Casual pants in department stores are casual pants

"Casual pants in department stores are casual pants," says Luehrs. "In discount stores, they are dress-up pants that people might wear to church. It's a dress-up pant for the blue-collar guy. For the guy who shops at Macy's, it's a casual Friday product."

This buying pattern, adds Luehrs, is evidenced by how products are merchandised: In department stores, dress pants and casual khakis are in separate departments. At mass, there are usually no true dress pants available; generally, khakis are merchandised with or alongside jeans.

In all channels, though, a desire for neatness and comfort is encouraging consumers to think about khakis, says Dickies' Ragsdale. "It's an in-between category'" he adds. "My impression of the khaki pant customer is that it is their number one concern to feel comfortable but to feel they look good and not dressed down. They also don't want to look too young."

A few years ago, offering khaki pants with wide appeal was difficult for value-driven retailers. What was available mainly came via private label and little-known suppliers. Often, pants had strange fits which were sometimes caused by stiff fabrics and "knock-off" silhouettes. But development of better finishing processes in recent years and increased branding of the category is making khakis more attractive to mass merchants and consumers.

"Garments have softened up significantly," says Barrow's Jennings. "This has allowed the category to grow tremendously at mass while adding only $1 to the retail price as opposed to the $4 or $5 added by finishing garments [for softness] the old way."

On the branding end, almost every major jeans supplier now offers khaki pants. To some, this may be the suppliers' defense against the ever-increasing quality and popularity of private label in jeans and other sportswear.

"Originally, it was all private label in khakis," says V.F.'s LaGrega. "While there's been big changes in private label, consumers who tried those products in the past were not happy with the quality. So they were reluctant to try again, even years later.

"In developing products, we found there was not a recognizable brand for men they trusted," he adds. "From a quality point of view, they did not perceive that the discounter had a product with which they associated quality." yanzic0710.

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Like jeans, hues are neutral

On the color side, choices include navy, stone, black, olive and, of course, khaki. Like jeans, hues are neutral. Dickies' Ragsdale notes that khaki has become the category's name, even when it is not a product's color. "Today's consumers and trade buyers use khaki as a designation for a category," he adds. "The word `khaki' denotes color, although it's come to mean a certain type of pants as well. We have consumers calling our navy pants khakis."

Still, there are wide differences in opinion over what is and is not a khaki pant. For many experts, though, the deciding factor seems to be the fabric. "It's a lighter fabric," says Leuhrs. "In jeans, you mostly use 14.75-ounce denim; in casual pants, you're talking 8-ounce fabric."

Everybody also has a different theory on when khaki pants first became popular: One retailer says they were popularized in the 1940s via Gregory Peck movies; Dickies, which has offered its classic "874" khakis for years, says its production of khaki uniform pants for World War II spurred the original trend, and a regional retailer says they were the East Coast college "uniform" during the early 1960s.

Whatever the true story may be, most suppliers are reporting even larger gains in casual pants than retailers. Since many of products have been sold to chains but have not yet hit the retail floor, the increase could be a harbinger of even better days to come.

Luehrs says-khakis now represent 35 to 40 percent of his overall pants business; growth of five-pockets has slowed to "less than 5 percent," he adds.

Thomas R. Jennings, president of Barrow Manufacturing Co. of Winder, GA, says cotton twills now comprise 75 percent of sales; jeans represent a mere 5 percent. Five years ago, about 40 percent of the company's business was in casual pants and 25 percent in jeans. Remaining business is and has been done in dress pants and other products. "Five or six years ago, cotton twills weren't that much in demand," he adds, "although we had them."

NOT JUST FOR CASUAL FRIDAY

Casual Fridays have played a major role in khakis' resurgence in the 1990s. But while Wall Street employees may shop for Friday garb at The Gap, khakis can take on different meanings at mass, where many shoppers are employed in blue-collar occupations. yanzic0710.

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Anticipated effects of school uniforms include the end of rivalry among students in expensive dress and jewelry

And therein lies the fly embedded in a ball of wax. Without a mandate by the chief school authority, approved by his board of education, violations of the uniform requirement would be a source of continuous disruption. Even with a mandate, there are many parents who would object to the expense of school uniforms. And there are children and high school youths so accustomed to doing it their way that they would defy a dress code.

Nevertheless, thee are a few schools--the newly created all-girls school in Harlem; Intermediate School 59, Manhattan; Azalea Elementary, Pinellas County, Fla.; the Long Beach, Calif., public school system--that have mandated uniforms. These uniforms are not elaborate--for example, light-blue shirts and dark-blue pants or skirts.

Anticipated effects of school uniforms include the end of rivalry among students in expensive dress and jewelry, elimination of gang insignia in schools, end of sex-messages on T-shirts.

Any public school that seeks to follow the example of parochial schools where uniforms are a tradition should do so. Prior involvement of parents is a minimum. Assurance of maximum cooperation must be obtained before announcing a school uniform policy. Uniforms would be a step in the direction of restoring school discipline, but they are not a panacea.

