Fashion has a history that has been referred to as the history of the people (“Fashion History | Bof Education Fashion Course | The Business Of Fashion | #Bofeducation”). Over the past century, designers and couturiers came up with the foundations of what the modern fashion industry is known for today. Women were liberated from their corseted restraint, the invention of logos, ready-to-wear clothing, licensing, lifestyle brands, window displays, marketing, fashion shows, and the protection of one’s intellectual property rights, were all  direct results of the creative genius, ingenuity, and bravery of people who were visionaries and lifetimes stylistics. Their efforts laid the ground of the modern day fashion industry. This paper will, therefore, look into the history of the fashion industry and analyze how it influences the way modern day designers create their products.

A significant part of Europe’s fashion history is traced to France. There was a major shift in fashion culture in France at the beginning of the 18^th c. This was known as the enlightenment.  In this country, Versailles was considered to be the center of influence for culture, fashion, and art. At the beginning of this century, the industry was moved to Paris where the elite class had gained control and power over cafes and salons. Therefore the new fashions that were introduced had more influence on the society affecting all the social levels in the area. However, one of the most significant figures to develop the Rococo fashions was Madame Pompadour’s Louis XV (Westover). She mainly used the light and pastel colors that later came to be referred to as Rococo. With time more and more fashion designers came into existence and this led to the introduction of fashion magazines. The Rococo era was characterized by the quest for simplicity and extravagance at the same time. These different factors led to the production of a diverse fashion era. Despite the movement being ended by the French revolution, its main aspects and ideas have strongly affected the modern fashion industry.

In America however, the clothes that are worn and the trends that the people follow are mostly associated with materialism and superficiality. However, fashion has always been deeply connected with aspects of the American experiences — these range from the labor system and economy to religion, class, and culture. From the Levi’s to the underwear, everything that Americans wear has for a long time been a definition of who they are, what they do and what they want (“History Of American Fashion”). Whether they have dressed to assert their social status, to be irreverent, or make a political statement, every style that is worn has always carried a social meaning. This is brought about by the fact that the American culture has for a long time put great importance to a person’s public image. Terms like the white collar and blue collar were used during the prehistoric times to define the type of work that one did. There was thus a way in which a person that was involved in white collar jobs were expected to dress in. For instance, slaves and people that were involved in menial labor were expected to dress in a manner to signify the blue collar jobs that they were doing while their bosses and supervisors dressed in white collar outfits as a symbol of authority (“History Of American Fashion”). This way of dressing has thus influenced the way modern-day Americans dress, and there are clothing that one is not allowed to wear to specific jobs.

During the prehistoric times in the Far East, imperial China boasted of beautiful colors, bold and sophisticated decorations. This was known as cheongsam which has for several times been invented in the red carpet (“Oriental Style: Exploring Fashion From The Far East”). In 1929, this type of dressing was made chinas national dress. It is a design made up of cap sleeves and asymmetric designs. However, the outfit evolved and had been influenced by the west. It has become sleeker and displays the feminine silhouette. Despite these influence, the dress has always maintained the original idea. The men fashion, on the other hand, was invented in the ’60s and was referred to as Zhongshan (“The Far East Fashion Movement | Shlur”). It comprised a simple design of suit that reflected on the communist ethos. It mainly appealed to coffee drinking youth. Despite numerous other inventions, the original idea of Zhongshan has always been visible in modern China men fashion.

There have been very few designers that have become famous in the industry such as Coco Chanel and Calvin Klein. These are huge names in the industry and create prestigious and high-quality clothing. They are very influential trendsetters in the industry and have established themselves by ensuring that they embrace the history of the communities around them in their designs (“Fashion Industry – Fashion Design And Manufacturing”) Thus, for a designer to grow in the industry they should ensure that they take up designs that the community can relate to (Sterlacci). This is by embracing their history in their clothing and using it as a marketing tool. Their potential customers will be able to identify their collection and hence will be able to build their brands. However, designers can be creative and invent new collections that do not have a historical reference. This can be done by observing new trends in the market that do not subscribe to the traditional way of dressing. For instance, the invention of gender-neutral clothing has taken the modern market by storm. Despite not having a historical background, designers took have taken advantage of the feminist fight for equality and come up with quality designs (“Seven Emerging Designers Leading Gender-Neutral Fashion”).

The history of fashion has had a significant impact in the global economy in that designs that have a strong historical reference have been primarily embraced in the market which in turn leads to more production of such products. For instance, in the American industry, white collar clothing is now worn worldwide and thus leading to an increase in the output which boosts the global economy (“The Power Of Fashion | British Council”). In the height of the fight for gender equality, designers have taken the opportunity to introduce ungendered clothing that can be worn by both men and women. Gucci’s Raf Simons, Alessandro Michele, and Rick Owens have blurred the boundaries of what a man and woman should wear (Reed). These designs have been widely accepted in the market despite not having any historical background.

It is therefore clear that history has been very influential in shaping the way modern clothing is made. However, there have been instances where designers have taken up new trends that have no traditional background. These include unisex designs which are inspired by the feminist fight for gender equality.

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