APIEFashion & The Clothing Industry
Fashion and the clothing industry
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
Fashion & The Clothing Industry
Core Vocabulary Mastery • Upper-Intermediate B2
Learn 10 words to talk about fashion and clothes.
Classroom Delivery
Set the 20-minute timer and guide students through each section in sequence.
Check answers using the answer key and have students explain why options fit.
Independent Study
Read the word table and say each example sentence out loud first.
Complete the 16 practice tasks, then record your voice in the shadowing section.
Theme 1: Clothes & Style
Core words describing garments, cuts, and aesthetic directions
| Word & Phonetics | Meaning | Common Collocations | Word Forms | Example Sentence | Memory Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fabric /ˈfæb.rɪk/ (n) | Woven or knitted cloth used to make clothes or furnishings. | synthetic fabric, delicate fabric, natural fabric | – | "Breathable cotton fabric is ideal for warm summer shirts." | 💡 Fabric: FAB = fabulous cloth. |
| garment /ˈɡɑː.mənt/ (n) | A formal or industry term for a single piece of clothing. | garment worker, outer garment, finished garment | – | "Inspect every garment for loose threads before packaging." | 💡 Formal word: One garment = one specific clothing item. |
| trend /trend/ (n) | A general direction in which fashion or style is changing. | set a trend, follow the trend, latest fashion trend | trendy (adj) | "Oversized vintage blazers are a major trend this autumn." | 💡 Trend sounds like "trending" online. |
| tailor /ˈteɪ.lər/ (v/n) | (v) To cut and fit clothes specifically; (n) a person who does this. | master tailor, tailored suit, tailor to fit | tailored (adj) | "He hired a master tailor to make a bespoke wedding tuxedo." | 💡 A tailor measures you with a tape. |
Theme 2: Making Clothes
Industrial production, textile engineering, and brand tagging
| Word & Phonetics | Meaning | Common Collocations | Word Forms | Example Sentence | Memory Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| manufacture /ˌmæn.jəˈfæk.tʃər/ (v/n) | To produce clothes or items in large quantities using machines. | manufacture garments, mass-manufacture, clothing manufacturer | manufacturer (n) | "They manufacture over ten thousand jackets every week." | 💡 Stress is on the 3rd syllable: manu-FAC-ture. |
| textile /ˈtek.staɪl/ (n/adj) | Any raw cloth or goods made by weaving, knitting, or felting. | textile mill, textile industry, organic textile | – | "The historic town was famous for its steam-powered textile mills." | 💡 Stress on the 1st syllable: TEX-tile. |
| label /ˈleɪ.bəl/ (n) | A piece of fabric with washing instructions or a fashion brand name. | designer label, care label, attach a label | – | "Check the care label before washing this pure silk blouse." | 💡 A label is a small tag on your clothes. |
Theme 3: Repair & Waste
Clothing alterations, mending seams, and fast-fashion disposal
| Word & Phonetics | Meaning | Common Collocations | Word Forms | Example Sentence | Memory Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alter /ˈɒl.tər/ (v) | To change the size, length, or fit of a piece of clothing. | alter a dress, have something altered, minor alteration | alteration (n) | "I took the trousers to a shop to alter the hem." | 💡 Alter = change (like altering a plan). |
| mend /mend/ (v) | To repair a tear, hole, or broken seam in fabric with stitches. | mend a tear, mend socks, stitch and mend | – | "Rather than buying a new coat, he mended the ripped lining." | 💡 Mend rhymes with end: end the hole. |
| disposable /dɪˈspəʊ.zə.bəl/ (adj) | Designed to be thrown away after one or very few uses. | disposable fashion, disposable culture, safe disposal |
dispose (v) disposal (n) |
"Fast fashion treats garments as disposable items." | 💡 Disposable: you can "dispose of" it (throw it away) after you use it. |
Interactive Practice
16 ExercisesComplete all 4 stages: Collocations, Context Dialogues, Nuance Choice, and Word-formation.
Collocation Matrix: Match Verb to Fashion Noun
Select the standard industry verb that naturally pairs with each fashion noun.
At The Atelier: Dialogue Gap-Fill
Complete the conversation between a client and a garment specialist. Use words from the word bank.
Customer:
"Good morning! I bought this vintage wool suit online, but it is far too loose around the shoulders. Could your head ____ (...) take a look at the fitting?"
Fitter:
"Certainly! We can easily ____ (...) the jacket seams and take in the waist for a custom silhouette."
Customer:
"Thank goodness. I really love the heavy weave; it is rare to find such high-density raw ____ (...) in commercial high-street shops today."
Fitter:
"Exactly. Investing in repairs prevents fine clothing from ending up in landfill as part of today's wasteful ____ (...) culture."
Choose The Word: Precision In Context
Choose the word that fits the sentence.
Item 9 • Sewing Tear
"When the inner sleeve lining tore during the gala, she used fine silk thread to carefully ___ the seam herself."
Item 10 • Industry Inventory
"The warehouse manager recorded an export batch of 5,000 finished ___ ready for shipment to Europe."
Item 11 • Cloth choice
"The designer chose an ultra-soft merino wool ___ because of its natural drape and thermal insulation."
Item 12 • Fashion Movement
"The sudden shift towards sustainable circularity represents an enduring industry ___, not merely a short-lived craze."
Word Formation: Derived Forms
Transform the prompt word in bold brackets into its correct derived grammatical form to complete the sentence.
"Social media influencers frequently endorse short-lived, __________ accessories that lose their appeal within a month."
"The leading European sportswear __________ announced plans to build a carbon-neutral factory by 2026."
"After a minor __________ to the waistline, the dress fit the model like a second skin."
"Improper garment __________ sends millions of tons of textile waste to landfill every year."
Pronunciation & Shadowing
12 Audio DrillsListen to the native audio, match the rhythm and stress, and record your voice in each box.
A Collocation Rhythms (4 Phrases)
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
____B Standard Fluency Sentences (4 B2 Sentences)
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
____C Complex Discourse (2 Long Sentences)
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____[Bài tập luyện nói]
____D Phonetic Stress Focus (2 High-Frequency Words)
/ˌmæn.jəˈfæk.tʃər/ • ma-nju-FAC-ture
Focus on the primary stress landing emphatically on "FAC".
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____/ˈtek.staɪl/ • TEX-tile
Emphasize the crisp initial syllable "TEX" followed by a clear diphthong.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Related lessons
Class activity: Fix-It Fashion Market
Fashion and the clothing industry
Speaking · 20 min
The True Cost of Cheap Clothing
Fashion and the clothing industry
Reading · 18 min
IELTS Speaking: Fashion and Clothing
Fashion and the clothing industry
Speaking · 30 min
Academic Writing Task 1: Industrial Processes
Fashion and the clothing industry
Writing · 40 min
Vocabulary: Technology and Privacy
Technology
Vocabulary · 12 min
Vocabulary: TV and Streaming Discussions
Technology
Vocabulary · 12 min