Final Project on Maternity Fashion - Essay Example

TOPIC MATERNITY FASHION The contemporary woman is free. She is not bound by her sex nor do critical events in her life define who she is. The modern world focuses upon the emancipation of women; it focuses upon celebration of motherhood and independence. The woman of today is free spirited, sexy and bold and that includes within it all aspects and phases of her life. One of the critical events that paint a woman's life is pregnancy. It is not only a transitional period where she undergoes physical modifications; it is accompanied by psychological and emotional alterations; the way she looks and feels changes. Moreover, as a result of her ever growing belly and physical changes, women often find themselves dressing up in unflattering clothes to hide their figure. The idea of maternity wear in the modern sense of the word came first time around the middle of the 19th century when it was thought that such unmentionable circumstances as pregnancy had better stay hidden. This idea then evolved into a whole industry curtailing to the need of the modern pregnant woman. It offers women who are pregnant comfortable, trendy and everyday maternity clothing. The most inconvenient thing during pregnancy is the process of modifying dresses to the ever increasing stomach or choosing what to wear that would not look like a tent. Today a pregnant woman does not need to wear her husband's clothes to hide her which will male her look dowdy and uncouth. Also she does not need to wear dresses made as if there was only one standard model called pregnant and nothing else. In the contemporary world, the options for pregnant women to choose from are humongous. Maternity clothing understands that some women like to show off their bump while other modest conservative women might think otherwise. During the nine month period of pregnancy women undergo several bodily changes. Till the first three to four months, for most women, this change is not apparent. However, from the fourth month onwards changes become unmistakable. The belly and hips begin to enlarge, for most women, there is a swelling and the body begins to bloat. Maternity clothing is manufactured to cater for the expanding breasts, hips and waist that naturally occur during pregnancy. Obviously it also caters for the bump that is sitting out in front. Amongst pregnant women, some of them might have brownish or yellowish patches known as "mask of pregnancy," on their faces. There might also be some dark lines in the center of their lower abdomen. Also there is darkening of the skin of the nipples, external genitalia, and anal region. The above symptoms are a result of changes in the hormones during the pregnancy. The pigmentation might not be even in nature; therefore, the skin may darken in the areas where the patches appear. This pigmentation cannot be prevented but its effect can be minimized applying sunscreen and avoidance of ultraviolet rays. Acne is another skin problem during this nine month cycle because the skin oil production increases. It is not only pimples which appear on the face or the body, but moles and freckles which had been lighter earlier might darken in response to this increase in oiliness. The area around the nipple also darkens in color which is permanent. But all the other skin problems disappear after delivery. SWOT ANANLYSIS S-Strengths Our maternity line focuses on developing a relationship with the customer. It is one-on-one basis, where customers' needs are individually catered. The life span our product line is not short as the clothes bought during pregnancy can also be utilized afterwards with provision of pre- and post-natal services. A customized line for our customers is also developed, to fulfill their special needs accordingly. This customization can be done on the basis of color, design, size, texture or any other feature that the customer may require. The focus is not just maternity clothing, but out brand aims at the emancipation of the pregnant women with full range of clothing, a comfortable shoe line, skin products, and women's maternity intimate apparel available under one roof helping in saving time. A health centre for the expecting mothers would offer pregnancy work-outs and yoga classes. W-Weaknesses Our market share is limited only to the upper class due to costly maternity line. O-Opportunities Pregnancy health centre and a wide range of products under one roof would reap great profits. Due to high quality services, our brand can give a tough competition to the existing brands. T-Threats Our brand is a new entrant in the industry; therefore it would require time to establish its brand name. A number of already established competitors exist in the industry. MARKETING MIX While initializing the product plan, the foremost step we took was ensuring that a demand existed. We conducted an exploratory research that targeted women who were pregnant or mothers that had formerly been pregnant. Results indicated that although there were brands and products that catered to women who were pregnant in terms of fashion wear and goods, very few offered personal customized care. Moreover, the clothes designed for the target population focused on mostly r party wear and clothes worn during common daily activities. Barely any of the products catered to women who were employed or working; clothes primarily worn in the workplace were not a priority for most companies. It was then observed that a distinguished demand existed; a demand for a customized product and care that focused on women's essential needs during this critical period. Moreover, during the research it was observed that women during pregnancy felt clumsy and unattractive. A product line that focused on their emancipation therefore needed to be introduced. This product line would cater to women in terms of high fashion, needs and essential at the work place and at home, party wear, every vital that would make the pregnant woman feel confident, sexy and contemporary. The target market for our maternity line is the woman belonging to the higher class mostly