Every apparel business is built on the premise of five basic departments or functions which must be included within the structure of the company. The organizational and managerial structure of a company provides context for the many tasks and processes that is integral to any business. The fashion industry is a fast paced ever-changing environment.
Your business plan should be based on these five basic functions, which will help organize & improve efficiency which is key to growth especially for a Start-up.
- Merchandising
Merchandising is a specialized management functions within the fashion industry that consists of the planning, development & presentation of the product line.The word came from the “Merchandise” and means buying and selling something. Merchandisers make sure that goods are available in the right stores, at the right time and at the right price. They are on top of what is going on in the market. Merchandisers aim to maximize profits by deciding what to sell, how much to spend on stock, how much to buy and what price to sell at.
Merchandising can be further broken down to three types of merchandisers which include-fashion merchandisers, production merchandisers & retail merchandisers.
- Garment Production
The responsibility for making the product or manufacturing is traditionally called apparel production. Activities include design, technical design, developing the specifications, and costing the product. Activities may include sampling, testing, grading, fitting, marker making, weaving, cutting, sewing and finishing.Garment manufacturing typically involves several companies in manufacturing a product which can be a timely process unless handled efficiently.
- Finance
This area is responsible for all of the accounting activities of the firm which includes expenditures of materials & products, salaries as well as overall business budgets.
- Operation
Typically this area oversees the upkeep of equipment used by employees such as computers and building space and the distribution activities required for securing materials and shipping the finished products (also called logistics). This includes any transportation from materials to the factory to delivers of goods to your company as well as your customer.
- Marketing
Fashion marketing determines the advertising and promotional objectives, recommends sales goals creates marketing programs and tools. Tools can include photo shoots, media releases, internet marketing, product placements and many more other. Branding plays a key part in projecting the company image. The sales team is part of the marking function and it is responsibility to gather the data relative to target customers as well as sell the product.