Question

The Evolution of the Fashion Industry

The fashion industry has not always been as expansive and complex as it is today. Before the 1900s, it was quite simple: farmers provided wool from their sheep to weavers, who created fabric for tailors, who then sewed custom clothes for people based on their measurements. Some people opted to sew their own clothing at home.


An old-fashioned seamster’s workstation with a sewing machine

New Inventions

All of this changed with a few developments. The first of these was the sewing machine, invented in 1846. Then came Henry Ford’s assembly line, which made quick mass production of goods possible. Rather than spending time putting together many different parts of a product, production was broken down into simple tasks that were each assigned to different people. Alongside this came the shift toward a global economy based on the trade of goods and the rise of department stores. These developments led to the beginnings of the worldwide fashion industry.


Supply Chain

Now the supply chain, as it is known, is much more complex than farmer to weaver to tailor. Here is an example of what the supply chain is currently like: A piece of clothing is designed in the United States. The fabric might come from India. Once the fabric is made, it is then sent somewhere else for the clothing to be manufactured, perhaps China. It might even be finished in yet another country before being shipped back to the United States!


Questions
How does the text support its central idea? Select two.


It describes the sewing machine.


It explains the impact of the assembly line.


It describes an example of a modern supply chain.


It explains how farmers provided wool to weavers.

Answer 1

- It explains the impact of the assembly line.
- It describes an example of a modern supply chain.

These two points show how production shifted from simple local tailoring to mass-produced, globally distributed fashion.