Although the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century, some of the revolution's influences are still relevant today. A large part of the Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes from the 1760s to the mid-1800s. One industry that was greatly affected by this change and growth was the textile industry. The Industrial Revolution has evidently inspired part of the modern textile industry, however with technological developments and changing societal views, some modern textile companies are moving away from the processes typical of the Industrial Revolution and are redefining their ways. The benefits of the Industrial Revolution, such as mass production and the first department stores, and how these concepts expanded the textile industry will be explored, along with the flaws that occurred as a result of those key ideas such as poor manufacturing conditions. work for workers. Additionally, the influence of the Industrial Revolution on fast fashion will be highlighted through Australia's largest global retailer, Cotton On Group. In addition to this, it will be highlighted how operators in the fast fashion sector have also had to adapt the production style of the industrial revolution to conform to society's new ethical position and increasingly eco-conscious lifestyle. Furthermore, to demonstrate how the industrial revolution did not inspire all clothing companies in the sector today and how society is instead progressing beyond those modes of production, the slow fashion brand Reformation will be explored in depth to demonstrate how there are different needs that are now it is expected to be satisfied. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Industrial Revolution ultimately gave rise to the textile industry and established lasting concepts that still impact society today. Ideas such as mass production and the invention of department stores highlight some of the benefits of the industrial revolution, however there were also many flaws in the system. Mass production was one of the main concepts of the industrial revolution, it involves the production of goods on a large scale with the use of an automated mechanical process, it increased efficiency, reduced average costs and allowed more goods to be produced at a high speed. This meant that the textile industry grew and women no longer had to use needles made of bone and iron to slowly sew by hand, thanks to machinery that allowed mass production. (Heskett, 1980) One of these revolutionary machines was the sewing machine, an invention of Connecticut native Elias Howe, this invention in 1846 kicked off a technological, industrial and social revolution. It imitated the movements of sewing hands using a lockstitch mechanism with an eye needle, this is the same system used today. It accelerated the pace of industrialization, while giving women the chance to demonstrate their ability to operate complex machinery. One of the main advantages of mass production and the inventions of machinery such as the sewing machine is that it allowed clothes to be produced and brought to market at lower prices, as the time needed to make the fabric was greatly minimised. This idea is commonly used in today's textile industry, cheap clothing is mass produced while handmade clothing is expensively priced. Additionally, another influential aspect of the Industrial Revolution was the invention of department stores. In contrast to department storesclean and bright today and with the opportunity to buy online, in the past department stores were a new idea, they were seen as a great opportunity for women to touch and feel fabrics before purchasing them and allowed women to go out and leaving home, gave birth to these ideas: fixed prices, credit systems, seasonal sales, more accessible goods, a diverse range of standardized goods, everything commonly seen today, especially as it relates to our textile industry. The first department store was opened during the industrial revolution, the Grand Fashionable Magazine of Harding, Howell & Co was located in Pall Mall in the St James district of London and had been open since 1809. This shop was divided into departments consisting of furs and fans, fabrics for clothes, haberdashery, jewelery and watchmaking, perfumes and millinery. (Glancey, 2015) This concept is very relevant in today's society not only with large stores such as Myer and David Jones, but as will be explored further, Cotton On Group has taken a similar approach. While these concepts had a positive impact on the progress of the Industrial Revolution, the logistics of textile operations also faced many flaws and problems that saw the modern textile industry move away from some of the systems of the Industrial Revolution. For example, in textile factories, child labor was used and women and children were forced to work long hours for very low wages. Due to the thousands of workers in the factories and the lack of hygiene and sanitation, epidemics and diseases often occurred. Pneumonia was also common when workers transitioned from humid conditions inside the textile factory to the cold air outside. Children were often forced to crawl on top of cars to clean it, which was also very dangerous. This type of unethical behavior was common throughout the industrial revolution and is something that today's textile industry is held responsible for if it occurs due to society's awareness. Ultimately, the Industrial Revolution has played an important role in today's textile industry as many of its key concepts are still relevant in modern society. In particular, fast fashion - inexpensive clothing produced quickly by large retailers in response to the latest trends - a highly relevant idea in today's textile industry is ultimately inspired by the concept of mass production that began during the industrial revolution. Fast fashion uses mass production to focus on quantity and speed rather than quality. This is evident through the fast fashion brand Cotton On Group. The company as a whole has 7 brands under its name and is distributed in 18 countries with over 1400 stores. Cotton On Group works with around 400 different factories, most of which are located in China, Bangladesh and India. One of Cotton On's suppliers in Bangladesh, called The Renaissance Group, boasts 10 factories and 20,000 team members across multiple stages of production. (Cotton On Group, 2019) The huge number of people in factories and the scale of the production process links back to mass production, which evidently highlights how Cotton On Group was influenced by the invention of mass production during the industrial revolution . One specific example of mass production is Cotton On's "Gina Square Neck top," made of 55% cotton and 45% viscose, which retails for just $14.99. The extremely economical price of the product further highlights Cotton On's embrace of mass industrial revolutions. manufacturing as low retail costs were significant even during the revolution,since if the piano had been handmade using the system before the revolution, they