fashions

Fashions refer to prevailing styles of clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty presented by designers and adopted by the public over a particular period. Fashion is a social and cultural phenomenon shaped by designers, producers, media, retailers, and consumers, and it varies across cultures, genders, and generations.

The fashion system encompasses design, production, distribution, and promotion, with styles disseminated through runways, magazines, websites, and stores. Trends may emerge from street wear, art, technology, or subcultures and spread rapidly in the digital age. A fashion cycle describes how silhouettes, fabrics, and details gain popularity, peak, and fade as new ideas take their place.

Fashion serves multiple functions: protection and modesty, social signaling and status, and aesthetics and self-expression. It also operates as an economic activity, employing designers, manufacturers, retailers, and media professionals and influencing global trade.

Historically, fashion has shifted from handcrafted garments to industrial production and mass markets. In the 19th and 20th centuries Paris, Milan, London, and New York shaped high fashion, while ready-to-wear and global brands broadened access worldwide. The late 20th and early 21st centuries heightened speed, diversity, and digital media influence.

Current concerns include sustainability, labor practices, and ethical sourcing, prompting moves toward responsible sourcing, recycling, and circular design. Consumers, brands, and scholars debate the pace of trends and the environmental footprint of clothing.