SIEGEL ET STOCKMAN, FRENCH-STYLE
ELEGANCE GRACES SHOP-WINDOWS
-Sylvie Bullo, France
Perfect
figures, sensual curves and the refinement of good taste is how Siegel et Stockman see
women. This company, created in the 19th century, still sculpts and moulds busts and
tailor's dummies using the same gestures. They are displayed in haute couture houses and
in shop-windows all over the world.
When
the sales girl in a clothes' shop asks you your size, you answer, without thinking, a
triumphant size 10, a model's size. It is a common question and so is the answer. It is
rather like a note in music. They a; have a name and you do not wonder if they
always had one. Yet, if we owe doh, re, me to Gudio d'Arezzo, we can thank Fredric
Stockman for having categorized us into size 8, 10, 12 or more, in 1987.
<<More
than a century ago, Fredric Stochome was the first to think that it should be possibly to
standardize the shapes of the human body. That is how the sizes in cloths, that we know
today, came into being. At a tie when only the rich had their tailors and dress-makers, he
was a precursor in believing in the burgeoning democratization of cloths and, together
with his associate and designer, Siegel, he started to manufacture busts and dummies to be
used in the ready-to-wear trade and by couturiers>>. Jacques Vitali, the managing
director of the Siegel et Stock company, which is the world number one on this market with
70% of its turnover coming from abroad, explains.
At
Siegel et Stockman, exporting is an old tradition. << We intervene in such a
restricted market that it has always been essential for us to export. At the moment,
we cater for two kinds of market. The first concerns the so-called developing countries
where we work for sewing workshops and schools, in Africa and in Pakistan. The second is
aimed at fashion-designers and shop-Windows in the so-called rich countries>>. Thus
the famous <<Stockman's>>' can be seen in haite courture windows and workshops
all over the world, but the refinement goes further than that. It is not ordinary standard
bust. Each country and each customer receives dummies made-to-measure. << The vital
statistics of a Japanese women are completely different from an American one and so we
adapt to each morphology and, in general, to the development in women's bodies. For that
purpose, we wok with big fashion houses such as Jean-Paul Gautier, doir and Saint-Laurent
and we enlarge the bust or slim down the waist and hips of our dummies according to
fashion trends. Two sculptures work for us and shape the bust>>.
Every
year, more than 5,000 busts intended for haute couture and 100,000 tailor's dummies leave
the workshops in Gennevilliers to be used in show windows all over the world. << The
market has grown considerably and small shops have been replaced by chain stores such as
Gap. So we have to modify our sales strategy. We now have a subsidiary in the United
States and we are about to invest in Japan and in Great Britain, two big markets>>.
At Siegel et Stockman, without displaying frenzied, unconscious optimism, people feel
confident and sure of their know-how. << Our strength lies in our being
able to manufacture different products, with different shapes of figures, or with wooden
or metal feet, according to the wishes of the customers and to make moulds corresponding
exactly to their demands. For two years, in addition to haute couture busts, made of
papier-mache covered in cotton. we have created a resin model which is faster to
manufacture, thereby increasing our production capacity.>> the company does not,
however, work with the emphasis on speed to the detriment of quality, which characterizes
consumer society obsessed with profitability. In its workshops, sixty-five people work
using the same gestures as in the 19th century. The tradition of craftsman ship is
maintained. Everything is done by hand, from the moulding to the dressing and all
the components are perfectly chosen and adapted to the various models. There is, however,
another important argument which serves Siegel and Stockman rather well and that is
the legendary French elegance. << it is undeniable that this is a major
marketing asset. The Italians are reputed for being talented designers. The
Germans play on the sturdiness of their products and, as for us, we rely on the image of
distinguished chic, in the style of Catherine Deneuve. It is one of our assets and we
would be wrong not to take advantage of it !>>
Development and Democratic-Socialism: are they for each other?
