By Elizabeth Morgan
Fashion design is the practical art devoted to the design of garments, fashion wear, clothes in general and lifestyle accessories.
Charles Frederick Worth (1826-1895) was the first fashion 'designer' and not merely a dressmaker. He was the first to put up a 'fashion house' in Paris, where many young designers trained under him and were taught the skill and creativity that Frederick had with fabric.
Modern fashion design is generally divided into two broad categories -- 'haute couture' and 'ready-to-wear.' A designer's haute-couture collection is intended for private clientele and is custom made, cut and sewn. For a fashion house to be eligible to be an official 'haute couture' house, a designer or company must register with the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture, a body of designers based in Paris and governed by the French Department of Fashion Industry that includes many international designers. An haute couture house is required to display their fashion collections twice a year with a minimum of 35 complete outfits in each show. They are often modeled on the catwalk and exhibited in private salons.
Ready-to-wear compilations are not custom made for private customers. They come in standard sizes, and this makes them more fitting for larger productions. Ready-to-wear collections can be further classified as designers' collections and confection collections. Designer collections have a premium finish and an exclusive cut and design. The designer's ready-to-wear collection is also modeled on catwalks all around the world. Confection collections are the clothes that we usually see in shops. These collections are designed by fashion artists. The brands that produce confection collections solely target the masses.
As fashion has become increasingly a large industry, fashion artists have also ventured into the designing of products that accompany clothes like perfume, handbags and foot wear.
Fashion Design