What is Fashion | Classification of Fashion and Its Description

Definition of Fashion:
“What is fashion?” It’s not that easy to give answer the question, because it expresses different things to different people. Generally, fashion refers to the change in style of garment. Fashion is a style that takes place on a body or face or an appearance that varies from person to person, day to day, time to time. It essentially involves change defined as a succession of short-term trends or fads.

The term “fashion” is used by practitioners and academics to generally refer to an industry which widely includes several sectors: textile, clothing, leather, knitwear, accessories, sunglasses, cosmetics, and jewelry. Generally, fashion is a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear, accessories, makeup, body, or furniture. It comes from a Latin ward “Facere” which means “To Make”. We can simply explain fashion is an art. Fashion expresses of someone feelings. It also refers to the newest creations of textile designers. In this article I will teach about fashion classification and describes every segments.

Fashion is a natural instinct in people. Men and women are fond of adorning themselves to look more attractive and unique. If a particular style is accepted by a particular group of people (fairly large group), over a sufficient length of period (fairly large period), it is called ‘fashion’. Many fashions can also coexist.

Classification of Fashion:
For knowing fashion elaborately learning about classification is very important. A fashion expert knows fashion apparel as a unique product, one that reflects self-concept, life-style, change, time and place.

The duration of fashion’s importance is a very critical for fashion designers or manufacturers. A fashion can be brief or of long duration. Once having identified characteristics of fashion, a designer is in a position to assess a fashions importance to the retail inventory.

Fashion is classified into many types, such as:

1. Style
2. Basic or classic
3. Fad
4. Fashion Forecasting
5. Trends

We can describe the fashion classification in the following way:
1. Style:
Style is always constant. It is not changeable like to fashion. It is the modification of fashion. Style is the basic outline of any garment. It is a manner of doing something. It commonly refers to one’s fashion or outer appearance. Style word is very popular in fashion. Style is unique but when it is accepted by others then it is called fashion.

2. Basic or Classic:
When a fashion is comparatively constant or long lasting or continuing for many days, such as saree and salwar kameez, it is called Basic or Classic. The saree and salwar kameez are part of fashion scenery. A customer has one or more in his wardrobe, to be worn to suit different occasions. In certain times, the basic becomes the most important promotable fashion, but, in or out, they remain as a part of the fashion scene.

3. Fad:
Fad is a more uncertainble word for a fashion designer. Because it can either makes a designer’s life more interesting or tenser. Sometimes something appears on the fashion scene that captures the imagination, only to fizzle out in short duration.

After all, fad can be denoted as a short lived fashion, staying for a very little duration of period or time, acceptable by only a certain group of people. In maximum time they are very costly and every one cannot afford to buy it.

4. Fashion Forecasting:
Fashion forecasting is the prediction of mood, behavior and buying habits of the consumer that focuses on upcoming trends. It is very important part of fashion scene because when a new garment is designed by a designer and worn, it will not create fashion by itself. It needs to spread fashion with different media. Fashion forecasting is commonly done by many communicating media, such as, fashion shows, cinema, newspapers, press, fashion magazines and window display.

Generally fashion forecasting includes:

1. Consumer research
   • Surveys
   • In-store informal interviews
   • Consumer focus groups
2. Market research
3. Fashion trends
4. Shopping
5. Evaluating the collections
6. Sales records
7. Trend for target markets

5. Fashion Trends:
Fashion trend is the most changeable term in fashion. It is the styling ideas that major collections have in common. Fashion trends are influenced by several factors which include economical, political, social and technological. Fashion forecasters can use this information to help determine growth or decline of a particular trend. Sometimes a new trend appears in small doses until it spreads to other collections. As the mass media notices similarities between collections and highlights them, the media exposure also helps establish the trends. But if the market becomes flooded with a new trend, consumers may react negatively to the overexposure.

Jahanara Rony

Editor of Fashion2Apparel. She is a fashion designer and ex-lecturer in Fashion Designing. She wants to spread fashion knowledge throughout the world.

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