Fashion design is directional and commercial; it is at the cutting edge of design globally, while also being a talent-hungry, image-dominated, commercial industry that demands the very best of design professionals, and exposes their work to the world. Thousands try to break into this arena, but few make it to the top. What is Fashion Design? is the latest in the successful Essential Design Handbooks series. This is an industry roadmap, a creative reference book, and a showcase of stunning and innovative design, which together enables aspiring designers to navigate the fashion world with global insight and a renewed creative-and critical-perspective. What is Fashion Design? sets out the contextual and formative issues behind many aspects of the fashion industry and its relationship with the wider world; "the anatomy" of skills, disciplines, and design processes that underpin the industry; and showcases portfolios of work that are exemplars of the best on offer across a variety of key design skills, from trend-watching to textile design, from buying to shoe design, and from styling to journalism. The tried-and-tested series format and content breakdown of What is Fashion Design? is uniquely suited to exploring this complex, exciting, and economically vibrant world, from the point of view of the design skills, the creative context, and the ethical issues that all designers need to know about in order to succeed.

Author Biography

Andrew Tucker is a journalist, writing for various publications including The Times. He is the author of numerous fashion books, both historical and contemporary, including The London Fashion Book and Costume and Fashion: A Concise History. He is also the talent scout for London Fashion Week and consults on numerous commercial projects.