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Fashion and design : Jargon buster

More in this section

  1. Overview
  2. Job roles
  3. Entry and progression
  4. Typical employers
  5. Opportunities abroad
  6. Future trends
  7. Jargon buster
  8. Contacts and resources

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Case studies

  • Book - portfolio of design work.
  • Branding - creating an instantly identifiable image.
  • Collection - twice yearly (spring/summer and autumn/winter) sample range of new designs.
  • Distribution - supply and delivery of fashion goods to warehouses, shops and other outlets.
  • Freelance - worker who takes on short-term assignments for a set fee or rate.
  • Haute couture - exclusive clothes, often individually designed for private clients. Haute couture is often used to describe the work of top fashion designers but, strictly speaking, the term applies to only a handful of Paris fashion houses.
  • High end - expensive designs below haute couture level, often produced in limited numbers.
  • Portfolio - a collection of your best design work. This includes final, coloured sketches, swatches and finished photos of your designs. Digital design portfolios are becoming increasingly desirable.
  • Ranges - styles and collections.
  • Samples - the first versions of a design. Samples go through many stages from toiles to finished/sealed samples, which form the basis of ranges.
  • Seasons - autumn/winter and spring/summer styles and collections.
  • Sourcing - researching, finding and obtaining materials, trimmings and finished garments.
  • Storyboard - (also known as a moodboard) sketches, colours, images, ideas used as the starting point for designs and collections.
  • Swatch - small piece of fabric used to illustrate colour, print, design or detail before a piece is made or delivered.
  • Toile - first made-up version of a garment, generally done in a cheap fabric such as muslin.
  • Turnover - total sales made in a given period of time.
  • Wholesale - large quantities of goods that are sold by the designer or manufacturer to retail outlets for the latter to sell on at a higher price.
 
 
 
AGCAS
Written by Emma Bumpus, North Hertfordshire College
Date: 
September 2010
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