working women who emphasize on the quality and looking the best in whatever they are wearing or whatever condition they might be in. would not compromise on their beauty at the expense of higher prices. Due to high quality of products and customized services provided by our brand, our products only focus to serve the high class of the society. PRODUCT AND SERVICES Designers are realizing that pregnant mothers-to-be still want to dress sexy, stylish or professional while pregnant. Today a permanent goodbye can be bade to the boring white, black and beige tent houses and skirts that fall sloppily and look at the bright colored options that our company provides. A wide range of colors are available to match the mood of the expecting mothers. Other than alternatives in color women can also take a pick from among skirts, tops, trousers, track pants and long flowing gowns which will prove mesmerizing for the customers at first site. Also we have designed our maternity line in such a way that would enable pregnant women to emphasize the more flattering parts of their body while reducing the focus on the protruding stomach. These aspects can only be kept in mind by trained designed, which have been employed by our company so that the woman of today can dress-up to her best even when she is supporting a huge stomach. Our maternity product line would include: Maternity Dresses Maternity Hosiery Maternity Intimate Apparel Maternity Bras Maternity Camisoles Maternity Panties Maternity Outerwear Maternity Coats Maternity Coats - Full Length Maternity Coats - Mid Length Maternity Jackets & Parkas Maternity Ponchos, Wraps & Capes Maternity Pullovers Maternity Vests Maternity Sweater Vests Maternity Pants Maternity Business & Dress Pants Maternity Corduroy Pants Maternity Cropped Pants Maternity Chinos Cropped Pants Maternity Slacks Cropped Pants Maternity Jeans Maternity Jeans Boot Cut & Flare Maternity Jeans Classic Cut Maternity Jeans Cropped Maternity Jeans Stretch Maternity Pants Khakis & Twill Maternity Pants Knit & Elastic Waist Maternity Pants Stretch Maternity Sweat Pants Maternity Shorts Maternity Shorts - Knits & Elastic Waist Maternity Shorts - Plain Front Maternity Shorts - Short to Midthigh Maternity Shirts Maternity Blouses Maternity Button-down Blouses Maternity Long Sleeve Blouses Maternity Peasant Blouses Maternity Short Sleeve Blouses Maternity Sleeveless Blouse Maternity Button Down Blouse Maternity Polos Maternity Sleeveless Shirts Maternity Tank Tops Maternity Tank Top - crew neck Maternity Tank Top - V-neck Maternity T-shirts Maternity T-shirts Long Sleeve Maternity T-shirt Short Sleeve Maternity T-shirt Three Quarter Sleeve Maternity Turtle Necks Maternity Turtle Necks - Long Sleeves Maternity Skirts Maternity Skirts - business skirt Maternity Skirts - casual skirt Maternity Skirts - Knee Length Skirt Maternity Skirts - Knee Length Skirt : A-Line Maternity Skirts - Knee Length Skirt : Full Maternity Skirts - Knee Length Skirt : Straight Maternity Skirts - Long Skirt Maternity Skirts - Mid-calf Skirt Maternity Skirts - Mini Skirt Maternity Skirts - Mini Skirt : A-Line Maternity Skirts - Wraps Maternity Sleepwear Maternity Pajama Bottoms Maternity Pajama Sets Maternity Pajama Sets - Pant Sets Maternity Pajama Sets - Short Sets Maternity Robes Maternity Bathrobes Maternity Housecoats Maternity Sleep Shirts & Nightgowns Maternity Sleep Shirts & Nightgowns - Long Maternity Sleep Shirts & Nightgowns - Long Sleeve Maternity Sleep Shirts & Nightgowns - Short Sleeve Maternity Sleep Shirts & Nightgowns - Sleeveless Maternity Suits & Separates Maternity Blazers & Suits Maternity Pantsuits Maternity Sweaters Maternity Cardigan Sweaters Maternity Shells Maternity Shells Sleeveless Maternity Shells Short Sleeve Maternity Short sleeve Sweater Maternity Twin Sets - sweater Maternity Sweater Vests Maternity Crewnecks Sweater Maternity Ponchos Sweater Maternity Turtlenecks Sweater Maternity V-necks Sweater Maternity Sleeveless Sweaters Maternity Swimwear Maternity Swimwear : One-piece Bathing suit Maternity Swimwear : Two-Piece Bathing suit Maternity Swimwear - Tankini Maternity Swimwear - Cover Ups & Wraps Accessories for Pregnant Women Formal gowns Business suites Skin care products Services offered would be: Health care center Health care consultants Customized tailoring services The health care would be established in order to take care of the expecting mother from all aspects. From acne to nail and hair problems, our store would provide skin, hair and hand products. The center would also provide its customers with specialized yoga classes which would enable in a normal and healthy delivery. In order to increase the life span of our products we would also introduce a customized tailoring service where our specialized designers would alter or redesign clothing for our customers after pregnancy. PRICE Good pricing begins with the complete understanding of the value that a product or service creates for customers. A high-quality pricing strategy can not be developed in isolation, but a combination of several pricing strategies needs to be implemented. Our pricing strategies are based on value-based and psychological pricing where the price depends upon the buyer's perception of value and the price is used to say something about the product. Market-skimming pricing strategy is also employed by our brand, by setting a higher price for our products to skim maximum revenues from the segment willing to pay the high price for high quality maternity products and services (Kotler & Armstrong 2008). Our brand would make fewer, but more profitable sales by catering the high class of the society. As we our providing our customers with customized services, our brand is using the dynamic pricing strategy in which the company adjusts prices continually to meet the characteristics and needs of individual customers and situations. PLACE Our brand is using the distribution channel structure, which is, corporate vertical marketing system that combines successive stages of production and distribution under single ownership. The control over almost every