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:
“Mother, Father,
so young, so hot, so jazzy,
so like Zelda and Scott
with drinks and cigarettes and turbans
and designer slacks and frizzy permanents....”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“Indeed, I thought, slipping the silver into my purse ... what a change of temper a fixed income will bring about. No force in the world can take from me my five hundred pounds. Food, house and clothing are mine for ever. Therefore not merely do effort and labour cease, but also hatred and bitterness. I need not hate any man; he cannot hurt me. I need not flatter any man; he has nothing to give me.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)