Designer clothing is clothing that bears the logo of a recognizable fashion designer.
The "designer" whose name is on the label may be:
- A European couturier, e.g., Chanel, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent
- A European luxury goods house, e.g., Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton
- An American sportswear label, e.g., Juicy Couture, Joe Boxer, Banana Republic, Coach, The North Face, Pearl Izumi, Golfsmith
- An American entrepreneur and their eponymous retail brand, e.g., Kate Spade, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Maria Pinto
When talking about designer clothing, the highly creative and expensive creations of top fashion designers are rarely what is meant.
Rather, designer clothing is typically used to describe clothing that was not designed or made by the top fashion luminary, but bears their name due to a licensing agreement the designer has entered into with a mass market apparel manufacturer. These agreements allow manufacturers of commodity apparel items to sell their wares at a premium price due to the cachet of the designer's name and providing the designer with another income stream.
Read more about Designer Clothing: Designer Brands, Designer Jeans
Famous quotes containing the words designer and/or clothing:
“A designer who is not also a couturier, who hasn’t learned the most refined mysteries of physically creating his models, is like a sculptor who gives his drawings to another man, an artisan, to accomplish. For him the truncated process of creating will always be an interrupted act of love, and his style will bear the shame of it, the impoverishment.”
—Yves Saint Laurent (b. 1936)
“Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”
—Bible: New Testament, Matthew 3:4.