The popularity of TV shows such as America's Next Top Model or Project Runway have had a positive effect on the general public's view of the fashion industry. It enticed many young minds to throw their souls into the design & craft of clothing.
Doing business in the industries of textiles and cosmetics is no different than any other industry. The End of Fashion by Teri Agins is a book that does a great job of documenting how the economics of the fashion industry has evolved into what it is today. Although the book is not a "how-to" guide, it is a great look inside the reality of a "haute" glamorized industry.
Over the years, we created successful campaign and marketing photographs for fashion houses
Tip:
Using no model is better than using the wrong model
The difficult part of presenting clothing or beauty products in a photograph is that your prospect will ultimately be judging two individuals: the model in the photograph, and themselves.
The balance lies into creating
desire without spiteful self-distress. The choice of the model is critical. The look of the model is critical to sublimate the product.
Givenchy Creative Director Riccardo Tisci used exclusively Asian models to present his Japanese-influenced Spring/Summer 2011 collection. This example illustrates how a company can chose models to express their brand's artistic direction and identity.
While models are widely used in the fashion industry, this is not a necessary condition to commercial success: BlueFly, became the largest discount fashion e-commerce website while using only mannequin on their item photographs.