You’ll need to learn a lot on your own if you haven’t attended fashion school. The fashion industry uses a lot of terminology. It will take practice to learn the correct terms for these fashion concepts, but with more use, you’ll become a fashion expert.
You’ll need to learn many things on your own if you haven’t attended fashion school. The fashion industry uses a lot of terminology. Fashion terms are not just fancy jargon used by designers to impress. Understanding the most commonly used words in the fashion industry will allow you to understand your subject better and communicate with buyers, producers, and other industry partners.
It will take practice to learn and understand the correct words and concepts for fashion. But the more you use these terms, the faster you’ll become a fashion expert.
You will be exposed to fashion design terms.
Many fashion terms are French because France has been the pioneer of many fashion trends and styles for centuries. You will use and hear some of the following fashion terms in French when designing.
This is French for ready-to-wear. This means that the designs have been made according to standard sizing charts, and the products are available for consumers to purchase.
Haute Couture Haute Couture Haute Couture Haute Couture Haute Couture Haut is French for high. Couture in French is dressmaking. You may hear people refer to high fashion or couture. Haute Couture refers to the highest level of fashion. It is the place where the best products and artistry are produced in the fashion industry. This results in the most expensive design.
* Couturier: A couture or haute couture designer is someone who designs haute couture.
* avant-garde means advance guard. This term is used in fashion to describe being on the cutting edge of fashion. Avant-garde is the fashion that sets new trends and techniques for those outside of the fashion industry.
* Atelier: An atelier or studio is where a designer works.
The French fashion industry has a long history, and the words above are used in the industry. However, you may also hear other terms that are not French.
* Silhouettes: The silhouette is defined as the overall shape and line of the garment. The silhouette is important when you’re working on historical designs, whether for movies, theatre, or costumes.
There are six different body shapes. They include the teardrop, inverted triangular, hourglasses, columns, ovals, and figure 8.
* Class: The classic is a timeless style.
A fashion cycle is a period during which a certain fashion exists. Five stages are involved: introduction, rise to peak, decline, and obsolescence. The fashion life cycle is the same as that of a product.
* Vogue: If something is in Vogue literally, it is fashionable.
* Textiles: A textile is different from a fabric because it is a woven material.
* A Look Book is a collection of photographs displaying a designer’s fashion. They are displayed on the designer’s site to showcase their work.
Fashion Terminology with Manufacturers
Fashion terminology is also used when working with manufacturers. There are many abbreviations.
* Computer-aided designer. You used Adobe Illustrator or a tool similar to it to create your design. You might hear from a manufacturer that they have made some suggestions for your CAD.
* Computer-aided manufacturing is the acronym for this. It is the software that manufacturers use to design your products. The CAD file is then placed in the CAM production system.
Grading is the process of adding or decreasing the pattern size based on the sample pattern size. Grading is the process used to make other sizes of a pattern. For example, if the sample size is M for men, but you want it in S and L, this is what is known as.
CMT is short for Cut, Make, and Trim.
Flats: A flat design has no pattern or color, and that shows all of the seams and darts in every view.
Pattern Design System is also known as.
* Po: Purchase Order is abbreviated as.
* DTM: This stands as Dyed to Match.
Fashion Terms in Sales
You’ll need to know certain fashion terms when you communicate with distributors and sales partners.
Bill of Materials is also known as.
* Point of Sale is the system that is used to conduct consumer transactions. Cloud POS is another option.
* DC: Distribution centre.
* A Brick and Click is when you own a brick-and-mortar store and have a website.
* Fashion House A fashion house is where clothes are made and sold. Also, you will hear dyehouse. This is the place where fabric is dyed. Usually, anything that comes after “house” refers to the house’s specialization.
* Colorway: This is another way to say color options. If you were to design a sandal, for example, the colorway might be offered in three different colors: red, pink, and white.
Your new vocabulary will help you better communicate with designers and manufacturers. You’ll also be able to understand better the work that you do and why certain things happen. You will learn more terms as you progress in the fashion world.
