BAFD

Introduction to fashion design

Fashion design definition:

Fashion design is a form of art dedicated to the creation of clothing and other lifestyle
accessories
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to
clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and
has varied over time and place.
1. fashion designing
2. clothing
3. fashion industry overview
4. fashion terminologies

fashion cycle

Every season, a multitude of new styles are created by the designers some are rejected
immediately by the press, and retail, and some are accepted every fashion has a life span, which is
known as the fashion cycle.

there are 5 stages

1. introduction
 Designers create new styles by changing elements such as line, shape, color, fabric, and other
details
 High-end designers get the financial backing to design with no limitations from creativity, raw
material and workmanship. Production cost is high and sales are minimum.

2. Rise
 The style introduced by the designer attracts the attention of consumer (press and public in
general) purchased and owned by many people
 These styles are then mass-produced.
 High-end designers develop a secondary bridge or diffusion line that sell at lower price in large
quantities
 Copying and adaptations by some designers increase the popularity of styles.
 Some designers modify the styles to suit their consumer requirements and sell at lower prices.
3. Peak
 Fashion is at its heights of its popularity.
 Manufacturers copy and introduce the style at many price levels.
 High volume of production becomes necessary which results in lowering of prices and saturated
markets
 Highest sales volume and highest consumer acceptance
4. Decline
 These consumer starts looking for new styles as they are exhausted of the no of copies of the
same style.
 Sales decline as consumers are not willing to buy it at the regular price.
 Retailers use these styles for sales
5. Rejection
 Consumers have already turned to new looks starting a new cycle.
 The rejection of style just because it is out of fashion is called as Consumer obsolesce
 The style no longer is accepted at any price, hence the sales at this stage are zero or negative.

The fashion cycle explained by Everett Rogers has three major stages

1. The innovators
 This is an introductory stage
 1st to adopt new styles
 These people are interested in innovative and unique features

2. The early adapters or opinion leaders

 Adopted by people who are highly motivated by the desire to dress differently from others
 These people have money and desire to be fashionable
 They are highly limited in number (generally celebrities) and they change the product into a
popular style
 Fashion at this stage is called high fashion.
 The product is then manufactured and sold by more companies.

3. The early majority or masses

 Peak of the popularity
 Fashion is adopted by the masses
 The fashion slowly spread and is imitated by a great no of people who follow the fashion rather
than lead.
 Product is mass-produced and distributed at prices which are at the reach of the common man

4. The late majority or late adopters

5. The laggard
 The product is marked as a clearance sale
 People who are slow to recognize and adopt fashionable style
 the consumer is bored of seeing the same product but still wears it.
 Declining stage of fashion.
Length of the fashion cycle

1. Classics
 Styles never become obsolete
 Characterized by simplicity of design which keeps it from updated
 Examples sarees, salwar kameez, etc
 Internationally dress, jackets, etc.

2. Fads
 Short-lived fashions, which come and go in one season
 Lack the design strength to hold the customer for long time
 Effect narrow consumer group,
 They begin in low price ranges and are simple and cheap to copy, hence they flood the market in
a very short period
 Because of market saturation, the public is tired and the style dies out very quickly
 The peak of this cycle is very high

3. Cycles within the cycle

 Design elements such as line, texture, color, form, lines change even if the styles stay popular
 Jeans became popular in the late 1960’s, but silhouettes like bellbottoms, and baggy came and
went during that time when jeans were in fashion.
 4. Interrupted cycle
 Premature halting of a style because the manufacturer or retailer no longer wishes to risk
producing or stocking merchandise that will soon decline in popularity
 Sometimes the normal progress of a fashion cycle is interrupted or prolonged by social upheaval,
economic depression, or war.

5. Recurring cycles
 Designers often borrow ideas from the past,
 Silhouette, or proportion may occur but with a change in fabric and detail

Fashion adoption
Depending upon the taste of consumers and their spending habits, there are three variations in
fashion adoption

1. Trickle-down theory (traditional fashion adoption)

 Copying and adapting trend-setting fashion.
 According to this theory, fashion originates from the upper strata of the social pyramid (elite
class)
 Fashion forward and fashion Icons popularize these styles
 Manufacturers produce economic adaptations of these styles to appeal to the masses.
 It passes(trickle) down to the middle class where it gains popularity
 Then it passes down to lower classes where fashion declines and prices fall drastically.
 The styles are copied again and again to lower the price until they have seen enough to become
acceptable to conservative buyers.
 The length of this process is influenced by location. If the new look starts from Europe, People in
New York and other large cities will probably be the first to adopt it.
2. Trickle-up theory (Reverse adoption)
 Opposite of the trickle-down theory, rarely found and exists for certain styles only
 It originates from the people on the streets or worker class, such fashion starts for the reason
comfort, affordability, and durability.
 These factors appeal to the middle class, they improve the styles to fit into their styles and adapt
themselves to the fashion.
 The designer further improves the style and by applying creativity and resources makes it
Exclusive.

