1

Introduction to Fashion Categories

o Apparel categories
o Accessories
o Fabrics/textures
o Prints/graphics
o Footwear
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APPAREL CATEGORIES
1. Formal wear
2. Sports wear
3. Active sports wear
4. Swim wear
5. Beach wear
6. Casual wear
7. Jeans wear
8. Work wear
9. Street fashion
10. Intimate wear (lingerie)
11. Occasion wear
12. Club wear
13. Evening wear
14. Sleep wear
15. Ethnic wear
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FORMAL WEAR
 Formal dress (UK) and formal wear (US) are the general
terms for clothing suitable for men and women for formal
social events, such as a wedding, formal garden party,
dinner, award program or dance party.

 Formal dress is the grouping of all the dress codes which

govern clothes worn to formal events.

 The Western style of formal evening dress, characterized

by black and white garments, has spread through many
countries & is almost the standard formal social dress in all
countries
FORMAL WEAR – Dress Code 4

 The dress codes counted as formal wear are the formal

dress codes of white tie for evenings and morning
dress for daytime, as well as the semi-formal ones of
black tie for the evening and strollers in daytime.
 The clothes dictated by these dress codes for women
include cocktail dresses, ball gowns, gowns, and
evening gowns.
 For many uniforms, the official clothing is unisex.
Examples of this are law court dress, academic and
graduate dress, formal military uniforms and formal
military evening dress.
CASUAL WEAR 5
Casual wear in is the dress code which
emphasizes comfort and personal
expression over presentation and
uniformity i.e. it does not require
formal dressing and can be worn by
all age groups at any time
Examples 6
 Blue jeans and a T-shirt have been described as the "casual uniform".
With the popularity of spectator sports in the late 20th century, a good
deal of athletic gear has influenced casual wear. Clothing worn for manual
labor also falls into casual wear.

 Punk costume is a striking example.

 Madonna introduced a great deal of lace, jewelry, and cosmetics into

casual wear during the 1980s.

 More recently, hip hop fashion has played up elaborate jewelry and
luxurious materials worn in conjunction with athletic gear and the
clothing of manual labor.

 Skin exposure is most pronounced in casual wear, since it includes all

swimwear, but the trend toward female exposure in the 20th century has
also pushed the necklines of formal ball gowns ever lower and the skirts
of semi-formal cocktail dresses ever higher. For men, the exposure of
shoulders, thighs, and backs is still limited to casual wear.
JEANS WEAR 7

The word jeans originally meant a 5 pocket pair of

trousers made in sturdy fabric like denim or Non-
denim fabric like canvas in heavy oz (weight) & in
a twill or plain weave.

It is mostly referred to a trouser made in denim

It is one of the forms of casual wear dressing.

JEANS - History 8
 The word "jeans" comes from the French phrase bleu de Gênes, literally the
blue of Genoa. Jeans fabric, or denim, originated independently in two places:
the French town of Nîmes, which 'denim' owes its name to; and in India,
where trousers made of denim material were worn by the sailors of Dhunga,
which came to be known as dungarees.

 In 1853, the California gold rush was in full swing, and everyday items were
in short supply. Levi Strauss, a 24-year-old German immigrant, left New York
for San Francisco with a small supply of dry goods with the intention of
opening a branch of his brother's New York dry goods business. Strauss was
selling rough canvas to use for tents and wagon covers but then one of the
prospector said, "You should have brought pants!," saying he couldn’t find a
pair of pants strong enough to last.

 History's first jeans weren't blue, and they weren't denim. They were brown
and made of canvas. Levi Strauss created them in 1853. Strauss switched to
denim colored with indigo blue dyes in the 1870s.
 Jeans did not have rivets earlier -- One of Strauss's 9
customers was Jacob Davis, a tailor who frequently purchased
bolts of cloth from the Levi Strauss & Co wholesale house.
After one of Davis's customers kept purchasing cloth to
reinforce torn pants, he had an idea to use copper rivets to
reinforce the points of strain, such as on the pocket corners and
at the top of the button fly

