Research Guides: FASH 120: Intro to the Fashion Industry: Home

Research the Fashion Industry

Industry Research Resources

IBISWorld
Provides access to industry analysis and research for U.S. industries categorized by NAICS, as well as select Chinese and Global industries organized by sector.
WGSN (Worth Global Style Network)
Focusing on the areas and intersections of fashion, style, and commerce, WGSN provides a global view on trends in design. Its archive contains millions of images from the runways, the street, retail outlets, and design sketches.
ABI/INFORM Complete
Abstracts, full-text journals and periodicals on business, finance, and management topics. Includes all content in ABI/INFORM Global, ABI/INFORM Dateline, and ABI/INFORM Trade and Industry. Includes full-text access to The Wall Street Journal.
Business Source Complete
Bibliographic and full-text content from peer-reviewed business journals, covering all disciplines of business including marketing, management, accounting, banking, finance, and more.

Company Research Resources

Dow Jones Factiva
Comprehensive, full-text up-to-the-minute news and business source from Dow Jones and Reuters. Includes national, international, and regional newspapers, both current content and archives, periodicals, podcasts, newswires, and more.
Business: Insights (Gale)
Business Insights: Global delivers comprehensive international business intelligence including: Global Histories, SWOT Reports, Thomson Reuters Company Financials and Investment Reports, Market Share Reports, and Industry Research Essays.
PrivCo
Business and financial data on major, non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed, and international unlisted companies.
ABI/INFORM Complete
Abstracts, full-text journals and periodicals on business, finance, and management topics. Includes all content in ABI/INFORM Global, ABI/INFORM Dateline, and ABI/INFORM Trade and Industry. Includes full-text access to The Wall Street Journal.
Business Source Complete
Bibliographic and full-text content from peer-reviewed business journals, covering all disciplines of business including marketing, management, accounting, banking, finance, and more.

Company Research in ABI/Inform Complete & Business Source Complete

Search for company name + keywords related to specific information e.g.
1. Macy's Inc. AND company profile
2. Nike AND (customers OR consumers)
3. Gap Inc. AND "women's clothing"
Limit publication date to the last 1-2 years for currency
Try the - Company/Organization - filter to focus results
Filter by - Source Type=Trade Journals - to start with, then expand to other sources as needed

Research Tip: Company Corporate Website
A company's corporate website can be a rich source of company information e.g.

Business Newspapers

New York Times with Index (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
Full image of articles published in The New York Times including illustrations and advertisements. Covers from the first issue in 1851 to three years prior to the current year.
New York Times via nytimes.com
Use this link to register for a free account. Important source of reporting information, and opinion on politics, finance, health, science, culture, the arts, sports, and fashion in the U.S. and abroad. See ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index for issues back to 1851.
Wall Street Journal via WSJ.com
Use this link to register for a free account. National daily newspaper that provides access to news, commentary and analysis with an emphasis on business and financial news. This account gives VCU students, faculty and staff access to articles, videos, podcasts, and daily newsletters.

Bloomsbury Fashion Central
Contains Berg Fashion Library, Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive, and Bloomsbury Fashion Video Archive, providing cross-searchable access to content on world dress and fashion. Includes e-books, reference works, images, and more.

The Battle of Versailles: the night American fashion stumbled into the spotlight and made history
Call Number: TT502 .G585 2015

A meticulously well-researched account of this unique event. This intimate examination of a single moment shows us how the world of fashion as we know it came to be.
The Battle of Versailles: the fashion showdown of 1973
Call Number: TT502 .B694 2024 (Oversize, 4th floor)

This book chronicles the dramatic 1973 face-off between French and American fashion designers, which left an indelible mark on the fashion industry, launched American designers as a global force, and challenged the cultural norms of the time.
Bill Cunningham Was There
Call Number: TR679 .K87 2021 (Oversize Books, 4th floor)

Bill Cunningham - the iconic New York Times photographer who chronicled society and fashion - celebrated the people, the style, and the happenings of New York and beyond. This volume focuses on the vibrant and fun-filled events of spring and summer.
Fashion Climbing: A Memoir with Photographs by Bill Cunningham; Hilton Als (Preface by)
Call Number: TT505.C86 A3 2018

Publication Date: 2018-09-04

In this memoir, Cunningham reflects on his journey from an Irish suburb of Boston to becoming a photographer for The New York Times and a celebrated hat designer.