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Chapter 7
Fashion Concepts

In fashion designing a wide list of terms are used. Students

aiming to be in the field of fashion should have a clear idea about the various terms
that are prevailing in the industry. Besides familiarity we should be able to distinguish
the difference within the terms.

FASHION TERMS
The following are the most important terms that are greatly
used in the fashion industry: -

1. Style: -
- Style is the distinguishable characteristic of a garment.
- It is a particular look, shape or type of apparel.
- If consumers support a style, it becomes fashion.
- It is always constant whether it is currently accepted or not.
- The style may have a characteristic cut, silhouette, fabric, colour palette,
surface embellishment, pattern-making, garment construction or finishing
techniques.
- E.g. – Necklines, Scoop. V-neck, Boat neck, Bermuda, Pinafore

2. Trend: -
- A fashion trend refers to the movement of fashions in clothing follow.
- It is a popular style for practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, accessories,
make up, or furniture.

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- Fashion is often affected by seasonal trends which imply that a particular style,
silhouette, colour, texture etc. may be dominant at a given point of time, leading
to a tendency to wear similar clothes.
- This aspect is highlighted and reenforced by the magazines, advertisements
etc.
3. Fashion:
- It is the particular style that is popular at a given time.
- It is a style that is accepted by a large group of people for a period of time.
- Fashion is also termed as a social process by which newly introduced styles or
trends become popular in a certain time with acceptability by a wider section of
consumers.
- Fashion is always new, even when old styles are reintroduced.
- A fashion is always based on a style. But it does not mean that every style is in
fashion.
4. Classic: -
- It refers to the style that endures.
- A classic style is one that stays in fashion for a long time.
- A classic is characterised by simplicity of design and its suitability to the clothing
needs of large population.
- It is a long lasting or constant fashion.
- E.g. – Blue jeans, Tailored suits, Well-fitted black formal trousers, Kanchipuram
sarees.
5. Fad: -
- Fashions popular for short period of time are termed as fad.
- Fads are short lived fashion.
- Fad refers to styles that are extreme and exaggerated in their design.
- Therefore, they suddenly gain high level of popularity and then quickly
disappear from the fashion scene.
- Often popular with teens.
- They are shortly flood in the market due to low price, and people get tired of it
quickly.
- E.g. – Fluorescent-coloured T-shirts, ankle or calf length jeans with turn-up
cuffs, baggy anti-fit jeans etc.
6. Silhouette: -
- It is a shape or outline of a garment or clothing style.
- It is also called as “shape” or “form”.
- It is formed by the width and length of the neckline, sleeves, waistline and parts
or skirt.
- Silhouettes always change in fashion.
- Throughout history there are three basic forms of silhouettes with many
variations were observed - bell, hourglass & tubular.

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7. Custom:
- Custom means made for the individual customer.
- Garments are designed and produced with special design, fabric and fit to a
specific person.
- It is also called made-to-order apparel.
- Custom made clothing was produced mostly by women of the house prior to
the mass production at the factories. The garments were also stitched by hand
very meticulously.
8. Haute Couture: -
- In French, Haute couture refers to high fashion created by designers known as
‘couturiers.
- Couture is unique and exclusive creations of fashion customized for individual
clients, since the design is never duplicated.
- The extremely high prices are due to design exclusivity, high quality of fabric,
skilled labour used for surface design techniques, embroidery, drape,
craftsmanship, garment construction and quality of finish.
- Among the most reputed international couture labels are Chanel, Dior, Versace
and Valentino. India has several designers like Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani,
Rohit Bal, Suneet Verma, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Arora, Manish
Malhotra and others in this genre.
9. Prêt a Porter: -
- (French) refers to ready to wear (RTW) clothing derived from the couture
collection.
- It is factory made-clothing, manufactured with high quality standards, at more
affordable prices in multiple sizes in a wider range of colour options.
- Standard patterns, factory equipment, and faster construction techniques are
used for ‘prêt-a-porter’ to keep costs low
- This term is widely used now as the fashion retail sector.