 Early examples of these trousers were made for the Genoese

Navy, which required all-purpose pants for its sailors. They
required pants that could be worn wet or dry, the legs of which
could easily be rolled up to wear while swabbing the deck.
 These jeans were laundered by dragging them in large mesh
nets behind the ship, and the exposure to sea water and sun
would gradually bleach them to white.
JEANS WEAR AS OF TODAY ! 10
 It is fashion statement ! & has become extremely popular across all age groups for decades. It is particularly
identified with American culture, especially the American Old West. The American population spent more than
$14 billion on jeans in 2004.
 Many subcultures like Hippies have adopted it as a part of their clothing.
 It is present across most of the brands in all segments in all price ranges. Famous brands being – Levi's, Lee,
Wrangler.
 Even designers like DKNY, Armani & Versace have their own line of jeans
 Different looks can be achieved due to the versatility of the fabric – formal (by keeping the wash & style & fit
simple & casual by having a heavy wash or by adding different trimmings & details.
 It can also be combined with a variety of other clothing like a shirt, tee-shirt or kurta to achieve a desired look.
 Great example of a Classic style & cycles with cycles
 11
Jeans as of today !

• Casual attitude
• Style statement
• Comfortable
• Versatile
• Easy maintenance
• Lasts longer
• Caters to all market
segments
• Different looks can
be achieved
STREET FASHION
12
Fashion that originates with or are inspired by clothing worn by
individuals usually young or grass root level, rather than emerging
from the fashion industry or studios.
It is generally associated with youth culture most often seen in
major urban centres although the contemporary fashion industry draws
inspiration from street style.

Most major youth subcultures have had an associated street fashion. Examples
include:
Hippies (denim, T-shirts, long hair, flower power and psychedelic imagery,
flared trousers)
Teddy Boys (drape jackets, drainpipe trousers, crepe shoes) Skin Heads
Punk fashion (ripped clothing, safety pins, bondage, provocative T-shirt
slogans)
Skinheads (short-cropped hair, fitted jeans, Ben Sherman button-up shirts,
Fred Perry polo shirts, Harrington jackets, Dr. Martens boots)
Gothic fashion (black clothing, heavy coats, big boots, makeup).
Hip hop fashion

Teddy Boys
 STREET Hip hop 13
FASHION Japanese street fashion

Finland

French street
fashion

High street fashion

SPORTS WEAR 14
Sportswear is clothing, including footwear, worn
for sport or exercise.
Typical sport-specific garments include tracksuits, T-
shirts, polo shirts and trainers. Specialized garments
include some underwear, such as the jockstrap.
Sportswear is also often worn as casual fashion
clothing.

 For most sports the athletes wear is a combination

of different items of clothing, e.g. sport shoes, pants
and shirts. Some athletes wear personal armour such
as helmets or American football body armour.
History of sportswear
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1930–1970
 The precursors of true sportswear emerged in New York before the Second World War. Designers such as
Clare Potter and Claire McCardell were among the first American designers to gain name recognition through
their innovative clothing designs. McCardell has been called America's greatest sportswear designer. Her
simple, practical clothes suited the relaxed American dress code
 Many of the first sportswear designers were women. A common argument was that female designers projected
their personal values into this new style

1970–2000
 In the 1970s Geoffrey Beene, one of the first significant male sportswear designers, incorporated elements of
menswear into his relaxed women's clothing. Late 20th century designers Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna
Karan, and Tommy Hilfiger, each of whom created distinctive wardrobes for the American woman based
upon stylish but wearable, comfortable and interchangeable multi-purpose clothes that combined practicability
with luxuriousness

21st century sportswear

 In 2000,surveys showed that an average of 64% of women interviewed preferred casual wear, including
sportswear as distinct from active wear
History of sportswear
16
Originally designated clothing worn for sports like Golf, tennis, bicycling, ice skating,
hunting in 1890s Sportswear has been called America's main contribution to the history of
fashion design. The term became popular in the 1920s to describe relaxed, casual wear
typically worn for spectator sports.

Pre-1930
Sportswear originally described clothing made specifically for sport. One of the first
couturiers to specialize in this was John Redfern who in the 1870s began designing tailored
garments for increasingly active women who rode, played tennis, went yachting. It was
adopted as everyday wear by his clients, making him probably the first sportswear designer.

