Fashion is the way people dress, a reflection of their values, beliefs and attitudes. It is also the industry that produces and sells clothing, footwear and accessories. The word fashion is often used interchangeably with styles and trends, but style is more descriptive of an individual look while trends are short-lived and recurrent.
The fashion industry includes international manufacturers of raw materials (fibre, textiles and leather); designers; transport and packaging contractors; retail sales and advertising. Fashion design is a complex process that combines cultural aesthetics with engineering, materials science and merchandising.
Throughout history, changing fashions have mirrored social, political and economic changes in society. The earliest change in the Western style of dress can be dated to late medieval times. By the 20th century, new technologies allowed for a greater and more rapid change in fashion. Designers began to experiment with fabrics, colours and shapes, combining elements of past fashions in novel ways, creating their own unique styles.
Clothes can have a great deal of power and significance, not only as a source of self-expression but also as a mark of status. Those who can afford it can choose from an ever-expanding range of garments and accessories to enhance their physical appearance. Those who cannot may have to settle for less stylish, more utilitarian attire, reflecting their limited resources or their socioeconomic position in society.
The creation of the modern fashion system began with the rise of mass affluence and a greater interest in beauty and fashion in the early 19th century. Women’s magazines like Vogue were launched, and fashion designers began to launch their own ready-to-wear and perfume lines aimed at middle class consumers. This paved the way for what is now a global fashion industry with a wide variety of styles and trends.
Popular fashions are hard to define and are often influenced by the insular tastes of an esteemed aesthetic elite, but the direction of fashion can be broadly attributed to cultural shifts and social influences. For example, the bare midriffs and baggy pants of the 1990s were partly inspired by the rise of hip-hop and the emergence of young, rebellious artists.
The ebb and flow of popularity in a given fashion is defined by an ever-changing zeitgeist that can be influenced by viral videos, songs or political events. Once a trend is established, it goes through a five-stage cycle of introduction, peak popularity, gradual decline, rejection and finally obsolescence, when it becomes unfashionable. However, because of its recurrent nature, it is not uncommon for rejected trends to re-enter the cycle at some point in the future.