For those willing to take the chance, the motto should be "Tinker be damned! Full speed ahead!" yanzic0705.

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Recognizing the Connection Between Dress and Behavior

The baggy-pants generation in our schools affirms its alleged constitutional right to dress as it pleases. And it pleases to be so scruffy as to invite demurrers from President William J. Clinton, New York City Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew and school administrators nationwide.

For school youths who cannot write a single, literate paragraph about the origins of the Constitution, to invoke I st Amendment protection for the right to dress as slobs borders on sacrilege. Probably not one in a hundred thousand could cite the U.S. Supreme Court decision that has been used in the past quarter of a century to justify the dragging down of learning to the level of their dress.

The youths do not have to cite the law. It is invoked for them by chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Count on the ACLU to be at the court doors whenever its action can destroy discipline in a school.

The bedrock case that has sunk schools in the quicksand of rotten dress and matching behavior in many of the 100,000 public schools in the nation is Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969). The Tinkers sent their children to both elementary and high schools in Iowa. Although the principals had adopted a role prohibiting the wearing of armbands, the Tinker children deliberately wore black anti-Vietnam War armbands.

Tinker Decision Used To Justify Scruffy Attire

A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Tinker children were exercising 1st Amendment rights of free speech. It is the Tinker decision that is being used up to the present day to justify the scrofulous attire of many school children.

Although Tinker rings a bell with principals, it is not so loud that it has dimmed many court decisions that sustain the right of principals to enforce dress codes designed to prevent school disruption. Apart from the baggy pants, unlaced, oversized shirt tails hanging out, shoulder-length hair, there are T-shirts with messages so vulgar that we shall not repeat them in this column. As a single example, there is the Ohio federal court decision in 1987 that put down students who sued to allow them to attend a prom dressed as a person of the opposite sex. In the court's view, schools have the authority to enforce dress regulations that teach community values and promote school discipline.

In the hope of reforming schools, because they see rightly the connection between dress and behavior, Clinton, Crew and many others are calling for public school children to wear uniforms. Crew has limited this to the first three grades, but the President would cover all grades. Neither would mandate school uniforms.  yanzic0705.

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The clothing produced under the Loxion Kulca label seeks to project “street feel” and initially involved clothing with a loose fit

Loxion Kulca

The Loxion Kulca brand offers a case study of a radically different character to

that of either Sun Goddess or Stoned Cherrie. What is distinctive about Loxion

Kulca is that it is an enterprise that is centrally focused on brand construction and

232 URBAN FORUM

development rather a direct focus on design, production and distribution processes.

The Loxion Kulca label was established as recently as 1999 and presently is

owned jointly by Sechaba Mogale and Wandi Nzimande, both of whom were

born in 1976, the year of the Soweto uprising. Close school friends, at age 24 the

two founders, with no formal education in fashion, were looking for ways to

make money in the late 1990s. As representatives for a fashion business known

as ‘Fashion Fever’ selling hats their awareness developed of the importance of

branding. The pair wore crocheted close-fitting skull caps and local people began

asking them where these caps could be purchased. This provided the impetus

for the two partners to encourage friends and family and others to produce the

hand-knitted ‘beanies’ which were sold either out of plastic bags or car boot.

An important turning point in the growth of the enterprise was the taking-on

of a white business partner, a former successful clothing manufacturer, who assisted

the two black entrepreneurs to grow Loxion Kulca into a mass market

brand. The brand collection diversified from the initial focus on hats into urban

street-wear, mainly of denims, printed T-shirts, and sport shoes and later to include

branded overalls and men’s suits (Nuttall, 2004). The clothing produced

under the Loxion Kulca label seeks to project “street feel” and initially involved

clothing with a loose fit with pockets “in the right place’ for keys or cell phones.

Marketing was a critical factor for the early success of Loxion Kulca as the clothing

label was surrounded by kwaito and hip-hop music and street culture (art and

graffiti) that allowed the brand to capture and retain ‘street cred’ (Rubin, 2003).

The name Loxion Kulca was created out of the belief of its designers that

urban locations or townships (Loxion) were similar in their cultural vibe (Kulca).yanzic0626.

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Steve Biko and shebeen queens have enabled a blend of traditional design

Stoned Cherrie

blends images of boxing champions, beauty queens, and musicians from Drum,

a magazine that was extremely popular in the 1950s, integrating them into contemporary

fashion styles (Nuttall, 2004: 436) Various emblems and prints depict

Steve Biko and shebeen queens have enabled a blend of traditional design, South

African history and modern urban design, which is projected at “an expressly

cosmopolitan target audience” (Nuttall, 2004: 436). For this unique blend of design,

Stoned Cherrie has been hailed as “a true South African brand” by the

Programme Director of the South African Fashion Week, Dion Chang (2005).

