one magazine platform to 10 different platforms. At Facebook, Bora consults with leading fashion and luxury retailers on their mobile and social strategy and how to execute a customer centric approach across Facebook’s family of apps.
On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, The Underfashion Club hosted an open discussion at the Harvard Club in New York City with Sidney Morgan-Petro, Senior Retail Editor at the London-based trend forecasting company, WGSN. Morgan-Petro led an exploration of the turmoil in retail stores. Explaining how retailers in the U.S. are dealing with all the dynamic changes in the purchasing patterns of consumers.
To begin, Morgan-Petro shared some interesting statistics affecting retail stores for 2017, including the fact that about 3,000 retail stores had closed that year. Yet during the same year retailers opened over 1,300 more stores than the number closed. There was actual growth in retail. She also stated that in 2017, 42% of retailers have actually added stores, while only 15% have gotten smaller.
On October 10th, 2017, The Underfashion Club had the pleasure of hosting Don Unser, Group President of Retail with NPD, at the Harvard Club of New York for a discussion on “Trends in the US Retail Landscape.” The NPD Group is among the top 25 market research companies, providing marketing information and advisory services to companies. After an hour of cocktails and networking, attendees took their seats to learn about the modern retail climate in the United States.
Don began his presentation by highlighting macro trends across industries and categories before digging deeper into apparel and intimate apparel. Based on tracking $1.8 trillion dollars spent by consumers in the US, Don Unser commented that “There has never been a more tumultous time in retail in the 30 years I have been in the industry.” The overall growth rate is -0.2%, the only time we’ve seen a negative growth rate in US retail since the recession. Apparel sales are now flat, which is a first given that a growth rate of 1-3% is typical in this industry.
Robin Lewis, retail expert and founder/publisher of The Robin Report, shared his insights into the modern retail environment with his presentation, “Retail Tsunami.” Thank you to all Underfashion Club members and friends who joined us on March 28th at the Harvard Club of New York for an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, networking, and education! Your attendance supports our mission to promote “Education today for a better industry tomorrow.”