Fashion Design is one of the coolest, most creative, and most popular industries globally. The field of fashion itself is vast, nothing less than an ocean in itself. Some people realize it and then dive into this ocean, and others dive first and then understand the depth and length of this glamorous ocean.
Fashion is an industry with a lot of different genres. There are many factors to consider when choosing which one to pursue. Fashion designers come in all shapes and sizes, with varying levels of experience and training.
If you are an aspiring fashion designer, this post will help you understand the top 5 types of fashion design. It might help you plan what kind of fashion designing courses to choose & your career path.
Some people like to call these different types of fashion design different tiers of fashion design.
Top 5 types of fashion design:
- Haute Couture Fashion
- Luxury Fashion
- Fast Fashion
- Economy Fashion
- Ready-To-Wear Fashion
Just because I am mentioning these types separately does not mean that there is no overlap in these types or even subtypes of Fashion Design. No matter which tier of fashion design you choose, you will find some kind of overlap with the other type of design.
So, Let’s dive in a bit deeper and learn more about each of these types of fashion design.
5 types of fashion design
Haute Couture Fashion:
There is a reason why Haute Couture is at the top of this list. Haute couture is the high-end fashion of French design. Haute Couture screams of custom-fitted limited clothing& accessory design.
Haute Couture Fashion is not just about beauty but also comfort and practicality. The most important aspect of this type of fashion is that every garment is entirely unique. It takes a very long time to construct pieces of Haute Couture design since every piece is made by hand with extreme attention to detail. No two pieces of Haute Couture can ever be the same.
Haute Couture fashion is typically seen on the runways of Paris, France. It features very intricate detailing and often a lot of embellishments. That is why the majority of haute couture items are not mass-produced. They’re also not easy to find because they’re often only available in high-end boutiques worldwide.
Here is something else that makes Haute Couture designs so special. There is a crucial set of requirements that need to be fulfilled & a set of strict guidelines set by French Government that needs to be adhered to in order to qualify as an Haute couture. Not every design or designer can qualify as an Haute Couture.
Luxury Fashion:
Wealthy people have always demanded high-quality clothing, and designers have responded. These designers are now creating expensive garments that can only be sold in a specific part of the world. This type of fashion is called luxury fashion.
I am sure you would have already understood this type. Luxury fashion juxtaposes custom-made, exclusive, bespoke & readily available mass-produced clothing & accessories.
What makes this type of fashion luxurious is the fact that even though these are not made by hand, they are also not produced in large quantities. But the quality of these clothing and accessories is just splendid. Also, exclusivity and limited production are other things that make luxury fashion so desirable.
Fast Fashion:
If you are interested, you can read more about Fast Fashion & Slow Fashion – The Environmental impacts of fast fashion
“Fast fashion” is a term used to describe clothing that is cheaply made and sold at low prices. Usually, the clothes are mass-produced by machines with little attention paid to quality or style. Fast-fashion clothing is a relatively new phenomenon. It got its name because it’s usually sold at a fast pace, rather than the old fashion of waiting until something goes on sale. And many people choose to buy fast fashion because the prices are so inexpensive.
The whole idea behind fast fashion is to catch every fashion trend and fad and monetize it as fast as possible. The “fast” in “fast fashion” also refers to how quickly it’s made and how quickly it’s available in stores. Machines usually mass-produce the clothes to be ready for store shelves in weeks instead of months.
The clothes are usually available at brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers like Amazon. That’s considered “fast.” In fact, fast fashion is sometimes called disposable fashion because as soon as something else becomes popular, the previous collection can be gone from stores. And it’s so inexpensive that people don’t feel guilty about buying a new outfit frequently or tossing out old clothes for new ones.
You can read more about fashion and its environmental impacts at Fast Fashion & Slow Fashion – The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion
Economy Fashion:
Economy fashion is what the majority of people wear. It is usually cheap and mass-produced. Clothes are usually not well-made, leading to issues with quality and durability in the long term. Economy fashion also refers to fast fashion brands like Zara.
I can understand your confusion; you might wonder what exactly the difference between fast fashion & economy fashion is? Both of these seem so similar. The significant difference is that the quality of Economy fashion is well below fashion clothing. The ultimate goal in economy fashion is to mass-produce clothes and accessories in the most efficient way that exists.
Actually, there are two major goals of Economy fashion producers. The first one is discussed above, and the second is to turn as much profit as possible. Because of this, cheap labor and materials are used to construct these articles.
Ready-To-Wear Fashion:
Ready-to-wear fashion is a type of clothing that has been made and produced in advance. It can also be called off-the-rack or ready-to-wear. Ready-to-wear clothes are typically found on racks that are stocked with the latest designs and styles. These clothes do not require any additional alterations before the consumer can wear them. The consumer often purchases them based on their size, without any further tailoring. Ready-to-wear clothing is often more affordable than made-to-measure clothes.
Ready to wear clothing is also known as prêt-à-porter. Do you remember that there are overlaps between these different types of fashion? Well, this is where the overlap is at its peak.
Conclusion:
While some of these types of fashion have inter-changeable names, this is what is accepted by the majority. While the fashion industry has its nuances, complications & cut-throat competition. It is indeed one of the most welcoming fields if you are passionate about it. You can choose to be an expert in any type of fashion or be a jack of all trades. All that depends on you.
But it would help if you still started at the very beginning – the fundamentals and our fashion designing courses can help you out with that. IIFT is one of Bangalore’s best fashion design colleges, with outstanding placement records and excellent faculty. You can check out various courses offered by us below.
- Diploma in Fashion Design & Boutique Management
- Diploma in Fashion Styling & Communication
- BSc in Fashion & Apparel Design
- Masters in Fashion Management
- Diploma in Fashion Designing (Weekend Program)
Or you can also fill up the form in the top right corner and fill-up the form. We will help you out with the whole process.
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