In terms of business development, whilst Nkensani believes that black economic

empowerment must be a central feature of the Stoned Cherrie business

strategy, the core criteria for employment is level of skill rather than racial considerations.

This approach is emphasized by Nkensani’s philosophy that ‘being

African is not about being black’. Indeed, until recently, one of the major designers

employed at Stoned Cherrie was a white woman (Cameron, 2004). All production

of Stoned Cherrie clothing is outsourced to local manufacturers either in

Johannesburg or Cape Town.

The domestic high income South African market is the core of Stoned Cherrie’s

current business. Currently, Stoned Cherrie does not export its products. Nkensani

has taken the strategic decision to first build the enterprise and brand with a solid

foundation in the South African market. Future planning for Stoned Cherrie does

include potential initiatives to market their goods, particularly in Japan and the

USA. Overall, the main business goals of Stoned Cherrie, going forward, are to

grow their market, both locally and internationally, as well as to diversify into the

home-ware market. yanzic0626.

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KARL LAGERFELD, known for his versatility, creativity, and graceful design aesthetic

KARL LAGERFELD CHANEL Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1938, Karl Lagerfeld was mesmerized by art and fashion even as a child. When he was only 15, he went to Paris to enter a competition with a coat he had designed and walked off with first prize. It wasn't long before the talented young designer was snatched up by the couture houses of Paris. In 1963 he started his own line of clothing and began a longstanding collaboration with Fendi, for which he still designs. In 1983 he became artistic director for Chanel. Known for his versatility, creativity, and graceful design aesthetic, he's won praise for bringing new freshness to the classic label with out altering it too dramatically.
The lavish, theatrical elements in many of Lagerfeld's designs make them a natural for the Oscars. In fact, his clothes have been stars themselves as costumes for European and American movies and operas.
When he's not designing gowns for the world's most glamorous women, Lagerfeld devotes himself to restoring old houses, collecting 18th-century furniture, and photography, which he has turned into a second career. He also recently completed a collection of illustrations for a new children's book based on--appropriately enough--"The Emperor's New Clothes."
MIUCCIA PRADA PRADA
The Prada trademark dates from the early 1900s when Miuccia's grandfather Mario opened two leathergoods stores in Milan. He stocked them with designs created from the exotic materials he collected during his travels--rare fish skin and tortoiseshell from the Orient, and parachute nylon from the United States. Although the business declined after Mario's death in the 1950s, Miuccia took it over in 1978 and made it her mission to infuse new life into the family label.
She's done that--and more. Miuccia introduced her first collection of shoes in 1985 and, in 1989, launched her debut women's collection. Her sleek, sophisticated, modern edge was a perfect fit with the understated, minimalist climate emerging in fashion, and it wasn't long before the Prada name gained cachet with the young and fashionable crowd. Among her devoted fans are Caroline Bissette Kennedy (Mrs. JFK Jr.) and Uma Thurman. In fact, the elegant lavender Prada gown Thurman wore to the 1995 Oscars is hailed by some as a bellwether in the simple-chic Oscar-fashion trend.
Prada herself describes her style as a blend of practicality and whimsy, stemming from her dual background in political science and theater arts. Whatever the inspiration, her work continues to earn accolades and celebrity clients.
JOHN GALLIANO CHRISTIAN DIOR
Sure, critics are praising understated navy silk pantsuits these days, but there's always room for flair and flamboyance on a glamorous night like the Oscars. And that's where fashion impresario John Galiano comes in. He was already a force int he couture world when the took the helm at Christian Dior in 1996. His Oscar-night creations are among the boldest and most unforgettable, and it takes a bold, confident start to wear them (Madonna, Celine Dion, Nicole Kidman, for example). A chartreuse gown with mesh back, Chinese embroidery, and fur tassels might sound like a potential disaster--but when Galliano conceives it and Kidman carries it off, the fashion press swoons.
If, as some say, the most innovative designers in Paris are British, galliano. certainly fits the mold. Born in Gibraltar in 1960 and raised in England, he combines the best of British tradition with thoroughly modern and wildly imaginative designs that have been called everything from "poetic" to "eccentric." for inspiration he has drawn on such diverse sources as Mata Hari, Japanese art, Toulouse-Lautrec, Napoleon and Josephine, and the Scottish Highlands.
Galliano introduced his first collection in 1985 and, after enjoying success on his own, was lured to Givenchy in 1995 to help give the classic label a fresher, more modern image. His collections won the British Designer of the Year award as well as Spain's most prestigious fashion award. However, a year later he was lured to another of haute couture's most prestigious houses--Dior.
So far it seems like a perfect fit.
OSCAR FACT: How the Oscar got its name: In 1931 Margaret Herrick, an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences employee, commented that the statuette "looks like my uncle Oscar." Other employees picked up on the nickname, and in 1934 it appeared in a newspaper column for the first time. yanzic0619.

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