Fabric, apparel and the meaning of design

Textiles are among the oldest materials people use: for clothing (apparel), household goods, nets, ropes and sails, and as a medium for art.

Careers in fabric and apparel include design, fashion and merchandising, garment production and quality control, museum conservation, and the care of fabrics in institutions. The subject has names like Textiles and Clothing.

Design is not just decoration. An object is well designed only if it is also functional (it works) and appropriate (it suits its use). Design is 'the human power to conceive, plan, and realise products that serve human beings'. Good design gives people what they expect in price, colour and service.

Two kinds of design:

• Structural design comes from the form itself. In fabric: the fibre, the yarn, the weave or knit, and the stage at which colour is added. In a dress: the basic cut, or silhouette (outline).
• Applied design is added on top of the structure. In fabric: finishes, dyeing, printing, embroidery, needlework. On garments: trims and notions, such as fasteners.

Design has elements: colour, texture, line, shape or form. These are the tools. It also has principles: proportion, balance, emphasis, rhythm and harmony. These are the rules for combining the tools. Beautiful AND useful: that is design.