The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
You can find the correct answer and detailed explanation for each question immediately following the question (simply highlight to read), along with all the answers at the end of the quiz. Good luck!
Question 1: Who said, "Street style is more penetrating… There's a sense of belonging to a tribe of very elegant people"?
a. Angelo Flaccavento, the Italian fashion journalist
b. Tommy Ton, jakandjil.com
c. Scott Schuman, thesartorialist.com
d. Eugene Tong, fashion director of Details
Answer 1: Choice (a) is correct. Speaking about Pitti Uomo, Angelo Flaccavento, the Italian fashion journalist, recently shared, "Street style is more penetrating. It's shot on the street in natural light. It's rougher, easier to emulate; you think, 'Oh I like that, I can do it as well.' There's a sense of belonging to a tribe of very elegant people. It is a formal show and the look carries an attractive narrative from the 1950s."
Question 2: The first edition of Pitti Uomo took place in 1972. At that time there were 30 to 40 exhibitors, of which 90 percent were Italian. Now there are _____.
a. approximately 500 exhibitors, of which 60 percent are Italian
b. approximately 500 exhibitors, of which 25 percent are Italian
c. approximately 1,000 exhibitors, of which 60 percent are Italian
d. approximately 1,000 exhibitors, of which 25 percent are Italian
Answer 2: Choice (c) is correct. According to Stefano Ricci, President of the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana, there are over 1,000 exhibitors today, increasing from 30 to 40 from the early 1970s. Now, 60 percent of the exhibitors are Italian, compared to 90 percent when Pitti Uomo first started.
Question 3: When Bergdorf Goodman's opened its dedicated men's store in 1990, there was one primary customer archetype – the captain of industry. How has its menswear business evolved since then?
a. In the beginning, there was one primary customer archetype. Today, there is a diversity of affluent customers.
b. In the beginning, the customer purchased clothing to wear to work everyday. Today, customers enjoy the process of collecting clothes, shoes, and accessories.
c. In the beginning, the primary categories were suits and ties. Today, there is a healthy mix of categories, including strong men's leather goods.
d. All of the above
Answer 3: Choice (d) is correct. According to Joshua Schulman, President of Bergdorf Goodman, "Today, we find that there is a much greater diversity of affluent customers and in the type of products that they're interested in. But what they have in common is that they're interested in products with great quality and great style, products that we work hard to provide for them."
Question 4: Where does world-renowned milliner Stephen Jones consider 'the epicentre of the fashion industry'?
a. Central Saint Martins, where he was a student
b. Paris Fashion Week
c. the grey staircase at Dior
d. Azzedine Alaïa's atelier
Answer 4: Choice (c) is correct. "Even now," Stephen Jones admits, "every time I climb that grey staircase lined with photographs of Ava Gardner and Marlene Dietrich, I feel that I am in the holy of holies — the epicentre of the fashion industry — and I find that very moving. There is nowhere in the fashion world more sacred than that fabled staircase."
Question 5: What were some of the early strategic decisions that set the foundation for Pitti Immagine Uomo's enduring success?
a. Globalising the exhibitors
b. Focusing on the 'environment' of Florence
c. Scouting for new designers and brands
d. All of the above
Answer 5: Choice (d) is correct "The mission of Pitti is to develop the best brands and manufacturers, and select for the buyers the best, not only in Italy, but in the world. Today we consider Pitti Immagine Uomo like a magazine. We try to set up new families of brands by travelling all over the world, doing real scouting and finding out what we think are the new tenants of menswear and the new design talents," explained Raffaello Napoleone, Chief Executive of Pitti Immagine.
Question 6: Bergdorf's is to ____ as Goodman's is to ____.
a. Andrew; Herman
b. Fifth Avenue; Madison Avenue
c. Chanel; Tom Ford
d. womenswear; menswear
Answer 6: Choice (d) is correct. Bergdorf Goodman's menswear store has been extensively remodelled and recast using a newly introduced sub-brand — Goodman's — which the store's management hopes will enter the vernacular of high-spending men much as 'Bergdorf's' has done for their female counterparts.
Question 7: Who said, "Men are more comfortable being fashionable. Men are more comfortable being dandy. The attitude has really changed"?
a. Tom Kalenderian of Barneys New York
b. Joshua Schulman of Bergdorf Goodman
c. Toby Bateman of Mr Porter
d. Marcelo Burlon of County of Milan
Answer 7: Choice (a) is correct. "There are fewer hang-ups about men being interested in buying a bag or buying a new bracelet. The stigma attached to it — that may have been potentially stopping men from buying something in the past — has moved away in a big way," said Tom Kalenderian of Barneys New York. "Men are more comfortable being fashionable. Men are more comfortable being dandy. The attitude has really changed."
Question 8: Despite explosive growth across all categories of menswear, which long-standing men's category is still the largest growth area?
a. Shoes
b. Shirts
c. Denim
d. Accessories
Answer 8: Choice (b) is correct. Shirts, regardless of design and fabric, are still the perennial growth driver of menswear.
Question 9: All of the following menswear brands are Florentine EXCEPT:
a. Gucci
b. Pucci
c. Versace
d. Cavalli
Answer 9: Choice (c) is correct. Gucci, Pucci, and Cavalli are Florentine, and Versace is Milanese.
Question 10: Stephen Jones thinks that ____ are the most important characteristics of a milliner.
a. confidence, empathy, and listening
b. fabric manipulation and technical drawing
c. clear vision and point of view
d. ability to creatively combine his aesthetic with that of another designer
Answer 10: Choice (a) is correct. Stephen Jones recently shared, "…the milliner must feel confident enough in his role to be able to empathise. I tell you, one of the absolute characteristics a milliner requires is being a very good listener. And that does not mean emails. It means face-to-face."
Answer Key: 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (d) 6. (d) 7. (a) 8. (b) 9. (c) 10. (a)
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