Introduction
Cotton On is a diverse Australian fashion label that reaches out to different target market and fulfils to introduce 'On Trend' statement products into a growing fashion industry. I have chosen Cotton On as my focus in this case study because of its rapid, global expansion and its diverse target market. Although this brand caters to specific target markets, (as it says on their chain brands) it has delivered a variety of products that would cater to the market and possibly more. My focus for this investigation is to examine field observations between three stores (locations), which I have been investigating and link back to the Cotton On brand, in order to expose their target market/s and compare the differentiation between the locations by using photographic observations to link to my written research. I want to introduce the opinions of the public into my research in order to expose a different perspective towards my findings where my discussion- about this brand- can bring a solid discussion to my results.
Fashion Retailer Background
As an Australian fashion label and discount specialty store, Cotton On has rapidly expanded, globally over the course of 23 years, with the focus of expanding further with its original brands. In the 1980s, Nigel Austin began with selling acid wash jackets at the local markets. Although he never made profit, he decided to make a business from it. Nigel Austin founded Cotton On in 1991 and opened their first store Geelong, Victoria and began to sell women's clothing. Over the years Cotton On has expanded to catering to all types of people through 8 other brands. Cotton On Body contains underwear, sleepwear and activewear for women. Cotton On Kids distributes clothing suited to childre...
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...me way in terms of co existing with other brands or products to help customers find items in a set choice. In my visual observations as well as my own experience, the store is divided in six sections; Kids, Body, Men's, Women's, Rubi shoes and Sales, which each cater to a certain market. In the middle of each section there are sales price points from that category or brand. Even though the whole stores purpose is to cater to many age groups and genders, it seems that the sales sections only has women's products, therefore that section would only appeal to women as well as the shoe section and the underwear section. However, on the Cotton On website, in the section of 'our vision' it states in bold writing 'Our vision is to be the dominant value brand globally' which indicates that their intention is to provide for all types of consumers but the stores say other wise.
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was raped at knife point in her apartment. She was able to escape and identify Ronald Cotton as her attacker. The detective conducting the lineup told Jennifer that she had done great, confirming to her that she had chosen the right suspect. Eleven years later, DNA evidence proved that the man Jennifer Identified, Ronald Cotton was innocent and wrongfully convicted. Instead, Bobby Poole was the real perpetrator. Sadly, there are many other cases of erroneous convictions. Picking cotton is a must read for anybody because it educates readers about shortcomings of eyewitness identification, the police investigative process and the court system.
Thompson, Jennifer. Cotton, Ronald. “Picking Cotton.” Ferris State University. Williams Auditorium, Big Rapids, MI. 15 April 2014. Guest Lecture.
When you go to the mall to pick up a pair of jeans or a shirt, do you think about where they came from? How they were made? Who made them? Most consumers are unaware of where their clothes are coming from. All the consumer is responsible for is buying the clothing from the store and most likely have little to no knowledge about how it was manufactured, transported, or even who made the clothing item and the amount of intensive labor that went into producing it (Timmerman, 3). In my paper, I will utilize the book Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman and the textbook Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest to examine globalization in the context of the clothing industry.
When people go shopping there are limitless choices of one product made by different companies, all choices of this product basically do the same thing, but what makes them different is the brand’s name. Companies with brands are trying to get their consumers by presenting their commodities in ways
The King Cotton, phrase frequently used by Southerners and authors pre and post-Civil war era, indicating the economic and political importance of cotton production. “After the invention of the cotton gin in 1793. The cotton gin was a machine that easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, allowing for much greater productivity than manual cotton separation”(Cotton in the South, Eichhorn). The cotton gin allowed cotton to surpass tobacco as the dominant cash crop in the agricultural economy of the South, soon comprising more than half the total U.S. exports. “At the time of the American Civil War Southern plantations generated 75% of the world 's cotton supply” (Cotton in the South). Throughout this essay I will examine the North Atlantic
The worst thing in life is paying for another man's mistake. Sadly, this is something that occurs frequently. After watching a video about the wrongful conviction and the imprisonment of Ronald Cotton, I was baffled. I find it absurd that an innocent person can lose their freedom for a crime that they were not involved in. Ronald Cotton is not the only unfortunate individual who has endured wrongful imprisonment. Bennet Barbour, James Bain, and many others have been convicted of crimes that they did not commit due to faulty eyewitness testimonies.
In the early 1990’s, outdoor apparel brand, Timberland received an unexpected growth in its consumer base and its sales. The brand’s popular waterproof leather boots, generally used for outdoor activities and moving through rugged terrain, were being worn by inner-city youth as a fashion statement. These new consumers wanted to keep their boots as clean as possible and some even wore the boots in the heat of summer, an incongruous contrast to how the target market used the boots in rough, messy weather conditions. While Timberland enjoyed the unexpected sales, they were faced with a decision. Should they try to further exploit this unintentional market; if so how would Timberland’s outdoorsmen target market respond? In this case, it seemed that these non-target consumers had no affect on the brand’s intended target market. So in response Timberland kept its advertising focused on the brand’s traditional target, while urban consumers continued to buy Timberland products. The brand continued to grow, achieving global sales of over $1 billion by 2007 (Fitch 2009).
Price: They have pricing strategy for different group of consumer. The price of their shoes varies depending on the type of the shoes, the feature of the shoes, and even design and edition matter. The shoes can be price at a standard price where most customers can afford. Yet some special feature shoes are specially design and created for premium customer who can afford to pay a higher price. For this reason they can capture different group and level of customer.
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This essay will discuss Fast Fashion and the Impact of Technology. I will focus on the different levels of the market, the effect of fast fashion on fashion design, how copying effects high end designer brands and the impact of technology on the fashion industry.
Fast Fashion may be the most significant disruptive in the retail industry today. Troublesome novelties, or product or services, that alter an prevailing market by presenting minimalism, suitability, convenience and affordability, have the most positive influence on a company. Because fashion is ever changing and technology is always evolving the amount of production time it takes for something to be manufactured
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Many, many things that we wear, sleep on, sleep under, walk on, or utilize in wound-care, etc., contain some percentage of cotton. It is a fiber that is used everyday, by everyone, in one way or another. It has qualities that have made it a choice crop for centuries around the world. Today though, cotton is being largely displaced by synthetic fibers that have qualities that exceed the natural crop plant. These fibers can also be mass-produced and sold at relatively lower costs.
...enture into overseas market comes with expectations as well as uncertainties due to unfamiliarity. Charles and Keith, the fashion retailer, has to understand clearly that what appeals in one market might not be accepted in the others and this is almost the same for all industries. Thus, a thorough research on cultural background has to be done before entering an unfamiliar ground.
From 2005 the textile segment has been made up of 2 companies, transforming raw materials into fabrics, from spinning to finishing and ennobling. Handicraft product quality and technological research development characterize this business segment which works with internationally recognized names of the apparel and fashion industry.