State examples of trickle-up theory.

3. Trickle across (mass dissemination)

 A fashion or style spread within socio-economic classes at the same time \.
 It is affected by mass media or communication systems
 The fashion introduced by a designer is spread across the cross-section immediately
 Simultaneous adoptions of new styles by consumers of all socioeconomic groups
 Consumers may choose a large variety of existing new styles
 Fashion products are differentiated in price by quality of materials and workmanship
 Each fashion group has its own fashion innovators and opinion leaders

Fashion categories

Haute (high fashion)

Elegant

Dramatic

Classic conservative

Western casual

Grunge

Clothing categories

1. Women’s wear
 a. Dresses
b. Outerwear
c. Sportswear
d. Active wear
e. Swim wear
f. lingerie
2. Children’s wear
a. Dresses
b. Suits
c. Traditional
d. Sportswear
e. Swimwear
f. Outerwear
g. Sleepwear
3. Men’s wear
a. Tailored
b. Furnishings
c. Sports wear active wear
d. Work clothes

elements of design

types and significance in the design process

EOD (Lines)

Points

 A point is a coordinate without any dimension. It may or may not be tangible. A

point is the simplest and fundamental element of design.
 A dot is the first contact of a point on a surface; it forms the building block of every line,
shape, or form. Any mark beyond a dot is another dot in combination.
 Every recognizable mass is essentially a dot irrespective of its size.

The dot in Fig 1.1a is at the center and equidistant from all sides, and hence creates the
perception of balance and focus. The dot in Fig 1.1b is off-center with varying distances from
the sides hence disrupting the balance.
(The common perception of a dot is that it is circular in nature even if it may not be so e.g.
when paint spills on the floor, then irrespective of size, the splotches that are formed are
recognized as dots. As the size of the dot increases, it is perceived as a shape while it retains
its core dot-like characteristics. A black mark on a white space is still a dot that attracts
attention. Similarly, increasing or decreasing the number and size of dots changes the
meaning and perception of the visual image.)

Fig 2.1a has a repetitive pattern of dots of the same size placed in regular proximity to each
other; Whereas Fig 2.1b has dots of varied sizes placed randomly. Over the years,
dots have been used in various art forms by many artists.

 Pointillism is a technique of painting where multiple small, distinct dots of color are
applied in patterns to form a composition. When viewed from a distance, the collection of
dots is blended by the eye to form a recognizable visual
 Dots are also especially popular owing to the Ben-Day dots printing process named after
illustrator and printer Benjamin Henry Day Jr. These colored dots
were always equal in size and evenly distributed within a specific area. The spacing could be
close, wide, or overlapping, thus creating a variety of patterns and optical illusions.

LINE

Paul Klee, the famous Swiss Expressionistic painter described a line as a ‘dot that went
for a walk’.

 A line is formed when the dots are so close to each other that they cannot be recognized
individually.

 With such a ‘collection of dots’, the sensation of direction increases, hence forming a
 line.

 A line is perhaps the most fundamental of all elements of design. Line is the starting
point for most design/ artistic creations.

 The primary function of a line is to connect to elements.

A line does not always attract the eye towards a point; it may also direct the eye away, hence
causing the eyes to move.

 There are many types of lines:

 The strokes of lines express Type of Line Meaning Conveyed
the sentiment of the maker Zig –Zag Line Lightening, Not Suitable for
shorter, lighter strokes Delicate Clothing
indicate nervousness and
uncertainty, while a line made Straight Line Firmness
with a single stroke indicates
confidence and focus. Lines Thick Line Strength, Alertness
can loop around to form an
enclosure with no end point.
Thin Line Weakness, delicacy, Feminine

Uneven Line Uncertainty

Wavy Line Feminity

There are nine characteristics that each line possesses like

a) path,
b) thickness,
c) evenness,
d) continuity,
e) sharpness,
f) contour,
g) consistency,
h) length
i) direction.
 These aspects or characteristics of line give it a powerful role in dress
designing.
 Line types
According to the type, lines are of three types –
a) Straight lines
 All garments have some straight lines in them which help to emphasize body
angularity and neutralize the roundness of the body.
o Seams, yokes, darts, hems or garment edges, pleats, hems, trims,
braids, tucks, zippers, rows of buttons and panels are all straight
lines.
 Straight lines oppose natural curves and signify permanence, neatness, flatness
and strength. They create a feeling of elegance, bold and powerful, stable and
dignified effects in a garment.
 more straight lines can give a stiffer and slimmer look.

