Fashion – An Art For All
Fashion is a broad term denoting various trends in dress and footwear; including clothes, shoes, hats, scarves, headdress, accessories, cosmetics, hair dress, clothing and the like. Fashion is an art form and self-awareness in a certain context and at a certain time and in a certain context, of personal clothing, accessories, footwear, life style, hairstyle and physique. The word means a design determined by the fashion industry to what is trendy at that time. The concept of fashion has been around for many decades and has now reached a level of complexity not seen before in human history.
The term “couture” (in French) denotes high quality, fashionable and stylish. Couture designers are in constant competition with each other to come up with new and exciting designs for new seasons, refresh old collections and cater to various customer demands. There is fierce competition in the field of fashion, resulting in ever-changing styles, patterns, cuts and colors. Women are known to be the primary consumers of couture clothing. Even in this age of computers and internet technology, there are numerous boutiques and designer showrooms for the savvy buyer.
Fashion is now a part of life, where everything is changing, whether it is social norms or the way people dress, work, play or eat. With so much of transformation taking place, fashion shows and fashion weeks continue to attract all kinds of celebrities, leading stars, media personalities, fashion icons, style queens and reality TV personalities. Fashion designers, clothing manufacturers and retailers now see fashion as a powerful marketing tool that reaches millions of people through television, newspapers, billboards, magazines and the internet.
There are different aspects of fashion and each of these contributes towards making fashion a significant force in the lives of people. Fashion must always be in sync with personal choice, personality and individual preferences. The concept of fashion has a social impact and it promotes freedom, sexuality, ethnicity and allows free thinking, an individual’s freedom to express themselves and it encourages the idea of dressing as per one’s own perception of beauty, personality and individuality. Fashion can be defined as the combination of art and science in order to achieve a particular effect. It is the manifestation of human creativity and it is generally accepted as the driving force in the visual culture of today.
Fashion design is a process which involves the application of knowledge about the human body and the materials of which it is made, in order to create a product that is attractive, durable and insulating. Fashion trends are continuously changing, taking place in the public sphere, entertainment, literature, commercial activities and politics. These changes occur due to particular events or conditions, such as economical downturn, social changes, changing personal attitudes or expectations and changes in consumer behavior. Changing consumer behavior and their choices, encourages change in the production and distribution of fashion goods. As the demand for clothing increases, production also increases and the resources used in the process of production and manufacture of the goods increase. This leads to higher prices and less profitability and less profit for the companies involved.
The major component of the fashion industry is related to the designing, manufacturing and marketing of fashion products and services. Clothing and fashion accessories constitute a significant part of the industry. Women are prominent consumers of fashion items, as they freely choose from a wide variety of styles. Fashion designers, textile manufacturers, retailers and other organizations contribute to the growth and development of the fashion industry. The main source of information on fashion trends is the media, which features all the recent happenings in the fashion world.