Some early 20th century Paris designers such as Gabrielle Chanel created haute couture
designs that could be considered sportswear, though were not exclusively sportswear
designers. Other designers offering high end sportswear for resort wear included Jean Patou

Sports wear for resort

ACTIVE SPORTSWEAR 17
Garments which are specially designed for active sports like swimming, football, basketball,
cycling etc & are made with special fabrics which would be function specific for fulfilling a
specific need in active sportswear are used

Desirable attributes for active wear sports are –

Good sweat absorption & sweat release property to the atmosphere
Fast drying property for getting more tactile comfort
Good air & water vapour permeability
Durable

Easy care
Dimensional stability even if its wet
Light weight
 More than cotton, synthetics are preferred in active
sportswear as it dries quickly & has good shape 18
retention property
 If cotton is used its used along with a synthetic blend
or spandex for added comfort
 Active sportswear also consists of accessories related
to the particular sport like shoes socks, gloves etc
apart from apparel
SWIM WEAR
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A swimwear is an item of clothing designed to be worn while

participating in water sports and activities such as swimming, water
polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or for any activity in the sun, such
as sun bathing.
It could be a swimsuit, bathing suit, togs or swimming costume It
is also used as an undergarment that requires a wetsuit such as
waterskiing, scuba diving, surfing, and wakeboarding.

In New Zealand English and some areas of Australian English,

swimsuits are usually called togs or bathers. This term is less common
in other parts of the Commonwealth where it can also refer to clothes
in general
Swimwear for different Water Sports activities : 20
Swimming Surfing

Skiing Water Polo

 Women's swimsuits are generally one-piece, bikinis or thongs.
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 Most recent innovation is the burqini, a more modest garment designed for Muslim
women, which covers the whole body and head (but not face) similar to a diver's
wetsuit.

 In western culture, men's swimsuit styles include boardshorts, jammers, swim

trunks, briefs or "speedos", thongs, and G-strings which covers only the lower part
of the body
Diveskins

 Special swimsuits for competitive swimming, designed to reduce skin drag,

resemble unitards. Bodysuits, jammers & racing briefs are also worn to assist their
glide through the water thus gaining a speed advantage
jammer
 For some kinds of swimming & diving, special bodysuits called dive skins are
worn. These suits are made from spandex , provide little thermal protection, but
protect the skin from stings & abrasion.

 Swimsuits are also worn for the purpose of body display in beauty pageants.
 Magazines like Sports Illustrated's annual "swimsuit issue" feature models and
sports personalities in swimsuits.
brief
boardshorts
BEACHWEAR
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Items of apparel or accessories specifically for
use at the beach is called Beach wear.

For women :- sarongs, 2 or 1 pc swim suits,

accessories like straw hats, slippers, beach bags,
sunglasses etc related to the same
For men :- shorts & accessories related to the
same
History of Lingerie 23
 In the later 19th century Lady Duff Gordon of Lucile, was one of the
first pioneers on lingerie freeing women from restrictive corsets.
 Through the first half of the 20th century women selected underwear
for three major purposes: to alter their shape (first with corsets and
later with girdles or bras), for reasons of hygiene, or for modesty.
 Women's underwear before the invention of the crinoline was often
very large and bulky. As the 20th century progressed underwear
became smaller and more form fitting.
 In the 1960s 'controversial' lingerie manufacturers such as
Frederick's of Hollywood begin to glamorize lingerie and the idea of
lingerie having a sexual appeal slowly developed.
 The lingerie industry has expanded in the 21st century with designs
that double as outerwear. The French refer to this as 'dessous-dessus'
which basically means innerwear as outerwear.
 Examples of Sleep wear 24
Night gown

Chemise Baby Doll

Night dress

Baby suits
ETHENIC WEAR
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Ethnic wear of India
It is the adoption of clothing and accessories derived
from or inspired by native or national styles of many
countries or regions.

Ethnic is classic and maintains the essence of the culture

Examples of Ethnic wear 26

Spanish

Japanese

Russians
EVENING WEAR Proms 27
It is a term used in retail industry
to refer to clothes worn primarily in
the evening for formal or informal
occasions
Examples of outfits : -
Proms, Cocktail dresses, tuxedos.

Cocktail
Suits dress
OCCASION WEAR
28
Apparel & accessories which is best suited for a
particular occasion or reason which could be held
either during day or evening. One normally does
not wear an occasion wear in their daily routine.

Example :- Clothes worn at Wedding, Day

picnic, Birthday party, Award ceremony, mourning
ceremony or any festival

Indian marriage, B’day party

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CLUB WEAR
Clubwear is a general term for the type of provocative,
revealing, or fetish clothing that is worn to nightclubs
featuring a sensual atmosphere with a very relaxed
dress code.

There are various types of clothing items that could be

worn to clubs based on the location of the club, the
clubs dress code and the weather. In the US, most
clubs are restricted by age, some 18 and older while
others are 21 and older.
 Dress code for most 18+ clubs are more relaxed with
everyone dressed to impressed usually showing some
skin in order to get more attention.
 Usually in 21+ clubs, the dress code are more strict
with limitations on what you can wear on things like
NO athletic gear, to no jeans, hats or plain colored t-
shirts.
CLUB WEAR 30
 WORK WEAR 31
Clothes that are worn by professionals or by people at their individual work front.
Comfort and ease being a primary aspect for work wear so that it does not hinder their
work.
It also reflects the work culture & environment.

