Fashion Design

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

It differs from costume design which is considered to have a built in obsolescence usually of one to two seasons.[dubious – discuss] A season is defined as either autumn/winter or spring/summer.

Structure

Fashion designers can work in a number of ways. Fashion designers may work full-time for one fashion company, known as in-house designers, which owns the designs. They may work alone or as part of a team. Freelance designers works for themselves, and sell their designs to fashion houses, directly to shops, or to clothing manufacturers. The garments bear the buyer's label. Some fashion designers set up their own labels, under which their designs are marketed.

Some 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. Large designer brands which have a 'name' as their brand such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, or Chanel are likely to be designed by a team of individual designers under the direction of a designer director.

Designing a collection

A fashion collection is something that designers puts together each season to show their idea of new trends in both their high end couture range as well as their mass market range.

Fashion designers must take numerous matters into account when designing clothes for a collection, including consistency of theme and style. They will also take into account views of existing customers, previous fashions and styles of competitors, and anticipated fashion trends, as well as the season for the collection.

Designing a garment

Fashion designers work in different ways. Some sketch their ideas on paper, while others drape fabric on a dress stand. When a designer is completely satisfied with the fit of the toile (or muslin), he or she will consult a professional pattern maker who then makes the finished, working version of the pattern out of card. The pattern maker's job is very precise and painstaking. The fit of the finished garment depends on their accuracy. Finally, a sample garment is made up in the proper fabric and tested on a fitting model.

History

Fashion design is generally considered to have started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who was the first designer to have his label sewn into the garments that he created. 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 that 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. 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.

It was during this period that many design houses began to hire artists to sketch or paint designs for garments. The images were shown to clients, which was much cheaper than producing an actual sample garment in the workroom. If the client liked their 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.

Ready to wear

At this time in fashion history the division between haute couture and ready-to-wear was not sharply defined. The two separate modes of production were still far from being competitors, and, indeed, they often co-existed in houses where the seamstresses moved freely between made-to-measure and ready-made.

Around the start of the 20th century fashion magazines began to include photographs and became even more influential than in the past. In cities throughout the world these magazines were greatly sought-after and had a profound effect on public taste. Talented illustrators, among them Paul Iribe, George Lepape and George Barbier, drew exquisite fashion plates for these publications, which covered the most recent developments in fashion and beauty. Perhaps the most famous of these magazines was La Gazette du Bon Ton, which was founded in 1912 by Lucien Vogel and regularly published until 1925 (with the exception of the war years).

World War II brought about many radical changes to the fashion industry. After the war, Paris's reputation as the global center of fashion began to crumble and off-the-peg and mass-manufactured clothing became increasingly popular. A new youth style emerged in the 1950s, changing the focus of fashion. As the installation of central heating became more widespread the age of minimum-care garments began and lighter textiles and, eventually, synthetics, were introduced.

Faced with the threat of a factory-made fashion-based product, Parisian haute couture mounted its defenses, but to little effect, as it could not stop fashion leaking out onto the streets. Before long, whole categories of women hitherto restricted to inferior substitutes to haute couture would enjoy a greatly enlarged freedom of choice. Dealing in far larger quantities, production cycles were longer than those of couture workshops, which meant that stylists planning their lines for the twice-yearly collections had to try to guess more than a year in advance what their customers would want. A new power was afoot, that of the street, constituting a further threat to the dictatorship of the masters of coutures.

Types of fashion

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

Haute couture

Until the 1950s, fashion clothing was predominated designed and manufactured on a made-to-measure or haute couture basis (French for high-fashion), with the garment being created for a specific client. 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 a year.

Mass market

Currently 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.

Income

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Most fashion designers earn between $13,440 and $93,000. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an average annual income of $67,370 for fashion designers in 2005. Median annual earnings for fashion designers were $48,530 (£26,019) in 2000. The middle 50 percent earned between $34,800 (£18,658) and $73,780 (£39,557). The lowest 10 percent earned less than $24,710 (£13,248), and the highest 10 percent earned more than $103,970 (£55,743). Median annual earnings were $52,860 (£28,340) in apparel, piece goods, and notions - the industry employing the largest numbers of fashion designers.

Fashion education

A classroom filled with sewing machines and mannequins.

A student fashion show, 2007

There are a number of well known art schools and design schools world wide that offer degrees in fashion design. The most notable of design schools include Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London College of Fashion, and University of Westminster in London, and Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.

