Unit 1b - Theoretical Overview

Introduction

Psychologists speak of fashion as the seeking of individuality; sociologists see class competition and social conformity to norms of dress; economists see a pursuit of the scarce; aestheticians view the artistic components and ideals of beauty; historians offer evolutionary explanations for changes in design. Literally hundreds of viewpoints unfold, from a literature more immense than for any phenomenon of consumer behavior.
--George B. Sproles, 1985

This course will focus on an overview of fashion theory, including a general discussion of the various theoretical perspectives which will be covered in the course. Before continuing with this section, you should complete the readings and questions for Unit 1a - Definition of Fashion.

What is Theory?

This course focuses on "fashion theory". So, What is a theory? And why should we study theories? The word "theory" often has the connotation of the abstract and elusive (e.g., theory versus practice). However, theories associated with fashion products and processes have developed and evolved over time as a way of explaining the fashion phenomenon and in assisting professionals and scholars in predicting the fashion phenomenon in the future.

In this introduction, I would like to give a very brief general overview of theories -- what they are and why we study them. Please remember that this is just a quick overview, so that you have a context for our study of fashion theory. There are many many books and even full courses (e.g., AIHM 690) that focus on theory development.

In general, a theory is a set of statements which explain existing laws and predicts new laws. Theories serve several purposes:

to predict behavior,
to explain behavior, and
to organize our observations in meaningful ways.

Theories can evolve through both inductive and deductive reasoning. Through inductive thought, we make observations or collect data about the phenomenon (in this case, fashion) and organize our observations/data in meaningful ways.
Data/Observations -> Theory

Through deductive thought, we use existing theories to predict behavior about the phenomenon. Based on our observations of the behavior, the theories are revised.
Theory -> Data/Observations

In inductive reasoning, theory emerges from observations. In deductive reasoning, theory allow us to predict what we will observe.

Therefore, theory:

organizes thoughts
allows for generalization (inductive thought)
allows for inference (deductive thought)
limits the scope of our studies through inclusion and exclusion
allows us to check for spuriousness (lack of authenticity) in our data

Theories are never proven or disproven; only supported or not supported.

We will examine a number of theories this term that are related to fashion -- how and why fashion objects emerge, are accepted by consumers, and change over time. Some of the articles you will read will be theoretical articles; that is, they will outline specific theories. Others will be research studies or essays that support one or more theoretical perspectives. The course is organized in somewhat of a chronological order of how the various theories developed and evolved.

In this learning unit, Sproles will provide an overview of various theoretical perspectives that have been related to fashion, Lauer and Lauer provide a general analysis of fashion, and Davis outlines the stages of the fashion process from a theoretical perspective.

An additional reading related to theory that you might find useful is:

Winakor, Geitel (1988). Research in fashion merchandising: The need for a theoretical base. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 7 (1), 31-35.