Example :- Professionals like Doctors, Lawyers, Police can be identified with their
attire.
In few corporate marketing offices formal suits are mandatory where as in few offices
like the design houses employees are dressed up casually in jeans & top
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Judge

Corporate

Doctors

Engineers
Fashion Accessories 33

 In fashion, an accessory is an item

used to contribute, in a secondary
manner, to an individual's outfit.
Accessories are often chosen to
complete an outfit and complement
the wearer's look. They have the
capacity to further express an
individual's identity and personality.
Accessories come in different
shapes, sizes, hues, etc. The term
came into use in the 20th century.
Types of accessories: 34
 Fashion accessories can be loosely categorized into two
general areas: those that are carried and those that are
worn. Traditionally carried accessories include purses
and handbags, hand
fans, parasols and umbrellas, wallets, canes,
and ceremonial swords. Accessories that are worn may
include jackets, boots and shoes, cravats, ties, hats, bonn
ets, belts and suspenders, gloves, muffs, necklaces, brac
elets, watches, eyewear, sashes, shawls, scarves, lanyar Burberry-brand handbag
ds, socks, pins, piercings, rings, and stockings.
 The type of accessory that an individual chooses to wear
or carry to complement their outfit can be determined by
several factors, including the specific context of where the
individual is going. For example, if an individual is going to
work their choice of accessory would differ from someone
who is going out to drinks or dinner; thus depending on
work or play different accessories would be chosen.
Similarly, an individual's economical status, religious and
cultural background would also be a contributing factor.
Watches are one type of fashion
accessory.
Garment Trims 35
 Trim or trimming in clothing and home decorating is applied ornament, such
as gimp, passementerie, ribbon, Ruffle (sewing)s, or, as a verb, to apply such
ornament.
 Before the industrial revolution, all trim was made and applied by hand, thus
making heavily trimmed furnishings and garments expensive and high-status.
Machine-woven trims and sewing machines put these dense trimmings within
the reach of even modest dressmakers and home sewers, and an abundance of
trimming is a characteristic of mid-Victorian fashion. As a predictable
reaction, high fashion came to emphasize exquisiteness of cut and
construction over denseness of trimming, and applied trim became a signifier
of mass-produced clothing by the 1930s. The iconic braid and
gold button trim of the Chanel suit are a notable survival of trim in high
fashion.

 Material components that are added on the garment, other than the fabric are
called fabric trims or garment accessories. Material which is used in the
sewing room other than the fabric to make a garment, are trims. They are
directly attached to the fabric to make garments.
Types 36

BUTTONS
Buttons are fasteners used in junction with buttonhole for fastening of garments.
Buttons have a functional purpose and decorative purpose. They can be made up of
wood, acrylic, metal etc. which defines the durability of button. Buttons can be
further divided on the basis of number of holes. Plastic buttons are affordable, matte
and widely used in garments.  Metal buttons are used in denim pants and trousers.
Wooden buttons are used for decorative and functional purpose. These buttons are
very popular because of their designs and they add rich look to the wearer.
ZIPPERS
Zippers are the garment trims which are used to open and close special parts of a garment. They
have a decorative purpose wherein, they are used to enhance the beauty of craft projects. Zippers
are used in making trousers and jackets. They are an essential component which is used to open
and close special parts of garment. Zipper, formally known as a clasp locker, is used for binding
the edges of opening of a fabric or any other product like a bag. Wholesale zippers are available
indifferent sizes, shapes and colors. These zippers can also be used as a decorative embellishment
by fixing it with glue on any product. Zipper strength is important and it is tested for its flatness
and straightness. This garment accessory is quality tested on parameters like top stop holding
strength, bottom stop holding strength, box holding strength to ensure durable performance,
features like durability, perfect finish and longer functional life.
Types 37
BEADS
Beads are an intricate part of high fashion garments and have been used in fashion
designing for a long time. Seed beads are used widely in jewellery making and hand
embroidery to stitch and create masterpieces for the fashion industry and jewellery
industry. Preciosa & Miyuki Seed Beads are known for their quality and
consistency. Seed beads are also known by the following names Czech glass beads,
Miyuki seed beads, Glass beads, Miyuki Delica beads, Toho seed beads, Swarovski
crystal beads, Art beads, Fusion Beads, Nalki beads, Miyuki beads, Cutdana beads,
Delica Beads, Preciosa beads, Embroidery beads or Bugle Beads. Crystal beads are
made from highly polished machine cut Czech glass. They are available in multiple
shapes like rondelle, briolette, drop, round, bicone, cubic, conical and drum. Plastic
beads are used in machine embroidery and have holes in them to sew. Acrylic
Beads are widely used in jewellery making because of their smooth finish and
texture. 
MOTIFS & PATCHES
Motifs and patches are elements on any fabric or product that are a visual treat. These motifs and
patches are often repeated in a pattern or design or may just occur once in any piece of work.
Decorative art can be defined by a number of elements called Motifs. These patches or motifs may
or may not create symbolic significance. Sew on patches are the ornamental additions on apparel
products and can even be used to adorn handbags, clutches etc. Patches for clothes are finished to a
high standard and often embellished with beads, sequins or embroidered lace. Motif designs may
vary and are available in different styles to add visual symbolism to a basic product.
Types 38
THREADS
Polyester threads are rapidly replacing rayon threads. These threads are
the first choice for embroidery and stitching. Polyester yarn is known for
high sheen and standing up to wash and bleach. Polyester has a natural
UV resistance which makes it first choice for most tailoring requirements.
These threads look, feel, sew and perform like nylon. These dye-able
polyester threads could be used in woven garments, hosiery, leather
garments, and jeans and also for ready made garments.
 39

