Fashion Design Definition, Types & Examples
Table of Contents
ShowHow do you become a fashion designer?
A fashion designer does not necessarily need a college degree. Still, having some college background in design or previous experience working with a fashion designer as an apprentice is helpful. Many fashion designers have some training in fashion design at the associate degree level or bachelor's degree coursework. It may be helpful to have a BFA or even an MFA from an art college specializing in fashion design for costume design or specialized design.
What is the role of a fashion designer?
Fashion designers design clothing and accessories for the public. They may design one-of-a-kind attire or ready-to-wear clothing, as well as accessories. They follow fashion trends and oversee all aspects of the production of their designs.
What are the main types of fashion designers?
The main types of fashion designers are haute couture designers, pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear clothing) designers, and costume designers. In addition, there are specialized designers for jewelry, footwear, and accessories.
Table of Contents
ShowFashion design is the ideation and creation of apparel, accessories, and shoes. Apparel means clothing or attire that is worn. Sometimes it refers to a specific type of clothing, such as business or formal attire. The general public may view fashion design as something that does not impact their daily lives. Still, every article of clothing was designed by someone, no matter where the clothing or accessories were purchased.
There are many components to fashion design that designers should be aware of. Some components include ideation, sketching and finalizing designs, overseeing the production of garments, and marketing garments as part of a collection or at trade shows. Fashion designers must also understand garment construction, fit, trends, and marketing tactics. Depending upon their expertise, talent, and fame, designers will somehow interact with others to market and sell their ideas and designs.
Designers must understand basic art elements such as line, shape, color, value, and texture. The term "line" in fashion design refers to the edges of garments and the interior lines, such as lapels, details, pockets, and lines on the fabric. Shape refers to the basic shape of the garment; for example, an A-line skirt has an 'A' shape. Color is difficult to define, but it is universally understood. Color is very important to fashion design since color influences mood and presence and is greatly impacted by trends. Value or the amount of lightness or darkness in a costume or outfit could also be important. At the least, a designer must be aware of the value, whether the garment is neutral or colorful. Finally, the texture is vital and impacts the materials chosen for the design. Changes in texture, such as a textured tweed jacket with a shiny bag, add interest and appeal to a costume or ensemble.
For example, using knowledge and experience with design elements, a designer might sketch an idea for a dress or pants inspired by another culture. After the initial sketch is drawn, the designer might consider trends for the next year and go through several phases of prototyping and revising the design alone or with a team before finally presenting the design as part of a collection or at a trade show.
Types of Fashion Design
There are several categories and types of fashion design. Some of these are discussed below.
Costume design
By the mid-1930s, Hollywood costumes were made popular worldwide via films and movies. Today a costume designer creates clothing for a character on television or in a movie. By creating the ideal costume, the character's personality on the screen is enhanced or expanded. Costume designers use many of the same tools and processes as fashion designers. Their work is vital to the success of the show or movie. An example is shown below of Jean Harlow on a 1935 MGM set. The furniture and props accentuate her costume's elegance and create a mood that fits her persona and role. Edith Head, Colleen Atwood, and Sandy Powell are famous costume designers.
Haute couture
Parisian haute couture developed around the 1930s but soon spread to the rest of Europe and the United States. It means "high sewing" in French. Haute couture refers to the collection, the fashion house, or the garment. Haute couture fashions are exclusively made for one customer, typically using expensive and high-quality materials, and often made by hand. Some famous haute couture brands include Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, and Christian Dior.
Pret-a-porter
Pret-a-porter or ready-to-wear clothing is manufactured in a range of standard sizes and sold to customers "off the rack." In the mid-1960s, pret-a-porter apparel began to be sold by the major fashion houses in addition to their haute couture lines. Some examples of haute couture designers that also produce a pret-a-porter line are Cardin, Chanel, Dior, and Lacroix.
Specialized areas of fashion design
Specialized areas of fashion design can include footwear, jewelry, and accessories. Like clothing designers, artists and designers may construct one-of-a-kind jewelry, accessories, or shoes, or these items may be designed, mass-produced, and sold to customers. Haute couture designers accessorize their apparel with elegant or extravagant jewelry, shoes, and other accessories. These items may be part of the original ideation or sketch, as in a complete ensemble or costume. Dior, Tiffany, and Cartier are examples of well-known jewelry designers.
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The basics of fashion design include ideation, sketching, construction, and marketing. Designers are responsible for the following tasks:
- Understand how to use design elements like shape, line, color, and texture
- Study and forecast fashion trends by attending fashion shows and reading fashion magazines.
- Sketch detailed designs by hand or on a computer
- Utilize computer-aided-design (CAD)
- Identify color schemes
- Oversee the cutting of patterns and sewing of samples and prototypes
- Learn and understand how to size and fit garments and shoes
- Work as part of a team to design collaboratively
- Study and identify textiles and other creative materials that will be used in designs
- Accessorize with jewelry, footwear, and other types of accessories
- Understand how to market designs; understand and identify target markets
- Ensure the production team follows the designer's specifications
But these tasks vary depending on the type of design and other factors. For example, jewelry and footwear require different materials and tools than clothing.