Areas of fashion design

Many professional fashion designers start off by specializing in a particular area of fashion. The smaller and the more specific the market, the more likely a company is to get the right look and feel to their clothes. It is also easier to establish oneself in the fashion industry if a company is known for one type of product, rather than several products. Once a fashion company becomes established (that is, has regular buyers and is well-known by both the trade and the public), it may decide to expand into a new area. If the firm has made a name for the clothes it already produces, this helps to sell the new line. It is usually safest for a company to expand into an area similar to the one it already knows. For example, a designer of women's sportswear might expand into men's sportswear. The chart below shows the areas in which many designers choose to specialize.

Area Brief Market

Women's Day wear Practical, comfortable, fashionable Haute couture, ready-to-wear, mass market

Women's Evening wear Glamorous, sophisticated, apt for the occasion hot Haute couture, ready-to-wear, mass market

Women's Lingerie Glamorous, comfortable, washable Haute Couture, ready-to-wear, mass market

Men's Day wear Casual, practical, comfortable Tailoring, ready-to-wear, mass market

Men's Evening wear Smart, elegant, formal, apt for the occasion Tailoring, ready-to-wear, mass market

Girls' Wear Pretty, colorful, practical, washable, inexpensive Ready-to-wear, mass market

Teenage Wear Highly fashion-conscious, comfortable, inexpensive Ready-to-wear, mass market

Sportswear Comfortable, practical, well-ventilated, washable Ready-to-wear, mass market

Knitwear Right weight and color for the season Ready-to-wear, mass market

Outerwear Stylish, warm, right weight and color for the season Ready-to-wear, mass market

Bridal wear Sumptuous, glamorous, classic Haute couture, ready-to-wear, mass market

Accessories Striking, fashionable Haute couture, ready-to-wear, mass market

Fashion design around the world

Most major countries have their own fashion industry, including Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, India, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, 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.

Swedish fashion design

The Swedish fashion scene is set in Stockholm and Malmö. A vast majority of the Swedish fashion brands has their origin in jeans design, such brands as Cheap Monday, Acne Jeans and Tiger of Sweden started as jeans designing companies. In haute couture, the Swedish fashion is quite minimalistic. Lots of blacks and greys are commonly used.

American fashion design

The majority of American fashion houses are based in New York, although there are also a significant number in Los Angeles, where a substantial percentage of clothing manufactured in the US is actually made, Miami, and Chicago, which was once a center of American fashion. American fashion design is dominated by a clean-cut, casual style, reflecting the athletic, 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 1940s 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, Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui, Donna Karan, Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson and Tommy Hilfiger.

British fashion design

London has long been the capital of the UK fashion industry and has a wide range of foreign designs which have integrated with modern British styles. Typical British design is smart but innovative yet recently has become more and more unconventional, fusing traditional styles with modern techniques. Among the most notable UK fashion designers are Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen.

French fashion design

Most French fashion houses are in Paris, which is the capital of French fashion. Traditionally, French fashion is chic and stylish, defined by its sophistication, cut, and smart accessories. Among the many Parisian couture houses are Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior, Givenchy, and Yves Saint Laurent, who display their work at the designer collections that are held twice a year.

Italian fashion design

Most of the older Italian couturiers are in Rome. However, Milan and Florence are the Italian fashion capitals, and it is the exhibition venue for their collections. Italian fashion features casual elegance and luxurious fabrics. The first Italian luxury brand was the florentine Salvatore Ferragamo (who has exported exquisite hand-made shoes to the U.S. since the 1920s); among the best-known, exclusive fashion names, another florentine Gucci is the greatest-selling Italian fashion brand, with worldwide sales of $7.158 billion dollars. Other well-known Italian fashion houses include: Valentino Garavani, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, Emilio Pucci, Roberto Cavalli, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Sarah Jane Ehrlich, Lozio 1928 and Prada.

Swiss fashion design

Most of the Swiss fashion designer, fashion houses are in Zürich. The Swiss look is casual elegant and luxurious. The fabrics manufactured in St. Gallen are exported to the most important fashion Houses all over the World (Paris / New York / London / Milan). The first Swiss luxury brand is Alvoni from the italo/Swiss designer Marianne Alvoni.

Japanese fashion design

Most Japanese fashion houses are in Tokyo. The Japanese look is loose and unstructured (often resulting from complicated cutting), colours tend to the sombre and subtle, and richly textured fabrics. Famous Japanese designers are Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo, Issey Miyake (masterful drape and cut), and Comme des Garçons 's Rei Kawakubo, who developed a new way of cutting (comparable to Madeleine Vionnet's innovation in the 1930s).