Fabric Types, Textures and Uses

What Is Fiber Content? 40
Fiber content refers to the fiber making up the fabric. Fabrics can be created from a single fiber
(cotton, linen, silk etc.) or as a blend (poly cotton).
Often you’ll see lists of ‘types of fabrics’ but they’re actually lists of fiber types:
 Cotton
Polyester
Silk
Bamboo
Hemp
Wool
Linen
Acetate

The above are just some I’ve seen that are incorrectly attributed to fabric types.
Another consideration for fibre content is whether the fibre is:
•Natural
•Manufactured (man-made)
•Animal
Natural fibers 41
Natural fibers are grown in nature – hence the ‘natural part! – and can be both cellulose fibers
(cotton) or protein fibers from animals (silk).
Manufactured Fibres
Manufactured fibers refer to those that are not found naturally, but instead are created by man,
whether from cellulose fibers (rayon) or derived from other means like petroleum (polyester)
Animal skin
The skins of animals are not ‘fibers’ but they are viewed as a type of fabric. Just like manufactured
and natural fibers, the skins of animals need to be treated before they can be used.
Animal skins are:
•Leather (outside grain of skin)
•Suede (inside grain of skin)
•Wool on skin (shearling)
•Furs (rabbit)
What Is Fabric Structure?
When we talk about the structure of fabric, we’re referring to how the fabric is made: 42
•Woven fabrics
•Stretch fabrics
•Knitted fabrics
WOVEN FABRICS
Fabricsthat are woven, have a warp and a weft, and are woven on looms. They often have tightly
woven edges – called the selvedge – and there are many weave types to create different effects.
The most common are:
•Plain weave
•Satin weave
•Twill weave
•Denim weave
•Waffle weave
•Brocade weave
But there are many, MANY more!
STRETCH FABRICS 43
Stretch fabrics is it’s own type of fabric structure as it is often woven with stretch materials making up
a percentage of the fiber content, giving that stretch factor.
Stretch materials that are often included are:
•Elastane
•Spandex
Fabrics that have stretch added in this way are usually better for stretch recovery than knitted fabrics.

KNITTED FABRICS

Knit fabrics are constructed from connected loops and can be created from:
•One continuous yarn (weft knit)
•Many yarns but only one stitch (warp knit)
Yes, many knitted fabrics are often stretchy, with the fabric created able to mold close to the body or
drape in loose folds.
Patterns created for knitted fabrics will often have ‘negative ease’ included, meaning the pattern is
smaller than the intended body, to account for the additional ‘stretchiness’ of the suggested fabric.
Different types of fabrics:
44
 Different Types Of Fabrics 45
Now that you have an understanding of fibre content and fabric structure, let’s move on to
all the different fabric types!
Sheer Fabric Types
Let’s start with the fabrics that are more transparent than other fabric types!
Lace Fabric Types 46
The fabrics that are more transparent than other fabric types!
lace is a decorative fabric type and can be manufactured in different fabric weights, fibers
and styles!