Fashion Design

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Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time.

Fashion design differs from costume design due to its core product having a built in obsolescence usually of one to two seasons. A season is defined as either autumn/winter or spring/summer. Fashion design is generally considered to have started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who was the first person to sew their label into the garments that they created. While all articles of clothing from any time period are studied by academics as costume design, only clothing created after 1858 could be considered as fashion design. Fashion designers design clothing and accessories. Some high-fashion designers are self-employed and design for individual clients. Other high-fashion designers cater to specialty stores or high-fashion department stores. These designers create original garments, as well as those that follow established fashion trends. Most fashion designers, however, work for apparel manufacturers, creating designs of men’s, women’s, and children’s fashions for the mass market. Designer brands which have a 'name' as their brand such as Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren are likely to be designed by a team of individual designers under the direction a designer director.

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Couture beginnings
The first fashion designer who was not simply a dressmaker was Charles Frederick Worth (1826–1895). Before the former draper set up his maison couture (fashion house) in Paris, clothing design and creation was handled by largely anonymous seamstresses, and high fashion descended from styles worn at royal courts. Worth's success was such that he was able to dictate to his customers what they should wear, instead of following their lead as earlier dressmakers had done. The term couturier was in fact first created in order to describe him. It was during this period that many design houses began to hire artists to sketch or paint designs for garments. The images alone could be presented to clients much more cheaply than by producing an actual sample garment in the workroom. If the client liked the design, they ordered it and the resulting garment made money for the house. Thus, the tradition of designers sketching out garment designs instead of presenting completed garments on models to customers began as an economy.

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Types of Fashion
There are three main cateogries of fashion design, although these may be split up into additional, more specific categories:

Haute couture The type of fashion design which predominated until the 1950s was "made-to-measure" or haute couture, (French for high needlework). The term made-to-measure may be used for any garment that is created for a specific client. Haute couture, however, is a protected term which can only be officially used by companies that meet certain well-defined standards set by the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. Nonetheless, many ready-to-wear, and even mass market labels, claim to produce haute couture, when in fact, according to established standards, they do not. A couture garment is made to order for an individual customer, and is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric, sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Look and fit take priority over the cost of materials and the time it takes to make.

Ready-to-wear Ready-to-wear clothes are a cross between haute couture and mass market. They are not made for individual customers, but great care is taken in the choice and cut of the fabric. Clothes are made in small quantities to guarantee exclusivity, so they are rather expensive. Ready-to-wear collections are usually presented by fashion houses each season during a period known as Fashion Week. This takes place on a city-wide basis and occurs twice per year.

Mass market These days the fashion industry relies more on mass market sales. The mass market caters for a wide range of customers, producing ready-to-wear clothes in large quantities and standard sizes. Cheap materials, creatively used, produce affordable fashion. Mass market designers generally adapt the trends set by the famous names in fashion. They often wait around a season to make sure a style is going to catch on before producing their own versions of the original look. In order to save money and time, they use cheaper fabrics and simpler production techniques which can easily be done by machine. The end product can therefore be sold much more cheaply. Increasingly more modern high-end designers are now beginning to turn to mass market retailers to produce lower-priced merchandise, and to broaden their customer base.

Fashion Education

Most fashion designers today have attended some kind of art school. There are a number of well known fashion design schools worldwide. Possibly the most famous is Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Other notable schools include Parsons The New School for Design and Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.)in New York City, AIU in Los Angeles, Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the London College of Fashion, and The Royal College of Arts in London.

Most fashion design courses last for around three years. As well as teaching students about the artistic and technical side of the subject, some courses include a year working in the fashion industry, to give students a taste of commercial fashion design. Others offer the chance to visit fashion houses abroad. At the end of their final year most students produce a collection which is then shown to buyers and prospective employers at the college show. To keep cost down, each collection consists of around three to eight outfits (the number varies from college to college). To put across a consistent and memorable look within this limited range of garments, students specialize in one particular area. Many colleges enter students for design competitions, sponsored by clothing or fabric companies. This gives students commercial experience, and provides fresh talent for the companies.

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Most major countries have their own fashion industry, including Belgium, Spain, Portugal, India, Germany, and Australia. However, only five nations have established truly international reputations in fashion design. These countries are France, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Italy, and Japan. Below are brief descriptions of the fashion industry in each country.

