Okonkwo Prelims

design and construction of garments, he was also a marketing genius. He

changed the way fashion was retailed by introducing models and the ‘defilé’

(private fashion shows), and publicizing his creations through the ‘celebrities’

and influential women of the day. He also cut the production time of dress-

making by more than 50 per cent, taking only one fitting to make a dress

instead of the usual six fittings. His fashion empire was so successful and vast

that at the peak of his career he employed more than 1,000 seamstresses.

The rapid development and transformation of the fashion environment was

boosted by Europe’s fast industrialization and improvement of manufacturing

techniques. As a result the following important changes took place and

became visible towards the end of the century:

1 Fashion, both for men and women became simple, understated, unadorned

and classic as a result of the mind progressiveness of the people.

2 The simple and functional English fashion style for women emerged as a

complement to the French elaborate and elegant style. Men were also

influenced by the English country style.

3 The French revolution acted as a catalyst for the move towards the adop-

tion of simplicity and more democracy in fashion as a sign of modernity,

especially in the 1780s.

4 The rise of the Victorian era from the 1820s to the middle of the century

also heralded the commencement of ready-to-wear as sewing machines

were introduced to everyday women.

At the same time, America, the New World, was on the rise in both

economic and cultural influence. Although Americans widely adopted fash-

ion from Europe, their own tastes began to emerge especially during and after

the French revolution years, which led to less imports of French fashion into

America. Fashion for the masses also developed rapidly in America during

this period, especially after the emergence of the cowboys and their dress

style towards the end of the century. At the same time Americans embraced

jeans, introduced in 1850 by Levi Strauss, a Bulgarian immigrant. Although

jeans were originally a coverall made for California gold-rush miners from

sturdy tent material and were made popular a century later in the 1960s, their

foundation was laid during this period. The casual dressing of Native

American Indian women also influenced the fashion simplicity of this period.

Thus by the late 1800s a new kind of fashion freedom had been ushered in,

both in Europe and in America.

The rise of the yankees

The nineteenth century was the beginning of America’s influence in global

fashion. This was propelled by extensive industrial and economic growth as

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luxury fashion branding