Learning with style.
Many in the next generation of fashionistas are learning the ropes at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Over 10,300 students currently attend the Manhattan school, 84% of who are female. The most popular majors are fashion merchandising management, fashion design, advertising & marketing communications and communications design. Forty-seven percent of students are from New York City, 22% from the outer boroughs of New York state, 30% from other states and 11% from foreign countries. Annual tuition for a bachelor’s degree in-state is $4,350, and $10,610 for out-of-state.
Do you have that in a 8 wide?
Forget about walking. Those feet were made for shodding. Bill Boettge, director of special projects for the National Shoe Retailing Association reports that annual footwear sales in the United States are $50 billion. There are 35,000 shoe stores in the U.S., and about 35,000 other locations where you can buy shoes, including everything from high-end retailers hawking Manolo Blahniks to drugstores selling plastic flip-flops.
Does this shirt match my flight?
The worlds of air travel, music, telecommunications and wine weren’t enough for Richard Branson. Now, the billionaire’s empire is launching Girls Rock Virgin, a line of rock-and-roll fashion and accessories. The company is kicking off the new line with a fashion show and concert May 3 at Virgin Megastore Hollywood, hosted by Janice Dickinson. Models will include such “celebrities” as Kiara Bailey, Dominique Swain, Kaya Jones and Carrie Anne Inoba. No, we’ve never heard of any of them either.
It’s better to look good than to feel good.
And if you can’t look good, at least you can read like you do. A quick look at the circulation of Condé Nast Publications’ fashion titles shows some folks are still looking to their newsstands (or mailboxes) for the latest sartorial news. Vogue boasts a rate base of 1.15 million, while Glamour has 2.2 million and Allure 1 million. But don’t think its just young women reading up on the latest in suit cuts and hairstyles: Men’s Vogue has a rate base of 300,000, with a median age of 42 .
You’re not dressed without your lipstick.
A recent study by Kline & Company shows that direct sales represent 10% of the $150 billion world market for cosmetics and toiletries. Growth was particularly strong in China, Brazil, Russia, Argentina and India. “Especially in less established markets, direct sellers can reap the benefits of rapidly growing distribution without a bricks and mortar infrastructure,” notes David Vladyka, head of Kline’s consumer products consulting practice.
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