So I am in despair at the moment.
I signed up for a craft textile degree with the plan of doing crafts… Not fashion. Hear me? NOT FASHION.
One of the many bits of work I’ve got to do this week is write a blog about a clothing company and do some market research on my chosen shop. Second Monday in a row I’ve wondered what the hell I’m doing here.
We got to work in pairs so Sarah and I worked together and looked at George at Asda.
Asda are one of the top four major supermarkets, they started in Leeds and are now managed by Walmart.
According to a report on Mintel they made £1,620 million across their 500+ stores on clothing in 2012. It puts them just below sports direct for clothing sales, but top in the supermarket wars, with Tesco coming in at £1,050 million.
The other supermarkets cashing in on selling cheap fashion are Tesco (F&F), Sainsburys (Tu) and Morrissons (Nutmeg).
They target the young casual, lower wages earners, 20-30 age group.
On the positive the clothes are cheap and convenient, those of us who have little time or interest in endless clothes shops, all offering the same styles at less than the price of a big mac meal can throw in a t-shirt when we’re doing the grocery shop. Some of the stores open 24 hours which is handy for emergencies. Well, you never know when you’re going to need a clean pair of underwear. A lot of the stores are in housing areas rather than on high streets, meaning I don’t have to buy groceries then travel all the way into town for clothing.
The negative side though, well, it’s a personal negative. They say they do plus sizes, but not plus enough. Also, the clothing quality is a bit hit and miss. Today I’m wearing a t-shirt with a ripped neck hem (or whatever the technical term is) Buy hey, I’m in the dyeing workshop today so it doesn’t matter. I bought it from Asda, it lasted one wash before coming undone. I don’t fit into the womens plus size clothing, I’m not sure I want to though, not my style. The mens t-shirts and jumpers are great though. Also, what is it with designers thinking plus sized women want tops that stop just below the bellybutton? I need the whole belly covered, not just the top half.
Yeah, I don’t like fashion.