University of Rhode Island
Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design
TMD 402M Seminar: Fashion for All Ages
Dr. Claire Lacoste Kapstein:
The Mature Female Market
Merrilees Leighton
When looking at the mass media, we rarely see many clothing designs geared toward a mature market. Instead, we see teens and young adults wearing short shorts and displaying midriffs. What about the baby boomer generation, are they expected to dress the same way? There are very limited designs intended specifically for aging generations. Dr. Claire Kapstein of the University of Rhode Island stressed the importance of the mature market and the future fashion industry.
Dr. Kapstein has been involved in the fashion industry for years. She designed a collection for senior women ten years ago in Paris, and worked as a knitwear designer for 20 years. Belonging to the baby boomer generation herself, Dr. Kapstein is aware of the future increase in the mature market. To gain further insight on the subject, Kapstein researched a group of older women working as real estate brokers in Manhattan, New York. These women helped Kapstein understand the fashion preferences of older generations.
To her surprise, the women told Dr. Kapstein that they had taken textile electives in college. Thus the women were very knowledgeable about the fabrics of their wardrobes. Each of the women typically wore pantsuits to work during the week, and sometimes a blazer with jeans on weekends. To them, jeans are a symbol of youth; they are an ageless item of clothing that has been around for decades. These women believed them to be comfortable and modern, which is everything they look for in clothing.
Women of older generations prefer to be stylish and practical, unlike younger counterparts who may sacrifice practicality for aesthetics. The reason for this is the fact that as women age, their bodies and mindsets change a great deal. Aging women tend to lose bone mass and develop more curvature of their backs. Thus clothes that fit well become more and more difficult to find. Historically, older women in art were typically associated with death or in a negative or ugly way; today on the other hand, age is merely considered a state of mind where every woman is only as old as she feels. This then lends to the idea that older women still prefer to be fashionable, (as long as the clothing is appropriate) as well as comfortable in softer fabrics and styles.
Society’s view of aging women has changed over the years. Older women now tend to have greater confidence in themselves seeing higher life expectancy and technology that has provided for greater health treatments. There is now a shift towards an ageless society and perhaps intergenerational partnerships. So why are fashion designs intended for the average age of 35?
When taking a more demographical approach to this market, statistics show that in the next decade, 22 million women in the U.S will reach the age of 60. The baby boomer generation is the largest of the 20th century, and the market is struggling to address their needs. Dr. Kapstein proves that designing for these generations will lead to great success.
As a side note, I myself have been hand-painting canes for my grandmother. She would not approve if I revealed her age, but let us just say she is up there. You would never know how old she is by her attitude and activeness. People tend to think that she is nearly 20 years younger than she really is; which is in part due to her style. She refuses to feel old and does everything in her power to look and feel great in public. This lecture has taught me a lot about older generations, and I am now considering addressing the needs of my elders as a possible design focus in the future.