Module 9: Engineering and Design in ASEAN
Table of Contents
Reading Text & Presentation
9.2 Design ideas and features
9.2.2 Design ideas and features in fashion
We could look at the design of architectural structures, but because textile and garment manufacturing are big industries in the ASEAN region, and for variety, we will look at fashion design.
Fashion design has been around for centuries, but the people who bought the garments were usually from only royal or very wealthy families. It is only over the last 100 years or so (with the arrival of movie stars?) that it has become more affordable to the man on the street.
Fashion design combines the art of design application and aesthetic or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. It is influenced by both cultural and social changes. It often takes a long time for a garment to get from a paper sketch to the fashion catwalk, so designers often have to anticipate changing consumer tastes.
Ideally, the clothes should be functional as well as pleasing to the eye. Designers should consider who their potential customers will be and where the garment will be worn. Once a basic idea is born then the choices from the vast array of materials, colors, patterns and styles come into play. Many conventional styles fall within a fairly narrow range, but unusual garments are often sought for evening wear, special occasions, or parties.
Some people like to get most of their clothing made-to-measure. Bespoke tailoring is the specialist design field for men in this case, and for ladies it is termed haute couture.
A fashion designer might sketch ideas on paper, or drape fabric on a dress form. When the basic fit is satisfactory, a professional pattern maker is brought in. The working version of the pattern out is then made out of card, or nowadays more often via a computerized system. The finished garment depends on the accuracy of the pattern maker, so they have to be precise and painstaking. The sample garment, once put together, is tested on a model to make sure it is an operational outfit.
Most people buy ready-to-wear clothes, and these are designed for a mass market. These clothes are sometimes described as ‘off the peg’.
A fashion designer’s workshop (Source: See References)
(Note the sewing machines and dress forms)
Some basic pattern drawings Sketches for measurements
(Source: See References)
A professional fashion designer will usually specialize in one area of garments: dresses, accessories, shoes, coats, etc. Some famous designers have now widened their empires to go into different fields of ‘fashion’ or luxuries design: toiletries, watches, etc.
Some fashion design patterns can be viewed at:
http://www.freepik.com/free-vector/fashion-design-patterns-vector-1_378988.htm
The materials used for fashion design are multiple and varied. A good designer will need to build their experience to know which tools to use for drawing and material preparation; also which type of materials will best suit the purpose of the garment under design.