aspect of the supply chain, from design and production to its own world-wide distribution network will help us to generate high profits and valuable services for our customers. We are going to produce more of our fabrics on our own and will produce our own clothes rather than relying on a hodgepodge of slow-moving suppliers (Tungate 2007). This will also improve the quality of our products. New items will take shape in our own design centers, supported by real-time sales data. New designs will feed into our manufacturing centers, which would ship finished products directly to our stores, saving time, eliminating the need for warehouses and keeping inventories low. Effective vertical integration will make our brand faster, more flexible and more efficient than the competitors (Harris 2001). Our opening store will be located in the centre of the city where the products are easily accessible to the demographic population. The locality of the store would also be focused upon keeping in mind the image that we are giving out to our customers. Since our target population encompasses the upper class, the location of the store would be in a classy area where previously established brands are also located. Brand awareness would develop when customers visit the nearby stores and thus it would serve as a boost in the popularity of our brand. Moreover, since the locality of our store is within the previously established brands and product lines, customers would view our line as worthy and commendable. Psychologically, the place of our product line would serve as a value based strategy (Jobber & Fahy 2001). The product assortment and service decisions would be based upon segmentation of product line catering to individual needs (Easey, Sorensen, & Thompson 1994). The store would be a four story building focusing on a single particular niche, with each floor catering to a different segment of the target population. The 1st floor would be labeled "the comfort zone". This floor would include all products focusing upon the daily activities, clothes women require carrying out day to day work and chores, or semi formals for luncheons etc. It would also include a line of products focusing upon care of the mother-to-be called "comfort care". This would include skin and hair products specially designed by keeping in mind the transitional changes that pregnant women undergo example, cream for stretch marks, exfoliating and cooling down scrubs, foot massaging creams etc. "Comfort clothes" would include all sorts of clothes ranging from ponchos and tunic tops designed for pregnant wear. Jeans and trousers designed to facilitate bodily changes and sun dresses and frocks made specially to compliment their bodies. This line would also include sleepwear and lingerie. Sleepwear would include comfortable pajama suits, short nighties and longer shirts build and designed for maximum comfort. Lingerie would include braziers designed for lactation purposes with sewn in breast pads for women who lactate during pregnancy. Moreover, as previously lingerie for pregnant women has been unattractive or simple; our line would be colorful and appealing. The focus here would be like previously stated 'emancipation' and thus our line would focus upon making the pregnant woman feel beautiful and attractive. The second floor would be labeled "work zone". This product line would focus upon the pregnant woman who is employed and working. This line would include suiting designed specially keeping in mind the conventional woman working in the corporate world. Three piece suits with formal trousers and skirts would be altered to their sizes. Moreover, special customized care would be given in terms of the color, cut and fabric desires by the customers. Formal shoes that women can wear keeping in mind their essential needs during pregnancy of comfort will be available here. Unlike slippers of flip flops available on the comfort zone, these shoes would be formal as such that can be worn at the work place. The third floor would encompass the line "trendy zone". This line of product would include everything from swim suits to formal party dresses for women who desire to look sexy and trendy in all stages of their life. This line incorporates the message we are giving out to our target population. The line would also include shoes and clothes designed by keeping in mind the latest trends and fashions. It would also include special customizes care in terms of formal attire and apparel. The fourth floor would be dedicated to care and development of the pregnant woman. This would be the "care zone". The care zone would not be a product line but as assemble dedicated to the emancipation of the pregnant woman. This would include a health care center that would give yoga classes and specialist that would give consultation for women in terms of health, nutrition and skin care. An on-line store would also be launched by using business-to-customer (B2C) online marketing strategy in which we would use websites, e-mails, online product catalogues to provide our customers with the services they require. Our customers can go on-line to order a wide range of goods and services provided by our brand. PROMOTION A pull strategy for promotion would be adopted by the brand in which a lot would be spent on advertisement and consumer promotion to induce the target market to buy the product (Brassington & Pettitt 2003). Since we are launching a new product into the market, our emphasis on promotional activities would be strong. Moreover, with currently existing products within the market of already established brands catering to our target population, we need to have a high budget for promotion in ways that our product is established as a house-hold name. The locality of our store itself serves as a promotional prospect as it directly promotes our product to customers. By being located on the high-fashion street area, it adds to the psychological value customers would have for our product. Extensive parts of our promotion would be through non-personal communication channels including media that carries messages