No. Designer Main Label Pret Label

1 Ritu Kumar Ritu Label

Manish Arora Fish Indian by Manish
2 Manish Arora
Fry Arora
3 Rohit Bal Rohit Bal Balance
4 Ashish Soni Ashish Soni A&S
5 Tarun Tahiliani Tarun Tahiliani TT
6 Issey Miyake Issey Miyake Pleats Please
7 Donna Karan Donna Karan DKNY

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10. Avant garde: -

- They are the designs created with uncommon ideas or techniques with a
startling look.
- Avant garde clothes are used to draw attention and hence are used in stage
show or for advertisements.
- Avant garde (French) refers to the 'advance guard' or vanguard of art and
culture which differentiates it from the mainstream.
- In terms of fashion, it aims at expanding the boundaries of existing norms and
aesthetics.
- They are experimental and innovative designs.
- They express the designer's vision or ideology.
- These designs are limited in numbers and may not be wearable.
11. Mass / Volume Fashion:
- These are ready-to-wear garments in mass.
- It is available in large quantities with standard measurements and variety of
colours.
- Uses simple production techniques and cheaper fabrics hence to sell at
cheaper rates.
- They are fashion available both in brands and on streets.
- Mass fashions constitute the ‘bread and butter’ of the fashion industry as they
account for the major of sales in the fashion business.
- Global labels like Gap, United Colours of Benetton, Zara, H & M. and Indian
labels like Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons, Westside, W etc. are examples of
brands dealing in large volumes of merchandise.
12. Collection:
- A collection, also called a range or line, refers to a well-defined and diligently-
edited group of clothing or products for a specific season.
- For example, this could be a range of blouses with a colour coordinated focus
on design variations of details like collars, necklines, silhouettes, lengths etc.
for the ready to wear (RTW) market.
13. Knock – Off:
- Knock – off is the stealing of design ideas, or the use of a design, without the
consent of the originator/ manufacturer.
- Designs are generally copied from higher priced garments.
- They are produced in great volume with lower quality materials and
workmanship.
14. Fashion Forecast:
- A prediction of fashion colours, textures, designs, silhouettes and styles that
become popular.

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FASHION CYCLE
Fashion always remains in motion. The changes in fashion
depend on economic, social, and psychological factors. Fashions change with same
series of events. The acceptance and rejection of a particular style is indicated through
the fashion cycle. It is usually depicted as a bell-shaped curve. The five stages of a
fashion cycle are:
― Introduction
― Rise in popularity
― Peak of popularity
― Decline in popularity
― Rejection

Stage1. Introduction Stage

• It is the introduction of a style.
• A fashion is born when it’s worn for the first time. For example, models and
celebrities’ wear.
• New styles are offered to the public by changing elements such as line,
shape, colour, fabric and details.
• The introduced style has usually limited acceptance by consumers.
• Higher prices of products.
• Limited production.
Stage2. Rise in Acceptance / Growth Stage

• When the style gets wider acceptance, the demand rises.

• Fashion followers pick up the trend thus increasing the appeal and
popularity of the style.
• Adaptation and changes are done in style at this stage.
• Price is affordable by using less expensive fabrics and styles.
• Mass production is carried out
• The product is widely available to the public.
Stage3. Peak in Popularity / Maturity Stage

• This stage represents the peak of popularity.

• The style is widely worn in society.
• Majority of consumers demand and accept variations of the style with
different price level.
• Introducing new colour, texture or details in the existing style may keep that
style alive for longer period.
• Lengths at this stage determines if fashion becomes a classic.
• Price is affordable by most of the consumers.
• The style is produced in large quantities.

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Stage4. Decline in Popularity / Decline Stage

• This stage indicates the decline in popularity.
• The style has over-exposed or become monotonous.
• Demand for the fashion decreases.
• Fashion has over saturated or flooded at the market.
• Consumers won’t pay high price for the fashion
• Decrease in demand leads to start offering discounts and reduced price.
Stage5. Rejection / Obsolescence

• The style is considered to be outdated and is therefore rejected.

• Consumers are no longer interested.
• Retailers do not restock products
• Production of style has stopped by manufacturers.

Fashion Cycle

Length of cycles: -
- The life of a fashion can seems quite short. This period may range from several
months to several years.
- Although all fashions follow the same cyclical pattern, there is no measurable
time for a fashion cycle.
- Some fashions take a short time to reach the peak in popularity, others take
longer; some decline slowly, others quickly.
- Certain fashions fade quickly; others never completely disappear.
- A classic style is one originally introduced as a fashion item but because of its
superior design features and broad appeal, stays popular over a long period of
time. E.g., true classics include Levis jeans, T-shirts, pleated skirts, blazers,
etc.

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- A fad style will decline popularity shortly due its extreme design. E.g., extreme
silhouettes, strong colours, bright bold prints, exaggerated accessories are
typical examples of fad.
- A Standard style called long-wave phenomenon, are reflective of styles that
start gradually increase popularity and sustain for a longer period of time and
then their popularity eventually decreases.