-2
Licensing as a supply channel. Many developing countries, mainly owing to the
monopoly power of technology suppliers, combined with balance of payment problems, have
controlled the flow of disembodied technology and have restricted royalty payments in the
1960s and 1970s. In India, restrictions on the size and time allowed for making royalty
payments, encouraged suppliers to favour lump-sum transfers. Yet, by discouraging
long-term relationship between suppliers and buyers, this form of payment made suppliers
less responsible for ensuring successful technology transfer. Other countries tried to
limit payments for technology imports by restricting access to several firms, which in
turn, discouraged competition. Contrary to this, Japan’s Ministry of International
Trade and Industry (MITI) encouraged inter-firm competition by making sure that foreign
technologies were available to a number of domestic firms. In fact, trade flows and
licensing of foreign technologies allow countries to avoid the cost of duplicating of
established technologies. Restrictive policy on technology imports in Brazil, China and
India have frequently led to intensive scientific activity, however, that could have been
accelerated through greater use of established technologies developed abroad.
demand phenomenon. In a competitive economic environment, firms respond to
international competition by making efforts to minimise price of the technology. This may
lead either to better use of established technology to create demand: acquire and adapt a
new technology. For instance, in Turkey, which liberalized trade and reformed its
financial sector during the 1980s, the private sector has accelerated technology imports
as well as the purchase of designs and know-how. Distortion in prices by protectionist
economic phenomenon has usually led to the costly adoption of capital-intensive techniques
with abundant labour force. In Cote dŽ Ivoire, the textile sector was developed in the
1960s, primarily through direct foreign investment, which was induced by income tax
and import duty exemptions, interest subsidies, high tariffs and restrictive import
licensing. Subsidised credit, by lowering the cost of capital, led to more
capital-intensive plants. The choice of the firms of the sophisticated technology, which
required a high level of expatriate employment, also inflated their wages bill. These high
production costs were passed on to the consumers in a protected market. In contrast, the
textile industry in Japan developed as a highly labor-intensive-sector, using imported
second hand machinery modified to substitute labour for capital. In Japan and South Korea,
the technology for textile production became capital-intensive only when relative prices
changed and labour became the scarce factor. Besides, an escalated tariff structure can
also affect the choice and selection of technology. In Philippines, as in many other
developing nations, the more processed the product, the higher its import duties. In fact,
this phenomenon has encouraged assembly and packing operations that are heavily dependent
on imported materials and equipment. Export competition like import competition, also
forces firms to the forefront of technological developments. One of Brazil’s
vehicle-components firms i.e. Metal Leve, entered the international market in 1965 to use
up excess capacity and exploit fiscal and credit incentives. The entrepreneurial ability
of the leadership of the firm and firm’s entry into international markets, created a
dynamic process of technological change and expanded export shares, driven by foreign
demand for a high quality. Exporting phenomenon also strengthens the incentive to adopt a
new technology by increasing the returns from innovation through expanded market
opportunities.
Limitations of technology transfer. In the contemporary world, the
technologies adopted by the developed nations that are industrialised, not necessarily
meaningful to the developing nations mainly because of their priorities. Many developing
countries confront with the basic human needs such as shelter, drinking water, food,
sanitation, proper health conditions. In contrast, it is estimated that developed or
industrialized nations invest more than 50 per cent of world investment in science and
technology which is directed towards the production of ever more sophisticated weapons and
armaments and about two thirds of the remainder towards the increase of the non-essential
goods (Sagisti, 1979). Although, some technologies of the developed nations, without any
doubt, have contributed to socio-economic progress of developing countries, nevertheless,
in some cases, such technology is instrumental in enhancing the gap between people of
unequal economic classes. As technology is not a neutral force, a different type of it can
promote a certain type of socio-economic structure in a society. It is even alleged that
the technologies of 1st world countries, that have been used by the governing elite of
developing nations, are with an aim to strengthen their power position (Ghosh, 1984) at a
moment of time when development calls for a people-centred progress.
Going through the literature on technology transfer, it has been found that
developing nations which are insignificantly industrialised, have been more or less
helplessly parasite on the developed nations in regard to the designing of effective
strategies for their technological transformation. Partly, the growth of the international
economic order is responsible for creating institutions and mechanisms that pose
developing countries in conditions of dependence. And partly, in fact, industrial
production in the developed world has been accompanied by such a process through which the
sources of new technologies are concentrated in the hands of a small enterprises and
government agencies. As a consequence, these groups control and enjoy domination on new
technologies. For instance, in the United States of America the top 50 corporations and
the government research organisations, in the field of defence, energy, space, health,
alone accounted for more than three quarters of the $38 billion, spent on research and
development in 1976. Disparities between developed and developing nations are so
distinctly noticed in the area of technological development than other fields. Developing
countries posses only 12.6 per cent of global stocks of scientists and engineers engaged
in research and development (RD), of which 9.4 per cent are concentrated in a few
countries of Asia. Developing nations account for lonely 2.9 per cent of global
expenditure on RD and 3.3 per cent of global exports of machinery and transport equipment.