French Fashion Design

The vast majority of French fashion houses are - and always have been - located in Paris, which was once not only the capital of French fashion but the capital of fashion worldwide. French fashion is traditionally chic and stylish, defined by sophistication, skillful cutting, and smart accessories. Paris is the home of many great and influential couture houses, such as Chanel and Christian Dior, who stage exclusive fashion shows in their own salons. Many other famous French designers show their work at the designer collections, which are held twice a year and command international attention. One of the best-known French designers, and a pioneer of ready-to-wear, is Yves Saint Laurent who has consistently turned out stylish, quality garments over many years. Karl Lagerfeld, although a German designer, has a very French approach. One of the major contemporary innovators of French fashion is Jean-Paul Gaultier, who designs unusual, witty clothes which stand apart from the main thrust of French style.

British Fashion Design

The first fashion designer, Charles Worth, was a native of Britain, although he made his name in Paris. The majority of British fashion houses are based in London. The British fashion scene is known for unorthodox clothes, with a young market, and popular appeal. Vivienne Westwood is one of the pioneers of the daring, youthful look which London is known for. Following in her wake, and turning out fresh ideas consistently, are John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. Other well-known names include Zandra Rhodes (known for fairytale clothes in original fabrics) and Bruce Oldfield (known for glamorous evening wear).

American Fashion Design

The majority of American fashion houses are based in New York and Los Angeles, although there are also a significant number in Miami, and Chicago was once a center of American fashion. American fashion design is dominated by a clean-cut, casual style, reflecting the sporty, health-conscious lifestyles of many American city-dwellers. A designer who helped to set the trend in the United States for sport-influenced day wear throughout the 1940's and 50's was Claire McCardell. Many of her designs have been revived in recent decades. More modern influences on the American look have been Calvin Klein (known for classic coats and separates), Ralph Lauren (known for casually elegant clothes in natural fabrics), Anna Sui (known for her truly unique styles of clothing and for creatine new trends), and Donna Karan (known for practical, sophisticated women's wear).

Italian Fashion Design

The majority of the older Italian couturiers are based in Rome. However, Milan is seen as the fashion capital of Italy because many well-known designers are based there and it is the venue for the Italian designer collections. Italian fashions have a reputation for casual elegance and luxurious fabrics. Among the best-known and most exclusive names in Italian fashion design are Gianfranco Ferre (known for his boldly-cut, brightly-colored clothes), Giorgio Armani (known for subtle, mannish style for both men and women), and Gianni Versace (known for his beautifully-cut leatherwear).

Japanese Fashion Design

The majority of Japanese fashion houses are based in Tokyo. The Japanese "look" is loose and apparently unstructured (though this can often be the result of complicated cutting techniques). Colors are often sombre and subtle and the fabrics used are richly textured. Many of the most famous names in Japanese fashion now work in Europe or the USA, but the Tokyo designer collections are still a major international event. Famous names in Japanese fashion include Kenzo (known for layered looks and highly original knitwear), Issey Miyake (known for master drapery and cutting), and Rei Kawakubo who developed a completely new way of cutting (this can be compared with the innovation of Madeleine Vionnet in the 1930s).

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A Fashion Designer thinks up combinations of line, proportion, color, and texture for intended garments. They may have no sewing or patternmaking skills whatsoever, and may only sketch or conceptualize garments. Formal training is not absolutely essential. Most fashion designers start out by applying for place on a course on fashion design.

A Patternmaker flat drafts the shapes and sizes of the numerous pieces of a garment by hand using paper and measuring tools or by computer using

AutoCAD based software, or by draping muslin on a dressform. The resulting pattern pieces must comprise the intended design of the garment and they must fit the intended wearer. Formal training is essential. Most patternmarkers start out by applying for a place on a course in either pattern making or fashion design.

A Tailor makes custom menswear-style jackets and the s***ts or trousers that go with them, for men or women.

A Textile Designer designs fabric weaves and prints for clothes and furnishings. Most textile designers start out by applying for courses either in fashion design or textiles.

A Stylist is either a person who co-ordinates the clothes, jewelry, and accessories used in fashion photographs and catwalk shows or a kind of designer whose designs are based on existing things, trends, and designers collections.

