Fashion Design is the art of application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes and has varied over time and price. Fashion design is defined by the creators of new footwear, clothing and accessories. Fashion designing involves a set of skills that range from market research and creativity to sketching and fabric selection. The fashion designers guide the process from inception to production. Modern fashion design is divided into two basic categories: haute couture and ready-to-wear. The haute couture collection is dedicated to certain customers and is custom sized to fit these customers exactly. In order to qualify as a haute couture house, a designer has to be part of the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture and show a new collection twice a year presenting a minimum of 35 different outfits each time. Ready-to-wear collections are standard sized, not custom made, so they are more suitable for large production runs. They are also split into two categories: designer/createur and confection collections. Designer collections have a higher quality and finish as well as an unique design. They often represent a certain philosophy and are created to make a statement rather than for sale. Both ready-to-wear and haute-couture collections are presented on international catwalks.
