Price

The apparel industry also uses price to classify products. You can think of the price categories as a continuum increasing in value from budget to designer. Businesses focus their products on specific price categories or between these five categories.

Price categories

The budget lines appeal to the masses and are usually sold in mass merchandisers and discount stores. Their value is in low price.

Moderate lines are the nationally known brands and store brands (or private labels) sold at a moderate price. These include such brands as Dockers, Gap, JC Penney, and L.L. Bean and are known for quality at a good price.

Designs are developed with an eye on final price

Better lines are higher in price and more fashion forward than moderate lines. DKNY and Nordstrom are examples of brands and store brands in this category.

Bridge and Designer lines are sold at the highest prices and carry the most design prestige. These often carry the name of the designer and build value for higher priced goods through more fashion-forward and exclusive designs. A designer's bridge line is intended to attract new customers to the designer's products through slightly lower prices.

"I found that there is a gap in the bridge/designer eveningwear departments. They go from $500 dresses to $2000 dresses. " Chris Stoia researched the retail offerings to find a gap in the offerings. He describes the styles, fabrics, and wearing occasions of his clothing line.