Chapter 1 Overview of Fashion Design | Clothing and Fashion Design 1. Clothing The history of clothing extends from ancient times, when human beings first began wearing clothes, While many races on Earth have adapted their clothing to the climate, natural features and lifestyle of their respective regions, national costumes and outfits of people of certain social classes are still in use by people of the present age, while maintaining their connection to their historical hackground, To learn about how the clothing we wear today is connected to societies in each period of history and whether clothing has undergone structural changes's a way of obtaining knowledge about the design, production of clothing and manner of wearing clothes appropriate to the occasion In many countries of the world today, Western-style clothing is worn as the style of clothing most sulted to everyday lite. However, the history of Western clothing in Japan is short compared with Western countries and it was only in the early 20th century lat Western dressmaking techniques began to spread throughout Japan. it was from the time in which signs of the Japanese recovery from World War Il in 1945 had begun appearing that large numbers of women began wearing Western clothing. At the time, Western-style garments were obtained either by ordering from dressmakers or by learning how to sew and making them oneself, Thereafter, a rationalised mass-production system was intro duced by the United States, a country that had a developed off-the-rack clothing industry, and consequently the apparel industry developed rapidly. Garments that previously had been made to order or made by hand were thereafter produced as. ready-to-wear garments. Itis from ths time also that Japanese designers began playing an active part worldwide. t became a time of mass production and mass consumption where clothing became readily available for everyone. However, there was an eventual shift from quantity to quality, and clothing choices based on lifestyle took on greater significance. Consumers wanted to be more individualistic, and the apparel industry was forced to respond to consumer demands resulting in significant changes to production systems. Consumers want clothing that fits, is comfortable to wear ‘and makes them look good. However much the times change, the basic principle of producing clothing that fits the human. body does not change, because, afterall, clothing is for human beings. Correctly learning methods to fulfil that basic require ment and acquiring practical skills which lead to applied development is vital 2. What is Fashion Design? Fashion means clothing and the accessories associated with clothing, but In this book, we focus mainly on the design of clothing Creating a garment is the act of fitting a flat piece of cloth to the three-dimensionality of the human body. The clothing people wear in their everyday lives should be comfortable, enrich the wearer's life and be enjoyable to wear. It should not only satisfy the wearer but should also be appropriate for the living environment of the wearer and be received favorably by other people. It is important to refine your visual sensibility in addition to acquiring knowledge and skills in order to produce a garment that fulfils these conditions. Your starting point, therefore, should be to develop a point of view about the balance of things. You should acquaint yourself with exquisite artworks and craftworks, not only clothing. You should possess a heart capable of being inspired and nurture your eye for the valuable and the fine as well as the beautiful You can learn about the beauty of clothing that transcends the ages by acquainting yourself with the garments that have become part of our clothing history because they inspired the people of their time, That clothing reflects the special quality of the time in which it is created is also an important consideration for clothing production, Fashion changes as times change and clothing is. something that emerges out of the everyday lives of ordinary human beings. Understanding that gives birth tonew ideas ang ‘energizes people. However, that newness should not be entirely subjective and should be something to which alarge number of people can relate. An ability to sense that is required. Also,.in ‘our world of affluence and growing international relationships, fashion has to incorporate an understanding of the way the world Is moving, because the freshest, tasteful design is contemporary but also contains a consciousness of the past and is connected to the future. With these sensibilities, you should start by acquiring an Understanding of the characteristics and movement of the female body as the foundation for your garments in order to express them in actual terms. The female body is three dimensional with numerous complex curved surfaces and it is. by encasing that three-dimensionality in a flat piece of fabric that a silhouette is created. To clearly express the lines of the ‘human body, we insert design lines for the convex and concave parts of the body, divide them into sectors on the pattern and (Chater 1 = Overview of Fashion Design = UL