The Fashion Industry
A.

The fashion industry is a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes. It encompasses all types of garments, from designer fashions to ordinary everyday clothing. Because data on the industry are typically reported for national economies, and expressed in terms of its many separate sectors, total figures for world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to obtain. However, by any measure, the industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output.

B.

The fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Prior to the mid-19th century, virtually all clothing was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors. By the beginning of the 20th century, with the development of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the development of the factory system of production, and the growth of department stores and other retail outlets, clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices. Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe, today it is highly globalized, with garments often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold in a third. For example, an American fashion company might source fabric in China and have the clothes manufactured in Vietnam, finished in Italy, and shipped to a warehouse in the United States for distribution to retail outlets internationally.

C
One of the first accomplishments of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century was the partial automation of the spinning and weaving of wool, cotton, silk, and other natural fibres. Today, these processes are highly automated and carried out by computer-controlled, high-speed machinery, and fabrics made from both natural fibres and synthetic fibres (such as nylon, acrylic, and polyester) are produced. A growing interest in sustainable fashion (or eco-fashion) has led to greater use of environmentally friendly fibres, such as hemp. In addition, high-tech synthetic fabrics confer such properties as moisture absorption, stain resistance, retention or dissipation of body heat, and protection against fire, weapons, cold, ultraviolet radiation, and other hazards. Fabrics are also produced with a wide range of visual effects through dyeing, weaving, printing, and other processes. Together with fashion forecasters, fabric manufacturers work well in advance of the clothing production cycle to create fabrics with colours, textures, and other qualities that anticipate consumer demand.

D
Historically, very few fashion designers have become famous brands such as Coco Chanel or Calvin Klein, who have been responsible for prestigious high-fashion collections. These designers are influential in the fashion world, but, contrary to popular belief, they do not dictate new fashions; rather, they endeavour to design clothes that will meet consumer demand. The vast majority of designers work in anonymity for manufacturers, as part of design teams, adapting designs into marketable garments for average consumers. They draw inspiration from a wide range of sources, including film and television costumes, street clothing, and active sportswear.

The fashion industry's traditional design methods, such as paper sketches and the draping of fabric on mannequins, have been supplemented or replaced by computer-assisted design techniques. These allow designers to rapidly make changes to a proposed design and instantaneously share the proposed changes with colleagues—whether they are in the next room or on another continent.

E
An important stage in garment production is the translation of the clothing design into templates, in a range of sizes, for cutting the cloth. Because the proportions of the human body change with increases or decreases in weight, templates cannot simply be scaled up or down. Template making was traditionally a highly skilled profession. Today, despite innovations in computer programming, designs in larger sizes are difficult to adjust for every body shape. Whatever the size, the template—whether drawn on paper or programmed as a set of computer instructions—determines how fabric is cut into the pieces that will be joined to make a garment. For all but the most expensive clothing, fabric cutting is accomplished by computer-guided knives or high-intensity lasers that can cut many layers of fabric at once.>> Form đăng kí giải đề thi thật IELTS 4 kĩ năng kèm bài giải bộ đề 100 đề PART 2 IELTS SPEAKING quý đang thi (update hàng tuần) từ IELTS TUTOR

F
The next stage of production is the assembly process. Some companies use their own production facilities for some or all of the manufacturing process, but the majority rely on separately owned manufacturing firms or contractors to produce garments to their specifications. In the field of women's clothing, manufacturers typically produce several product lines a year, which they deliver to retailers on predetermined dates. Technological innovation, including the development of computer-guided machinery, has resulted in the automation of some stages of assembly. Nevertheless, the fundamental process of sewing remains labour-intensive. In the late 20th century, China emerged as the world's largest producer of clothing because of its low labour costs and highly disciplined workforce.

Assembled items then go through various processes collectively known as "finishing." These include the addition of decorative elements, fasteners, brand-name labels, and other labels (often legally required) specifying fibre content, laundry instructions, and country of manufacture. Finished items are then pressed and packed for shipment.

G
For much of the period following World War II, trade in textiles and garments was strictly regulated by purchasing countries, which imposed quotas and tariffs. Since the 1980s, these protectionist measures, which were intended (ultimately without success) to prevent textile and clothing production from moving from high-wage to low-wage countries, have gradually been abandoned. They have been replaced by a free-trade approach, under the regulatory control of global organisations. The advent of metal shipping containers and relatively inexpensive air freight have also made it possible for production to be closely tied to market conditions, even across globe-spanning distances.

Questions 14-20

Reading Passage 2 has seven sections, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings
i. The automation of material production
ii. Producing materials with a range of features
iii. Factors affecting international commerce
iv. Making patterns for people with different body shapes
v. The traditional methods of fashion design
vi. How clothes were made before industrialization
vii. The impact of technological advances on mass production
viii. The globalization of garment manufacture

14. Section A
15. Section B
16. Section C
17. Section D
18. Section E
19. Section F
20. Section G

Questions 21-24

Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 21-24 on your answer sheet.

The development of a modern fashion industry
Up until the middle of the 19th century, people generally wore handmade clothes. After that, the situation changed, and by the 20th century, many clothes were mass-produced. This development was partly due to inventions like the 21. It was also the result of general changes in manufacturing systems, as well as the spread of shops like 22. The changes also led to the standardization of sizes and the fact that the fashion industry originated in 23.

Questions 25 and 26

Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 25 and 26 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO of the following statements does the writer make about garment assembly?

A. The majority of sewing is done by computer-operated machines.
B. Highly skilled workers are the most important requirement.
C. Most businesses use other companies to manufacture their products.
D. Fasteners and labels are attached after the clothes have been made up.
E. Manufacturers usually produce one range of women’s clothing annually.