FASHION ADOPTION THEORIES

Fashion is one of the greatest economic forces in the
present-day life. It is important to understand the way the fashion ideas are originated
and disseminated to understand the varied tastes, life styles and economic status of
consumer groups. Fashion theories help us explain phenomenon of fashion.

Each theory of fashion explains about the course in which

fashion travels, the fashion leaders & merchandisers and diffusion of fashion from the
leaders to others.
The theories of fashion adoption may be operating
separately or at the same time as. Basically, there are three theories of the fashion
adoption process.:
a. The down- ward flow theory or trickle-down theory,
b. The horizontal-flow theory or “mass-market” theory or mass dissemination
theory or trickle- across theory.
c. The upward flow theory or trickle-up theory.

1. Trickle - down theory:

- This is the oldest theory of fashion adoption.
- This trickle-down theory of the fashion was identified and accepted by the
19th century economists.
- It says a style must first be adopted by people of the top social level.
- The style then gradually wins acceptance at progressively lower social level.
- Centuries ago, the fashion setters were the royal families.
- The upper class copied the royalty and then the middle class.
- At this time the lower class were prohibited by law from copying the styles.
- In time, royalty was replaced by the families of business-men, who became
the top of the economic and social ladder.
- People at the lower socio-economic level found it safe to copy the fashion
leaders rather than to experiment fashion.
- Thus, fashion trickled down from higher fashion leaders to the lower strata of
people.

2. Trickle-up theory:
- This theory is also called as Reverse adoption theory.
- The bottom-up theory explains that the fashions filter up from youth to aged
and from lower to upper socioeconomic groups.
- It says that young – those from low- & high-income families, adopt new and
different fashions.
- The idea behind this theory is that lower income youth have fewer inhibitions
and are free to create new dress patterns.

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- Upper socio-economic groups are safe in their positions and feel free to
adopt new dress patterns.
- Middle groups are often more traditional but can accept clothing styles
emerging from lower and upper socio-economic groups.
- E.g., T-shirts and jeans of the earliest “Hippies”, Denim, glitter tops, metal
shine garments etc.

3. Trickle-across Theory or Mass Market Theory:

- This is also called as Trickle- Across theory of fashion adoption.
- This theory claims that fashions move horizontally between groups on similar
social levels rather than vertically from one level to another.
- As the twentieth century progressed, fashion no longer was created by any
specific social or economic class.
- Each group or segment of society has its own leader or leaders of fashion.
- The approval of these local leaders is required before a fashion can be
adopted by the group.
- Various designer and manufacturer labels called the attention of various
groups at different price points.

INDIAN AND INTERNATIONAL FASHION CENTRES

The top fashion capitals of world are: -
- New York: - Fashion Capital of North America, Hosts over 75 major fashion
/Trade shows and market week including the iconic ‘New York Fashion Week’
each year.
- Paris: - This magnificent city of France is the cradle of fashion. The famous
French designers like Coco Chanel and Christian Dior shaped the future of
fashion and revolutionized the way of dressings.
- London: - The ancient city In UK is one of the four major fashion capitals of
world. London is home to so many top fashion schools, the most prestigious,
and often considered the best in the world, is Central Saint Martins.
- Milan: - City of Milan at North Italy has responsible for complementing fashion
styles all over the world with prime accessories. Milan is the home to some of the
world’s finest designers and leading brands like, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Gianni
Versace, Prada etc. The city hosts one of the largest fashion weeks in the
world—Milan Fashion Week, and only the most elite members of the fashion
industry attend.
- Rome: - Rome is known for top fashion houses that produce extravagant haute
couture fashions for the rich and famous. The City of Rome also hosts Rome
Fashion Week. The biannual event (also known as Alta Moda Alta Roma),
takes place in January and July.
- Barcilona: - Barcelona has one of the fastest growing fashion industries in the
world.
- Berlin: Berlin Fashion Week is also an event worth mentioning. Although
young compared to Paris and New York Fashion Weeks, Berlin Fashion Week

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has made a name for itself by introducing the hottest young fashion designers
to the world.
- Tokyo: - ‘The Tokyo Fashion Week’ is one of the best on the Asian continent.
- Madrid: - First, Madrid Fashion Week is the most prestigious fashion event in
Spain.

