by Shawnte Pierce

Created on: November 15, 2009

With the flood of fashion related television shows on the market today, an interest in fashion design has sparked a many of young minds. A lot of aspiring designers see shows like Project Runway and think all they need to do is draw their design, pick out fabric and sew their design together. However, fashion design goes much deeper than that. Before you even pick up pen or pencil to sketch an idea, you need to focus on what type of apparel you want to design and what type of fashion designer you want to become.

Three Major Styles of Apparel

There are three major styles of apparel to design for Children's Wear, Menswear, and Women's Wear. Each of these three styles have sub-styles within them based upon gender for children's wear and age and size groupings primarily for the Men's and Women's fashions. Knowing which one you want to design for will help you focus more clearly on the different aspects of each style.

Children's Wear

Apparel for children may seem very simple at first but different rules and techniques come into play. One of the most overlooked aspects of designing for children is age appropriateness. You must understand that you are designing for children and the style has to be appropriate. I often see many children's apparel as just a miniature version of their adult counterparts. Sometimes this is ok; however you must also maintain a socially conscious outlook when designing for children. Do you design a pair of Speedos or a string bikini for toddlers and ages 6 thru 12?

Menswear

Menswear requires knowing the basic silhouette of a man. Menswear tends to be more functional. For example, men's pants and jackets have functional pockets. The reason for this is because men use wallets, so pockets that are deep enough to hold and hide the wallet from sight are needed. Men's apparel is traditionally more tailored than women's apparel. These are some aspects to consider for those wishing to design for this style of apparel.

Women's Wear

This style of apparel has the most variety and potential for new ideas, which is why it is also the most popular type of apparel to design. Pretty much anything goes in this style of apparel. However, this style of apparel really needs to be focused. This requires target market research to pin point the exact type of woman you are designing for. A woman in her fifties working as an executive typically is not going to wear a pair of stiletto thigh high boots and a mini skirt into a board meeting. Just make sure you select

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