A Fashion Buyer is responsible for ordering stocks of clothes for shops, particularly the larger chain stores. Most fashion buyers start out by applying for a course in business studies.

A Seamstress is someone who sews seams, or in other words, a machine operator in a factory who may not have the skills to make garments from scratch or to fit them on a real body. This term is not a synonym for dressmaker.

A Teacher of Fashion Design teaches students of fashion design at an art school, fashion design school, or evening classes.

A Custom Clothier makes custom garments one at a time, to order, to meet an individual customer's needs and preferences.

A Custom Dressmaker specializes in women's custom apparel, including day dresses, careerwear, suits, evening or bridal wear, sportswear, or lingerie.

A Fashion Illustrator draws and paints clothes for commercial use.

A Fashion Model models clothes at fashion shows or for photographs.

A Fashion Journalist writes fashion articles for magazines or newspapers.

An Alterations Specialist, or Alterationist adjusts the fit of completed garments, usually ready-to-wear, or restyles them. Note that while all tailors can do alterations, by no means can all alterationists do tailoring.

A Wardrobe Consultant, or Fashion Advisor recommends styles and colors that are flattering for a client.

A Fashion Photographer photographs the clothes on fashion models for use in magazines, newspapers, or adverts.

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A tailor is a person whose occupation is to sew menswear style jackets and the s***ts or trousers that go with them.

Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers, and similar garments, usually of wool, linen, or silk.

The term refers to a set of specific hand and machine sewing techniques and pressing techniques that are unique to the construction of traditional jackets.

Traditional tailoring is called bespoke tailoring in the United Kingdom, where the heart of the trade is in London's Savile Row, and custom tailoring in the United States and Hong Kong. This is unlike made-to-measure which uses pre existing patterns. A bespoke garment or suit is completely original and unique to each customer.

Famous fictional tailors include the tailor in The Emperor's New Clothes and The Brave Little Tailor. A more recent title is John le Carre's The Tailor of Panama.

A tailor-made is a womans' suit consisting of a (usually) woollen or tweed coat and s***t; the name arose during the Edwardian period.
As an adjective, tailor-made (from the second half of the twentieth century usually simplified to tailored) refers to clothing made by or in the style of clothes made by a tailor, characterized by simplicity of cut and trim and fine (often hand-)finishing; as a women's clothing style tailored is opposed to dressmaker.
Rodeo tailor is a term for a creator of the flamboyant costumes typical of country and western musicians, characterized by extensive hand embroidery, an abundance of rhinestones, and 'cowboy' details such as pearl snaps and arrowhead pockets.
In some documents, "tailor" means "adjust", "tailoring" - "adjustment"
Sewing Professional is the most general term for those who make their living by sewing, teaching, writing about sewing, or retailing sewing supplies. She or he may work out of her home, a studio, or retail shop, and may work part-time or full-time. She or he may be any or all or the following sub-specialities:

A Custom Clothier makes custom garments one at a time, to order, to meet an individual customer's needs and preferences.
A Custom Dressmaker specializes in women's custom apparel, including day dresses, careerwear, suits, evening or bridal wear, sportswear, or lingerie.
A Tailor makes custom menswear-style jackets and the trousers or s***ts that goes with them, for men or women.
An Alterations Specialist, or Alterationist adjusts the fit of completed garments, usually ready-to-wear, or restyles them. Note that while all tailors can do alterations, by no means can all alterationists do tailoring.
Designers think up combinations of line, proportion, color, and texture for intended garments. They may have no sewing or patternmaking skills whatsoever, and may only sketch or conceptualize garments. They need to work with people who know how to actually construct the garment, or else the sketch will remain a sketch.
Patternmakers flat draft the shapes and sizes of the numerous pieces of a garment by hand using paper and measuring tools or by computer using AutoCAD based software, or by draping muslin on a dressform. The resulting pattern pieces must comprise the intended design of the garment and they must fit the intended wearer.
A Wardrobe Consultant or Fashion Advisor recommends styles and colors that are flattering for a client.
A Seamstress is someone who sews seams, or in other words, a machine operator in a factory who may not have the skills to make garments from scratch or to fit them on a real body. This term is not a synonym for dressmaker. Seamstress is an old euphemism for prostitute.