without personal contact or feedback. These would include mass media broadcasting through television advertisements, billboards and LCD displays in high packed crowded areas dominated by targeted demographs. Our advertisement would focus on brand endorsement through famous media people, public idols and celebrities; our focus here would be to show that these people undergo the same changes that any normal person does and how our line of products cater to their individual needs. Moreover, since our product is a high-class product we would focus on promoting the image of our brand as highly sorted and distinguished. We would employ a Public Relations Company to ensure that the introduction of our brand into the market is highly commendable. Advertisement through parties and events would be entertained. An opening night where all reputable and public figures of the higher class would be invited would be organized. Here, not only will we introduce out product but we would also bring to light the social image of the product that we are trying to uphold. Promotion through broadcast, print, display and online media would include newspapers, magazines, direct mails, television, billboards, signs, posters and websites. Our focus here however would be on the billboards and LCD displays in high traffic areas in upper class regions of the city. These displays would be in areas where they are most obvious, with bright and flashy colors and attractive tag lines. Advertisement through print media would include newspaper advertisement and magazines with rich glossy prints and colors to encompass the brand value we are attaching to our product line. We would advertise our product through sponsorship of high fashion events such as fashion shows and beauty pageants so that our brand name becomes house hold in the fashion scene. Moreover, this would serve as a means in popularity of our line. Our promotion would focus upon highlighting all the aspects of our line of products that distinguish it from other existing products. Emphasis would be laid upon a more personal and caring touches where our brand focuses upon developing a relationship with the clients and customers. The added facilities that we offer, including the health care and nutritional expertise offered to our client and customers would also be focused when we are advertising. Affluent class structure and the way segmentation of product lines in terms of niche that has been created by our store would be the highlight of our promotional practice. We would draw light to the different needs and roles that women serve during life and focus would be on their emancipation. Overall, our promotion would focus upon "emancipation of mothers-to-be" in ways that we put forward the belief that it is important for women to be sexy and trendy in all aspects of life, specially in times that are most critical; being pregnant. MARKETING STRATEGY- AN OVERVIEW The product that we are offering has gained popularity in the last decade. Where fashion was only for the slim and trims and for younger women, it has become a prerequisite for pregnant women. The popularity of the product has led to a number of brands already established in the area. The fact that maternity wear has become increasingly popular in the contemporary world serves as strength for our business. Although competitors already exist in the market, our line of products has a competitive edge. This is primarily why the product has a promising position in the market. The competitive edge that we have is the fact that our brand aims to develop a relationship with the customer rather then simply selling mere clothing or maternity products. This relationship focused upon customized care and attention. The establishment of health facilities also accounts for the special concern we have for our clients; women that do not wish to purchase but come to use our facilities would inevitably visit our purchase section through active and beautiful displays (Laczniak 2001). Moreover, the way we have positioned our product by using the right forms of advertisement that assures our image to be of high standard and for the affluent, and the way we have located our store aims at developing the brand value of our line. Factors such as quality of advertisement and the way we have displayed and marketed our products are focused on developing a value-based brand image. Since people incorporate price to set the standard of product itself, our pricing not only helps us break even, it also sets a prospective worthy image for our maternity line. Recent focus on feminism has been upon how women development and integrity; our focus on emancipation would not only forward a social message, it would be a pull factor for the contemporary woman of today. Our brand image focuses upon the mother of today; the different and contrasting roles she plays; that of a corporate woman, a housewife and a mother. Our focus relies upon understanding each of her distinguished roles and catering to the needs of each. Our store itself is segmented with the unaccountable roles played by her. That of a housewife, corporate woman and the sexy contemporary woman of today parallel to mother-to-be. We focus upon recognizing her needs, wants and priorities with a deeper understanding so that extra touch of care and compassion serves as a competitive advantage over the other existing brands. Reference: Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. 2003. Principles of Marketing. India: Pearson Prentice Hall Easey, M.; Sorensen, C. & Thompson, S. 1994. Fashion Marketing. India: Pearson Prentice Hall Harris, F. 2001. Corporate branding and corporate brand performance, European Journal of Marketing, 35 (3): 441-456 Jobber, D. & Fahy, J. 2003. Foundations of Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. 2008. Principles of Marketing. India: Pearson Prentice Hall Laczniak, G. R. 2001. Marketing: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management. London: Sage Publications Tungate, M. 2007. Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara. India: Pearson Prentice Hall Read More