What is fashion? More than just what people wear, fashion is the art of creating clothing and “looks” which reflect the society and culture of a certain place and time. It’s partially influenced by fashion designers, of course, but it’s also partially influenced by society as a whole.
Think back to a time when men always wore suits and hats. Now, remember the time when tie-dye ruled the land? Or, even further back, think of a time when men wore white wigs and powered their faces. Some of it might seem weird now, and some of it not, but it all meant something unique to the culture of its time.
Fashion Designers and Their “Superpowers”
Fashion designers, in a very real way, decide what’s cool. They have their pulse on what’s hot, what’s not, and what the next big thing is going to be. The trick is to see where styles are going, and then produce clothing which reflects those styles.
How does someone do this? Well, it’s a little bit of a science and a little bit of an art. Styles do return in fashion, to a certain extent. While certainly there’s nothing strange about seeing someone wearing a tie dye shirt, it would perhaps take a real fashion-forward person to don the powdered wig and face powder before hitting the town to run a few errands. So while you can look to fashion’s history and learn about its future, there’s also a real art to knowing what people will consider cool.
House of Ideas
A fashion house is the term used for a company which produces multiple different clothing lines and accessories. They are often named after the primary designer and founder, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and Christian Dior. Often, as these houses grow in size, the lead designer will employ more and more designers, who work under the lead’s approval.
Each designer will produce clothing which is only considered new for only a short period of time. This doesn’t mean “new” in the sense the clothing will fall apart quickly, but “new” in the sense of fashion as an art form which is considered always in motion. This is why fashion lines are based around seasons, and each major designer typically has at least a winter line and a summer line each year.
Here’s an interesting side note: The idea of modern fashion, as something created by specialized clothes designers, began in 1858 with a man named Charles Frederick Worth. He not only designed and created clothing, he was the first person to put his name on a label sewn into the clothing. It’s this idea of a brand which has continued on to this day.
Many Different Styles, for Many Different Audiences
Have you ever seen a fashion show from a big-name designer? Even if you’re into fashion, you’ve probably looked at some of the outfits and wondered who possibly wears these outfits, and where? Well, there’s actually more going on than you may think. Check out our gallery for some ideas.