An overview of the four primary cycles in the development of the Italian fashion industry from post-WW2 creation of industrialized production systems, to fashion democratization in the 1980s and the boom of "Made in Italy," to brand concentration and mergers of the 1990s...

The advancement of the leisure lifestyle and creation of Sportswear was the first reason for women to turn away from traditional dress. Oriental influences became hugely popular in the West through art and performances. Paul Poiret became the first to capture these trends, after Charles Worth had blazed the trail for the original designer to become the arbiter of taste. Poiret introduced the modern marketing concept of fashion: he sold the dream, not just the dress.