It is approximately estimated that 95 per cent of developing countries, import of
machinery and transport equipment come from developed countries.
Human Capital
In fact, human capital is an important wealth to be used for the overall
development of a society. Without its proper and efficient use no society can accelerate
the pace of its development. And for this, every nation requires an well-educated and
healthy human work force. A sick or less healthy work force causes a burden to the
society. Obviously, answer to this question is to educate and make the population skilled
and provide a better health care, which includes proper nutrition and medicine for
eliminating diseases, to them.
Economic Reforms
Indeed, to any society-be it industrialized or insignificantly
industrialized, the socio-economic reforms is a hard task. It is relatively much more
difficult in the case of latter nature of society where traditional socio-cultural values
always oppose to the ideas of change and reform. In other words, societies which are
fundamentally a statusquoist, always pose threats and hurdles to the socio-economic
reforms. Nevertheless, timely socio-economic reforms, in fact, essential for the progress
of every nation or society. If reforms are not made timely, it would have a negative
impact not only on the economic progress but also on the non-economic conditions e.g.
socio-political and cultural structures. Nonetheless, it is generally said that the scope
of the socio-economic reforms that are needed varies from one country to another.
Experience shows that the definite path to development is to improve policies in all these
sectors.
Social Reform
World Bank report, in 1990, concluded that approximately 1 billion people in
the developing countries live in poverty. The report further suggested that by adopting a
strategy of both labour intensive economic growth and efficient social spending, that the
number could be reduced. Economic growth is necessary to reduce poverty and social
inequality existing in society among different ethnic groups and across between men and
women. But experiences show that it is insufficient. In order to have a balance
development of a society, people in general, must be given their fundamental political
rights to choose a government of their own preference. Besides, social expenditures
on health care and schooling expand opportunities for the down trodden section of society,
but again it is not enough. Even in countries where basic social welfare indicators have
improved, segments of the population remain relatively undeserved.
It is a higher infant mortality rate than in many African and Asian
countries. In Peru, the infant mortality rate in the Andean Provinces five times or more
than rate in Lima. Around the health problems of the female population are exceptionally
acute in South Asian nations viz. Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The life
expectancy at birth of girls, in these South Asian countries, is lower than that of boys.
These countries are socio-culturally different because, families invest more on sons than
on daughters.
In order to protect the most vulnerable social groups such as disabled,
unemployed, old-aged people, and women, safety nets, in accordance with the changing
situation of society, are needed. These groups often lack access to public programmes that
are tied to employment. Guaranteeing of shelter, food security, health care are necessary
strategies.
Conclusion
Development, although a planned social change, is a continuous process for
achieving a modern social system based on social justice. Every one -be it an individual
personality or a society or a nation, all strive for their development.. To-day’s
material and non-material culture of mankind is the ultimate outcome of development, at
bottom. However, the level of development achieved is far from satisfactory as, by and
large, every nation- developed or developing, has been confronting with various
socio-economic and political problems such as homelessness, unemployment, poverty, and
undemocratic system of governance, besides social inequality. Nonetheless, the degree of
suffer is greatly associated with the developing countries than that of the developed
nations. The reasons for these phenomena are several, and in order to overcome them, there
have been continuous efforts carried out by all nature of societies. But, unfortunately,
they are still insufficient and suffer from shortcomings. In such a crucial situation,
societies entered into the Twenty First Century, should hardly afford to differ with the
idea of democratic socialism which is symbol of the process of overall development of
mankind and their living conditions. Since the doctrine of development has started
championing the cause of social justice in society, why should not be the school of
thoughts of democratic socialism and development be synonymous for each other in view of
their complimentary role and relations with each other? |
