Week 2: Discussion Questions

1. How has fashion advertising changed since the mid-twentieth century? What are some of the differences between ads that appeared before the 1950s and those from the 1950s, 1960s, and today?

It's vastly changed from the 50's. 50's advertisement was more informal than fashion or any kind of world-changing advertisement. It wasn't really creative as well. They used real people doing real-life things, and they wanted to capture the image. One thing that I noticed about the 50's were that the seem to list prices of the product, and how it worked. While this day and age we barely list anything, it's more about image than price. Later through the 50's and 60's ads became more and more popular using successful tactics to compete with other companies.

2. What are some of the theories related to fashion branding? What do they say about fashion branding as a means of communicating with consumers? How do the contemporary ideas of Hamilton, DeBord, Agins, Gobe, and McCracken relate to those of Barthes and Baurdrillard?


Barthes found that there were three different levels that are a division of garments which relate to fashion branding. It shows a study of culture and fashion that influences many consumers and how they interpret fashion or fashion branding. There is one point to fashion branding though, and that is they try to communicate with the consumer in a way that the consumer can see the product in a way that is creative and force them or at least get them to see the garment and see the store or company for what it's worth. Most theories with Barthes and Baurdrillard seem to deal with the garment instead of the story of fashion branding that comes along with it.

3. What types of meanings does Grant McCracken associate with fashion products? Do you agree or disagree? If you disagree, what would you add to or delete from his list? Give an example of one of the meanings.


McCraken has nine subjects that deals with a company to help the company look at the target market a different way. They are; gender, lifestyle, decade, age, class/status, occupation, time/place, value, and fad, fashion, and trend meanings. (   ) These are really just the basics for any company. There is one thing that has changed, and that is the sexuality in most brands. The tend to sway towards more of the LGBT side, but at the same time appealing to the heterosexual community as well .