The top fashion cities of India: - India is a country with an ancient clothing design
tradition, yet an emerging fashion industry.
- Delhi: - Fashion Capital of India. Up to six fashion weeks are conducted in every
year. More than 50 leading fashion designers are from this city. Delhi is now 24th
in the fashion capital of world.
- Kolkata: - The everyday style of Kolkata includes creative fix of Indian fabrics
and prints mixed with western styles. With many top designers setting up their
shop in Kolkata such as the celeb-famous Sabyasachi and Anamika Khanna,
it has also become a go-to city for designer wedding shopping. Kolkata is
also famous for the very affordable garments available owing to its proximity
to all the major ports around the globe.
- Mumbai: - Mumbai is the famous fashion center of middle fashion zone of India.
Bollywood, one of the world's biggest film industries, heavily influences the
city's fashion. Some of the most famous international fashion brands and
labels can be easily spotted in Mumbai along with a wide range of local
markets. ‘Lakme Fashion Week’ is the main attraction of fashion lovers of India.
- Bangalore: - This city is the main center of south fashion zone of India.’
Bangalore Fashion Week is the Famous fashion show. Eexperimenting with
fashion and mixing Indian prints such as Rajasthani block prints, Kalamkari
and Ikkat with western styles such as crop tops and skirts, are common trend.
- Hyderabad: -. Inspired by the grand Mughal empire that once ruled it,
Hyderabad's fashion is flamboyant and hard to miss. Hyderabad is a very
designer-friendly city leading to dozens of famous designers setting up shop
here.

INDIAN AND INTERNATIONAL FASHION DESIGNERS

International Designers:
1. Giorgio Armani - Italy
2. Ralph Lauren - America
3. Donna Karan - America
4. Marc Jacobs - America
5. Donatella Versace - Italy
6. Calvin Klein – America
7. Coco Chanel – France
8. Christian Dior – France
9. Stefano Gabbana – Italy
10. Guccio Gucci – Italy
11. Kar Lagerfeld – Germany
12. Miuccia Prada – Italy

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Indian Fashion Designers

1. SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE: - Sabyasachi Mukherjee, a new sensation from

Kolkata is the youngest designer who has made his name in panorama of
Indian Fashion. He designs both casual and party wears for women. He
specialized in different types of bags, and head gear suiting to the dress and
also designs for poets, artists, painters, with dresses having a very casual and
informal look.
2. ROHIT BAL: - Rohit Bal is called as “Indian master of fabric & fantasy”. He did
his graduation from New Delhi’s St-Stephens college with a first class (Hons.)
degree in history. He experiments with different colours following the golden
rule i.e light for the day & heavier for evening.
3. MANISH MALHOTRA: -Graduated from Elphinstone College, Mumbai, Manish
is a well known designer in new fashion world as well as in Bollywood. He is
also known as a very hyped rip-off artist as he cut Kanjeevaram sarees & made
them in to slinky dress. Malhotra uses clear & bold colours like black, red & opts
for pastel colours like lilacs, lavenders, whites, creams pink & lemon instead.
His garments include short kurtas with stoles, hip length tops, loose knit shirts,
silk corsets & lycra trousers for women & kurtas , kurta shirts, full shirts, short
shirts, jackets & draw strings for men. He likes lots of silk embroidery.

4. TARUN TAHILIANI: -Tarun , a graduate in Business Management is one of the

top Indian designers. Drapes were his weaknesses because no other society
uses the draped form as significantly as India. Many exotic ways- sari, dhoti,
lungi, & orhni are draped by him. He has designed the jeweled blouses and
traditional angarkhas with slightly revised shapesHe launched his own label
Ahilian and has an own couture.
5. RITU BERI: -Ritu Beri graduated from Delhi University in 1987 and was
amongst the first batch of 25 students from NIFT. She achieved instant success
with this collection even in the fashion at London‘s regent street. Her collection
“SANSKRITI” in 1995 was a breaking way of tracing her roots in the fashion
industry.
6. RITU KUMAR: - Ritu Kumar has contributed in the revival of Indian crafts. In
1964 she graduated from Lady Irwin College., Delhi. In 1967 she has set up a
workshop at Kolkota with largest collection of blocks in the world. Ritu kumar
mastered in Block prints, Kasuti, Chikankari to Zardosi, Bandini and Kalamkari
which was used in her timeless ethnic wear for women. Ritu Kumar mostly
designs bridal wear sarees. Ritu Kumar is creator of first chain of exclusive
boutiques in India. She has her own distribution system. Four stores in Mumbai,
one in Delhi, one in Amritsar has kept their locals in traditional wear. Her outfits
have been worn by celebs like Jemina khan and Princess Diana.

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