b) Curved lines:
 Curved lines are less conservative, formal, and powerful than straight lines.
 Circles and curves make spaces look larger than they really are. They increase the
size and shape of the figure adding interest to a design. They give a soft, gentle,
youthful, and flowing effect.
 too many curved lines in a dress can create a confusing look.
 they produce an effect of femininity, gracefulness, movement, richness, and
elegance.
 those in a diagonal direction are the most graceful and can be seen in the soft
folds of material in a draped dress or a ruffled collar.
(a) Full curve: Emphasizes body curves, counters thinness and angularity
giving a young, youthful, feminine, dynamic character. In a dress full
curves are introduced through seams, garment edges, and scalloped
edges.
(b) Restrained curve: These curves slightly emphasize curves of the body.
Yet they give soft, gentle, feminine and graceful effects. Soft, shallow
 curves suggest comfort, safety, and relaxation. These are introduced in
dress by seams, garment edges, princess lines, trims, gathers, draping
and fabric pattern.
C) Zigzag line :
 These lines have sharp points like zigzags, which change the direction abruptly due
to their points.
 This type of line gives a feeling of jerky, busy, excited effect. They also emphasize
angularity.
 When they are used more than required these lines can create a feeling of
confusion in dress.
 Decorative fabric pattern and trim like ric rac can help create this effect.
 They are also used to combine different patterns & textures.
 Other form of using zigzag line is use of V shaped lines.
 V shaped lines widen and slenderize. The deeper the V of the diagonal lines, the
more slender the effect it gives as shown in the figure below.

Line Direction
According to the direction, lines may be
(a) Vertical:
 Lines communicate a feeling of self-importance, dignity,masculinity, strength and
spirituality.
 They lead the eye to move up and down. They give the impression of added
height and slimness.
 Dresses having vertical lines if worn by a thin person, it makes the person look
even taller and thinner.
 Vertical lines are found in a shirt front, princess lines, center back seam, darts,
pleats, tucks and in fabric pattern. These lines are best used on short & hefty
figures.
(b) Horizontal lines:
 Suggest a feeling of rest, repose or relaxation. Therefore garments in which
horizontal lines dominate tend to be quiet, relaxed and restful in feeling.
 These lines will direct the viewer across the garment, emphasizing the figure’s
width at that point.
 They give the impression of more width and less height ie. The body looks shorter
and wider. So their placement is done where a wider and broader feeling is
required. For example a band or seam at the hipline willmake the hips seemwider.
 Horizontal lines are found at waistlines, hemline, wide neckline, sleeves, collars,
panels, midriffs and in belts.
(c) Diagonal lines:
 Are slanted and they suggest a feeling of movement or direction.
 Diagonal lines in a garment tend to slenderize the whole body, more than
vertical lines.
 They are strong and draw attention to the area where they are used.
 Since objects in a diagonal position are unstable in relation to gravity, they are
either about to fall, or in motion.
 if a feeling of movement or speed is desired, or a feeling of activity, diagonal lines
can be used.
 Their degree of slant determines their visual effect in clothes. If they have a vertical slant
they give a slenderness feeling and if they are horizontally slant they add width.
 When these lines are combined with vertical lines, a figure seems the tallest as they tend
to create a more slenderizing effect
 These lines are found generally in panels, seams, darts, ‘V’ necklines, collars & and lapels,
flared trousers ‘A’ line skirts, bias cut stripes and raglan sleeves.

Application of Line in garments

 Lines are incorporated into clothing in two basic ways .

a) Structural lines:
 Structural lines are most visible if the fabric of the garment is plain.
 They can be introduced through constructional lines like seams, darts, fitting tucks
and shirring.
 Creases and folds created by pleats, gathers etc also give structural line effect in a
garment.
b) Decorative lines:
 Decorative lines are created by adding details to the surface of clothing.
 They are added simply to decorate the garment and make it more interesting.
 They add style and personality.
 They can be formed by adding rows of buttons, topstitching, braids, piping, bias
binding, lace edging, faggoting, ruffles, fringe etc.
 Fabric pattern lines such as stripes, plaids, herringbones, checks etc also add lines
decoratively. Lines are the greatest devices of fashion designers.
 Since lines create illusion of height and width, they can be used to one’s
requirement to tone down or exaggerate a particular figure type.

Line as a value (hatching and stippling)

Introduction to pencil exercise usage of different points of pencils

The following are the basic tools for fashion sketching and illustration:
Papers:
 Fashion sketchbook – usually an A4 or A3 or A5 size of book available in the Market.
These books have two sides slightly rough on one side and smooth on other side. Rough
side for pencil work and Smooth side for Paint based work
 Bond paper 80 gsm – high quality paper which is suitable for drawing
 Handmade paper with a rough texture to practice sketching and presentation drawing
 Cartridge paper is a special type of paper best for illustration and light water color
sketches /paintings. You can buy it in different weights (100 -160 gsm is ideal) and sizes
A1, A2, A3, A4.