Section A:

1. Multibillion-dollar

   • English: Worth several billion dollars.
   • Vietnamese: Trị giá hàng tỷ đô la.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The fashion industry is a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes."
   • Vietnamese Example: Ngành công nghiệp thời trang trị giá hàng tỷ đô la trên toàn cầu, chuyên kinh doanh và bán quần áo.

2. Enterprise

   • English: A business or company.
   • Vietnamese: Doanh nghiệp, công ty.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...accounts for a significant share of world economic output."
   • Vietnamese Example: Ngành công nghiệp chiếm một phần đáng kể trong sản lượng kinh tế thế giới.

Section B:

1. Mass-produced

   • English: Made in large quantities, typically using machines.
   • Vietnamese: Sản xuất hàng loạt.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes."
   • Vietnamese Example: Quần áo ngày càng được sản xuất hàng loạt theo kích thước tiêu chuẩn.

2. Standardisation

   • English: The process of making something conform to a standard.
   • Vietnamese: Sự tiêu chuẩn hóa.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The changes also led to the standardisation of sizes."
   • Vietnamese Example: Những thay đổi này cũng dẫn đến sự tiêu chuẩn hóa kích thước.

3. Globalised

   • English: Operating or having influence across the world.
   • Vietnamese: Toàn cầu hóa.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Today it is highly globalised, with garments often designed in one country, manufactured in another."
   • Vietnamese Example: Ngày nay, ngành này đã toàn cầu hóa, với quần áo thường được thiết kế ở một nước, sản xuất ở một nước khác.

Section C:

1. Automation

   • English: The use of machines and technology to perform tasks without human intervention.
   • Vietnamese: Sự tự động hóa.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The partial automation of the spinning and weaving of wool, cotton, silk..."
   • Vietnamese Example: Sự tự động hóa một phần của việc kéo sợi và dệt len, bông, lụa.

2. Synthetic fibres

   • English: Man-made fibres created from chemicals rather than natural materials.
   • Vietnamese: Sợi tổng hợp.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Fabrics made from both natural fibres and synthetic fibres."
   • Vietnamese Example: Vải được làm từ cả sợi tự nhiên và sợi tổng hợp.

3. Sustainable fashion

   • English: Fashion that is designed to be environmentally friendly.
   • Vietnamese: Thời trang bền vững.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "A growing interest in sustainable fashion (or eco-fashion)."
   • Vietnamese Example: Ngày càng có sự quan tâm đến thời trang bền vững (hoặc thời trang sinh thái).

Section D:

1. Prestigious

   • English: Having high status or respect.
   • Vietnamese: Uy tín, danh giá.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Responsible for prestigious high-fashion collections."
   • Vietnamese Example: Chịu trách nhiệm cho các bộ sưu tập thời trang cao cấp danh giá.

2. Dictate

   • English: To determine or strongly influence something.
   • Vietnamese: Quy định, ảnh hưởng mạnh mẽ.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "They do not dictate new fashions."
   • Vietnamese Example: Họ không quy định xu hướng thời trang mới.

3. Computer-assisted design

   • English: Design processes supported by computer software.
   • Vietnamese: Thiết kế hỗ trợ máy tính.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Supplemented or replaced by computer-assisted design techniques."
   • Vietnamese Example: Được bổ sung hoặc thay thế bằng các kỹ thuật thiết kế hỗ trợ máy tính.

Section E:

1. Template

   • English: A pattern used as a guide to make something.
   • Vietnamese: Khuôn mẫu, mẫu thiết kế.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The translation of the clothing design into templates."
   • Vietnamese Example: Chuyển đổi thiết kế quần áo thành các khuôn mẫu.

2. Proportions

   • English: The relationship between different parts of a whole.
   • Vietnamese: Tỷ lệ, kích thước.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The proportions of the human body change with increases or decreases in weight."
   • Vietnamese Example: Tỷ lệ của cơ thể con người thay đổi theo sự tăng hoặc giảm cân.

Section F:

1. Labour-intensive

   • English: Requiring a lot of manual work.
   • Vietnamese: Đòi hỏi nhiều lao động.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The fundamental process of sewing remains labour-intensive."
   • Vietnamese Example: Quá trình may cơ bản vẫn đòi hỏi nhiều lao động.

2. Finishing

   • English: Final processes in production, such as decoration or labeling.
   • Vietnamese: Công đoạn hoàn thiện.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Assembled items then go through various processes collectively known as 'finishing'."
   • Vietnamese Example: Các mặt hàng lắp ráp sau đó trải qua nhiều quy trình được gọi chung là "hoàn thiện."

Section G:

1. Protectionist measures

   • English: Policies restricting imports to protect domestic industries.
   • Vietnamese: Biện pháp bảo hộ.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Trade in textiles and garments was strictly regulated by purchasing countries, which imposed quotas and tariffs."
   • Vietnamese Example: Thương mại trong ngành dệt may được quy định nghiêm ngặt bởi các quốc gia nhập khẩu, áp dụng hạn ngạch và thuế.

2. Free-trade approach

   • English: Policies allowing unrestricted international trade.
   • Vietnamese: Chính sách thương mại tự do.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "They have been replaced by a free-trade approach."
   • Vietnamese Example: Chúng đã được thay thế bằng chính sách thương mại tự do.

3. Metal shipping containers

   • English: Large steel boxes used for transporting goods internationally.
   • Vietnamese: Container vận chuyển bằng kim loại.
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The advent of metal shipping containers."
   • Vietnamese Example: Sự xuất hiện của container vận chuyển bằng kim loại.

• V
• I
• IV
• VII
• VIII
• II
• VI
• Sewing machine
• Department stores
• Prices
• Europe
• C
• D