Elements and Principles Introduction
In order to begin creating your own designs, you need to have a complete understanding of the elements and principles of design. 
Elements of Fashion Design
There are four elements of design that you will need to understand in depth as a fashion designer. 
Elements and Principles 
In order to begin creating your own designs, you need to have a complete understanding of the elements and principles of design.
Elements of Fashion Design
There are four elements of design that you will need to understand in depth as a fashion designer.

Line


Shape

The following shapes have remained fashionable and flattering, prompting designers to continue to use them in design.

Hourglass
Wedge
Tubular
Bell
A-Line


Texture

The third element of design is texture, which refers to the surface quality of what you are creating. There are a few ways in which texture is incorporated into designs, which you should be familiar with:
All throughout the apparel
Embellishments
Mix-and-Match

Colour

Here are examples of different colour schemes: 
Neutral Colours
Warm Colours
Cool Colours
Monochromatic Colour Scheme
Complementary colour schemes
Analogous colour scheme
The Principles of Fashion Design
There are five principles of design:

Balance

Symmetrical Balance
Asymmetrical Balance

Proportion


Rhythm

Repetition
Gradation
Radiation

Emphasis


Harmony

If your garment has harmony, it has successfully achieved all the other elements and principles of design, is pleasing to the eye, and nothing is distracting about your design.
Understanding Fashion Design Styles
If you are finding it hard to differentiate between a fashion design and a fashion style, it might help to remember that a fashion style often matches a personality trait and is often like a sketch describing a theme.
Some of the popular styles that you will see in your career are:
Bohemian Style
Arty
Chic
Punk
Western
 
Fashion Market Research
Fashion market research is a crucial step in fashion design. The reason why this is so important is that you are determining who is buying apparel and accessories in your target area. Find out who, why, and where customers are shopping.
Identifying and Defining Your Target Customer
Once you have followed all of the steps that you have learned in this module, including predicting trends and conducting market research, you should be able to identify and define your target customer.
With this knowledge, you can find what designs will work for where you live. Another great thing about this is it gives you a competitive edge in an already competitive industry.
To help you clearly define who your customer is, the following information will help you along the way:

Determine the needs of your customer
Know your buyer’s belief systems
Identify your customer’s buying habits, income, and profession