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Home→The Westburn Dictionary of Marketing→F→fashion cycle

fashion cycle

Definition:
A variation of the PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE which reflects the sales history of the prevailing style of consumer articles such as clothing, soft goods, interior decoration, car design etc. Styles may be very short lived, in which case they may be termed 'FADS' or last for many years. Either way, a fashion cycle is seen as comprising three stages defined as distinctiveness, primary emulation and secondary or economic emulation. Take up of a new fashion by INNOVATORS seeking distinctiveness who will then be emulated by EARLY ADOPTERS who wish to copy them. In turn, if the fashion appears to be attractive to the mass market manufacturers will rapidly bring out large quantities of similar articles at much lower prices - Princess Di look-alikes, designer jeans - with the result that the innovator may well look elsewhere to regain distinctiveness thereby initiating a new cycle.

Cross-References:
[fad] [product life cycle (PLC) concept] [innovators] [early adopters]

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© Westburn Publishers Ltd 2002, The Westburn Dictionary of Marketing edited by Michael J Baker, ISBN 978-0-946433-01-8. www.themarketingdictionary.com. Entry: [Michael J. Baker],.