Elements of Garment Design

In creating a design one of the components that interact is the element of design. The element and principles of design are flexible and should be interpreted within the context of current fashion. A design can be defined as an arrangement of lines, shape, colors, and texture that create a visual image. The principles of design are the rates that govern how elements are combined. The elements are therefore the raw materials that must be combined successfully.

Colour

Colour is the first element to which consumers respond, often selecting or rejecting a garment because of its color appeal. Therefore, designers must consider their customers and provide colors that are both appealing and flattering. People connect certain colors with holidays and seasons. They expect to see earth tones in fall clothing, jewel colors for the holidays, the pastels of flowers in the early spring, and refreshing white for the summer. All manufacturers include some of these colors in their lines

Fabric

Colour is interpreted in the medium of the fabric. Fabrics are the designer’s artistic medium, in that fashion design is essentially sculpture in fabric in relation to the body.
Fabric selection
Is the selection or creation of an appropriate style for a fabric, or the reverse, the selection of the right fabric for the design. Next to understanding the needs of the customer and interpreting trends for them, choosing the fabric suitable for a particular style is one of the most important aspects of designing. The designer chooses fabrics on the basis of fashion trends, quality, performance, price, and suitability.

Fabrics themselves inspire garment design. For example, the softness and drivability of jersey might inspire gather in a dress. Other designers work the other way around, first getting an idea, perhaps developing it in a sketch, and then finding the appropriate fabric for it. However the designer works, he or she must ultimately decide which fabric will work best with a design, or vice versa. Designers must develop the ability to picture a design already made up in the fabric, this ability comes through observation and experience.

Many firms build a line or even an entire reputation on one fabric such as denim or stonewashed silk. In sportswear, a base fabric is selected fore jacket and lowers. In jeanswear, for example, the base fabric is always denim. An assortment of fabrics, solid and patterns, is chosen to go with the base fabric. The designer or merchandiser must be sure to include a Variety of weight, textures, and patterns in a line, as well as a balance of fashion and classic fabrics

Line

After selecting the fabric, the designer must consider the other elements of good design. In this section, the term line refers to the direction of visual interest in a garment created by construction details such as seams, openings, pleats, gathers, tucks, topstitching, and trims. When lines combine, space is enclosed and forms and shapes are defined.

Lines offered a path of vision for the eyes when is wearing an object/outfit. The arrangement of lines in clothing design can cause to appear heavier or thinner than what actually Lines within a garment are created by darts seams and decorative details. Each kind of line produces its own special effect. Straight lines and shapes denote force and strength and have a masculine quality; curved lines are the line of nature, they are graceful give a feminine effect.Lines are the greatest devices of fashion designers. Since line creates the illusion of height and width, they can be used to one’s requirement to tone down or exaggerate a particular figure type.

Shapes

It describes the outer dimensions or contour of an object. The shape also encloses space and imparts a certain character to the object viewed. Through clothing design, the shape of the human body is often revealed in a natural way, but sometimes even distorted. The shape of clothing on a human body, communicates silently, the messages about the wearer.

Every fashion period, a shape emerges slowly or evolved suddenly, whatever it is, every period has a specific shape of garment which once determined can be modified and restyled for variation in design without changing the basic shape of the garment, it is either flare or tight, circular or straight, a line or raglan. It has been observed that an easy fitting shape of the garment is easily accepted and largely vitiated as well as has a longevity of style, whereas a tight-fitting garment is generally short-lived since it is suitable to only perfected figure types. It is therefore advisable that the designer chooses an easy silhouette to keep on creating for a longer duration