2014/2015  KAN-CCBLV3009U  Fashion culture - fashion industry

English Title

Fashion culture - fashion industry

Course information
Language	English
Course ECTS	7.5 ECTS
Type	Elective
Level	Full Degree Master
Duration	One Semester
Course period	Autumn
Timetable	Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants	40
Max. participants	60
Study board	Study Board for BSc og MSc in Business, Language and Culture, MSc
Course coordinator
Lise Skov - Department of Intercultural Communication and Management (ICM)
Course administrator: Tove Pedersen (tpe.stu@cbs.dk)
Main academic disciplines
Globalization, International Business, markets and studies Innovation and entrepreneurship Communication Experience economy and service management
Last updated on 09-04-2014

Learning objectives

At the end of the course the student should be able to: • Describe and compare relevant theories of fashion, including aesthetic, semiotic, social and business-oriented perspectives • Analyze the organizational structure of fashion industries, and account for the different types of companies and strategies that make up these industries. • Evaluate the broader significance of the fashion industries with respect to the relationships between such issues as consumption, creativity, business strategy, entrepreneurship, organizational structure, sustainability, and government policy • Apply the concepts and theories from the course syllabus to empirical examples, case studies and specific companies

Prerequisites for registering for the exam

Number of mandatory activities: 1 Requirements about active class participation (assessed approved/not approved) Active class participation and discussion on an "approved / not approved" basis.

Examination

Fashion culture - fashion industry: Exam ECTS 7,5 Examination form Home assignment - written product Individual or group exam Individual Size of written product Max. 10 pages Assignment type Essay Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time. Grading scale 7-step scale Examiner(s) One internal examiner Exam period December/January Make-up exam/re-exam Another examination form 7 døgn til udarbejdelse, på basis af eksamensspørgsmål

Course content and structure

Fashion industries and fashion culture are characterized by the interdependence of what can seem like two very different cultural realms—the realm of aesthetics, glamour, beauty, and taste, on the one hand, and the realm of business strategies, organizational structures, market drivers, and competitive forces on the other.  This course explores the many lessons to be learned from the fashion — about social competition and self-expression, creativity and innovation, branding and differentiation, manufacturing and symbolic production, and management in a competitive and turbulent environment.  The course will draw on several disciplinary perspectives, including business literature, sociology, cultural studies and semiotics to offer a holistic industry framework, including processes of both production and consumption.  The course is divided into three sections. The first presents key theories of fashion emulation and aesthetics. The second addresses industry conditions in this highly volatile global sector. The third section introduces the concept of fashion world and fashion system to explore the role of Fashion Week, magazines, bloggers and others in coordinating production and consumption processes.

Teaching methods

Teacher-centred lectures alternate with exercises and case-study discussion. Film and visuals are used to a large extent. The course also includes lectures by visiting practitioners from the Danish fashion world.

Further Information

Changes in course schedule may occur Thursday 13.30-16.05, week 36-41, 43-46

Expected literature

Preliminary literature Barthes, Roland ‘”Blue is in fashion this year”: A note on research into signifying units in fashion clothing’ p.41-59 in Roland Barthes: The Language of Fashion. Berg 2006 Frédéric  C. Godart and Ashley Mears 2009 ‘How do cultural producers make creative decisions? Lessons from the catwalk’ in Social Forces, 88:2 p 671-692. Kawamura, Yuniya (2004): The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion, Oxford: Berg. Chapter 2: “The Modern Fashion System in France”, p. 35-55. Melchior, Marie Riegels, Lise Skov & Fabian Faurholt Csaba: “Translating Fashion into Danish”, Culture Unbound, Volume 3, 2011: 209–228. Hosted by Linköping University Electronic Press: http:/​/​www.cultureunbound.ep.liu.se   Veblen, Thorstein (1934, 1998) ‘The Economic Theory of Woman’s Dress’ p.65-78 in Essays in Our Changing Order