Examples of Fashion Designers
There are many famous fashion designers. Listed below are a few that played a role in influencing fashion trends.
- Coco Chanel, popular in the 1920s, made simple and elegant designs that were comfortable to wear. This was a new idea for the times. The Chanel name continues in popularity today.
- Ralph Lauren became famous for his menswear designs after the 1974 film The Great Gatsby. He is famous for American clothing in classical styles.
- Tom Ford was successful as the Creative Director for Gucci in the 1990s. His work featured 70s fashion collections for women and men. He now owns a fashion house under his name.
- Marc Jacobs formerly worked for Perry Ellis before creating his label. He is well-known for his 'grunge' designs.
- Christian Louboutin is a French designer well-known for his footwear designs. The shoes are famous for having red soles.
- Calvin Klein is an American designer who creates collections of attire for women and men, cosmetics, perfumes, and articles for homes.
- Donatella Versace, in 1997, led Versace's international team. She is known for statement-making gowns, men's wear, and practical yet elegant pret-a-porter attire.
- Christian Dior, around 1947, drew public attention to his "new look designs" due to their departure from previous styles. His new look for women included longer full skirts, tighter waists, and smaller shoulders.
- Stella McCartney is a British fashion designer who became known in 2001 for her Paris romantic collection. Madonna was one of her famous haute couture clients, for whom McCartney designed a wedding dress.
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Fashion design is a creative field that fuels the fashion industry and produces apparel or clothing for people of all ages and demographics. Categories of fashion design include haute couture (exclusive and usually expensive attire designed specifically for an individual client), pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear attire), costume design, and specialized design like jewelry, shoes, and accessories. However, fashion designers do more than design clothing and accessories. Not only do they create and sketch their ideas, but they must read fashion periodicals and attend fashion shows to keep up with trends, supervise workers who assemble their prototype garments, work with individual clients, and know how to market their designs to the public. Marketing and pricing of fashion designs depend upon the skill, fame, and reputation of a designer or design house. Although many people cannot afford haute couture and are unaware of a designer's work, everyone wears clothing and accessories designed by a fashion designer.
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Video Transcript
What Is Fashion Design?
We see examples of fashion all around us, in clothes and accessories like shoes that we love to buy and wear. But who comes up with the ideas for how these things will look?
A fashion designer is a person who creates the ideas and concepts of new clothing styles and accessories, often by drawing and sketching. Today, fashion designers can also use computer-aided design (CAD) technology to finalize ideas. Fashion designers create styles for items of clothing, including deciding fabrics and patterns to use. It's not an easy job. They must be aware of changes in seasonal style and have an ability to predict coming trends.
Now let's explore several types of fashion design.
Types of Fashion Design
One of the most familiar forms of fashion design involves apparel, which is another word for clothing. There are two main categories. The first, and most prestigious, is haute couture, or expensive one-of-a-kind clothing made for specific wealthy individuals. The phrase haute couture is French, and it specifically relates to the high fashion scene in Paris. Specifically, fashion designers working in haute couture have workshops in Paris. Each season, they show their work to the Paris press at two runway shows with models. These designers usually show fashions for daytime and evening wear. Haute couture is exclusive, high-end fashion made by hand to exact measurements. Most people never own a piece of haute couture fashion!
The other kind of apparel design is pret-a-porter. It's also a French word that means ''ready to wear.'' This type of fashion design results in the clothing most people wear. Pret-a-porter fashion is quality clothing, but it's designed for standard sizes and made in factories. It's off the rack and not made for individual clients. This is clothing you buy in stores like Macy's and the Gap. Designers and design houses that make pret-a-porter fashions usually have one annual show that predicts the next year's trends and styles. The designs that preview well will then be manufactured for the mass market.
Fashion designers work in areas other than apparel. Some create designs for shoes in categories like casual, athletic, and formal. Other designers specialize in accessories or items that go with clothing, including scarves, jewelry, handbags, and belts.
And some fashion designers work in specialized categories like costume design, which includes clothing to be used in film, television, and the performing arts, such as Broadway shows and opera. These designers must be aware of historical clothing styles and have an ability to bring characters, time periods, and perhaps even imaginary worlds to life through fashion design.
The next time you buy a new shirt or jacket, think about who designed it and all the planning that occurred before it arrived on the store shelf!
Lesson Summary
A fashion designer is a person who creates ideas for what clothing, shoes, and other accessories might look like. Many fashion designers work in the apparel or clothing industry. A select group creates high-end expensive and exclusive fashion called haute couture. Created by designers and workshops with a presence in Paris, these fashions are individual and made to the exact measurements of individuals.
Most of us wear clothing made by the part of the apparel industry called pret-a-porter or ready to wear. This fashion results in quality products, but they're made in factories to standard sizes. Other designers create shoe styles or ideas for accessories like scarves and handbags. Some designers specialize in costume design, creating clothing used in television, movies, and the performing arts.
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