Tracing Paper:
All tracing paper is limited in use except for its see-through abilities. It is also great for
corrections and useful as overlays on a sketch.
Pencils:
 HB B and 2B pencils are used for drawing shapes

 4B, 6B & 8B pencils are used for shading, highlighting;

 charcoal pencils

Techniques of Pencil Sketching

1) Hatching & Cross-Hatching

 These methods are very common and effective ways to add depth to your sketches
through shading.
 Hatching is essentially a series of lines drawn along the main line of your drawing to
create shadow and depth.
 These lines shouldn’t touch.
 Cross hatching is a series of lines used in the same way, but where they intersect. The
closer these lines, the darker the shading in your drawing will be.

Stippling
 Stippling is the art of adding dots to add shading and depth, similar to hatching or cross
hatching.
 The closer the dots, the deeper the effect.
 To ensure that your dots show up and make a better impact, it’s best to use softer
graphite for this effect, as it comes out darker.

Scribbling
 Everyone has created idle scribbles on a piece of paper when waiting.
 The characteristics of a scribbled sketch can be identified by the erratic, uneven and
definitely not straight lines within the piece.
 Using random movements across the paper will result in a somewhat deconstructed
image, and the more irregular lines created closer together, the darker it will appear.

Circling
 To create smooth transitions you can make small circular strokes that give you a more
blended appearance.
 It’s important to note that you shouldn’t make small circles with perceptible lines. Instead,
move the pencil around in a circular motion when adding pressure. For this approach a
duller pencil works best.

Smooth Shading & Blending

 To add a cleaner shading element to your drawing, you can try smooth shading. This can be done
in a number of ways, including using your finger or a rolled up piece of paper to blend in
hatching or cross hatching This will give your sketch a smoother appearance.
 You can also blend simply by angling your pencil to utilize the wider edge, creating thicker lines
that create the appearance of shadows and shading.

There are different ways to hold a pencil, depending on what type of strokes and lines you want to achieve. You may start
out with loose, sketchy lines and progress to tighter, more controlledlines and shorter strokes. Here are some common hand
grips
EOD (shape): Shape describes the outer dimensions or contour of an object.

Types of shapes

The shape of clothing in a human body,

communicates silently, the message about the wearer. Every fashion period has
a specific shape of garment. It has been observed that an easy fitting shape of
the garment is easily accepted where as a tight fitting garment is generally short
lived since it is suitable to only perfect figure types.
Shape is flat space closed by a line and in clothing, it is defined as a flat,
two-dimensional area enclosed by a line. When both ends of a line meet to
surround space, the line forms a shape. Shapes have both physical and
psychological effects based on the lines surrounding them. Space within the
shapes and separating the shapes also has an effect. The word “shape” usually
suggests geometric shapes and there are many shapes such as flat ones with
equal sides - square, circle, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon; with unequal shapes
such as oval, triangle, rectangle, diamond; equal sides three-dimensional shapes
such as sphere and cube. But pure forms are rarely seen in dresses; however
the garment shapes suggest these forms. For eg. A flared skirt is visualized as a
cone or a pant legs suggests tubular shape
Positive and negative shapes

And the development of patterns using shape

EOD (shape)

Types of shape,

Geometric, organic, abstract

Positive and negative shapes

Development of patterns using shapes

Tessellations

EOD (form) understanding and drawing various form,

Construction of platonic solids

OBJECT drawing: still life objects and study of compositions

TEXTURES

Visual and Tactile texture

EOD: shape

shallow and deep,

open and closed compositions,

perspective and types,

spatial divisions, perspective drawing

. types of perspective-single point,

linear,

foreshortening etc.

Color theory:

Introduction to color

Primary, secondary and tertiary color wheel(prang and Munsell),

color value,

tints tones and shades

color schemes

1, split complementary,

2. double complementary

3. analogous

4. monochromatic

Achromatic

Triads

Complementary

Color psychology

Effect of color in dress creation

Of illusions in dress using color.

Value: techniques of pencil shading- hatching, blending, stippling

EOD value: rendering with other mediums(water colour pencils, poster colour, water colour, brush
pen)

Principles of design-

balance: creating balance in dress

scale and proportion: drawing proportionate shapes and figures

contrast and emphasis

contrast by value and colour, isolation, absence of focal point

principles of design rhythm: creating rhythm through repeatition of colours and figures, rhythm
motion rhythemic sensation

Indian and international fashion designersfashion figure typesface types wardrobe coordination

Celebrity styling recycle styling

Tessellations
DFD

Introduction to elements and principles of design

EOD lines, forms, shape

EOD space, value, color, and texture

EOD design using different mediums

EOD design using different materials

Introduction to colors

Primary secondary and tertiary colors

Color wheel

Color value, tints tones, and shades