could not afford to sell it for such a low price. The connection to today's relevance of the industrial revolution is further highlighted as this top was made by a sewing machine - although it is now more technologically advanced - it is an invention of the industrial revolution highlighted earlier. However, not all of Cotton On's processes are inspired by the industrial revolution, due to the companies' ethically conscious thinking, they have had to adapt their branding to meet those standards and combat flaws in the industrial revolution processes that negatively impact society . These areas include wages, the reason why companies like Cotton On and factories during the industrial revolution could sell clothes cheaply, is because of the low wages their workers are paid, Cotton On has had to address this ethical issue in its " Trade Rules" guaranteeing the payment of minimum wages. Another problem that Cotton On Group overcame is that of child labor during the industrial revolution, banning all child labor and forced labor. Factory conditions must also be safe and sanitary, unlike the unsanitary factories of the Industrial Revolution that caused illness among workers. Working conditions are not the only thing that Cotton On has had to advance since the industrial revolution, but also the sourcing of materials. Thanks to the more environmentally friendly mindset of customers, the company has engaged in programs such as the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and Kenya's sustainable cotton program, along with these partnerships, Cotton On aims to use 100% sustainable cotton by 2021, as the textile industry uses around 378 billion liters of water per year and this is mainly for cotton production. For example, the top down would use around 2000 liters of water to produce. Mass production is not the only concept that has influenced the structure of today's textile industry; Another aspect of the industrial revolution that was adopted to some extent by the textile industry is the invention of the department store – a large shop offering many varieties of items. goods in different departments. This concept can be seen through the Cotton On Group brand to some extent as they now have Mega Cotton On stores which house up to 3 of their different brands in one store. Delving deeper into how Cotton on Group adopted this concept you can see the characteristics that made a department store what it was during the industrial revolution, as discussed above, such as fixed prices and seasonal sales which can be used to describe the experience in Cotton On store, further underlining how the impact and influence of the industrial revolution is still relevant. (Glancey, 2015) However, once again, to adapt to modern society Cotton On had to use an online shopping platform in addition to physical stores to keep up with the technology of today's society. This highlights how the industrial revolution has indeed influenced today's textile industry, but also how modern technology has led today's companies to explore other sales avenues. Although the Industrial Revolution still impacts the textile industry today, many companies have adopted the slow fashion style of manufacturing, rejecting the processes of the Industrial Revolution, raising the question of whether or not society is moving beyond the ways of the past. Slow fashion is the movement of designing, creating and purchasing clothingclothing for longevity and quality rather than a low price. Encourage slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon emissions and aim for zero waste. It is ethical and looks at the connections between raw materials, the environment and human work. An example of a slow fashion business is Reformation, a Los Angeles-based brand known for its effortless, feminine pieces. The brand promotes sustainability through its clothes by making them with plant-based fibers, for example the "Nina top" shown in figure 5 is 53% viscose and 47% rayon, the top is similar in appearance to the Cotton On top, but the Cotton On top instead uses a blend of cotton, a fabric that Reformation considers one of the most harmful fabrics for the environment. Reformation's commitment to ethical sourcing can be seen through the choice of fabric, for example viscose is an artificial fiber made from wood pulp. They are committed to ensuring that the forests from which they come are conserved, protected and restored. To do this, they partner with the non-profit group Canopy to help drive positive change for their forest products by ensuring that all of our forest-based products come from sustainably managed forests. This highlights how a slow fashion brand like Reform is not following the practices of the industrial revolution as during the industrial revolution they did not care about their environmental or ethical footprint, they simply focused on producing as many products as possible. Another comparison can be made through the price of the Reformation top, $222 and the Cotton On top, $14.99, this large price difference despite the two tops looking stylistically similar, highlights how Reformation is rejecting the idea of ​​the industrial revolution to produce things as cheaply as possible. However, the company's commitment to better materials, quality and ethical practices is reflected in the high price. This leaves consumers today with the choice of whether to support traditional manufacturing processes to receive a good price, or to think ethically and pay more to support it. Reformations' manufacturing process is further distinct from Cotton On, as unlike the fast fashion brand, 65% of Reformations' manufacturing is done locally in Los Angeles, this contrasts with the idea of ​​mass production as Cotton On - inspired to the industrial revolution – outsourced to factories globally which, while having strict rules, can be difficult to fully monitor. In comparison, Reform keeps the production process close to home, which explains why the price is also high since minimum wages in the United States are very different from those in countries like Bangladesh. However, the top at the bottom was made with a sewing machine, an invention of the industrial revolution, this highlights how even in slow fashion there are still relevant inventions even if the processes surrounding it are very different. The invention of department stores during the industrial revolution is another concept that highlights how modern slow fashion brands in the textile industry are adopting other retail concepts. Reformation, although it has 17 stores in the US, 1 store in Canada, and 1 in the UK that are Green Business certified retail stores, the brand has a significant online presence with shipping to over 200 countries worldwide. The Reformation stores that exist evidently do not take on the image of a department store full of standardized goods. Individual items of clothing hung sparingly in the window emphasize not only a new in-store sales technique, but the lack of shelves full of clothing further cements the idea that slow fashion,.