Who was the first Fashion Designer and how the role has changed

Can you believe that the role of a fashion designer originally arose from nothing, to designers now being celebrity icons? That from clothes being a mere a necessity, fashion gradually became one of the top global industries, and style is used as a way of self expression?

Throughout the decades, the industry has welcomed into its realms many fashion designers who influenced the way we dress. And made our notion of fashion evolve year after year. When we think of a designer, names like Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci…come to mind. But who is considered to be the first ever fashion designer?

Who was the first Fashion Designer?

No one can quite confirm when we began wearing clothes. It could have been over 33 thousand years ago or as long as 170 thousand years ago. It’s pretty much impossible to know when we first started wearing clothes to keep us warm or camouflage ourselves. It’s crazy to think there was a time when clothes didn’t even exist! Unfortunately, the first person to begin designing garments remains an enduring mystery, as at the time there were no cameras or data that could provide us any proof of that. So I guess we will never know who was the first creative mind to craft a garment.

Charles Frederick Worth

However, what we are aware of is the first fashion designer in the modern sense of the term. It was Charles Frederick Worth, an English gentleman born in 1825 who dominated Parisian fashion in the late 19th century. His rise as a designer occurred alongside the establishment of the Second Empire in France. As a new demand for luxury goods had to be met as it reached new levels never seen before the French Revolution. He even gained the support and custom of the fashionable empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III of France. Worth’s designs stood out; he was a successful and popular dressmaker from the 1860’s onwards – the first designer to become globally known as such, – and celebrated in the field of fashion.

Charles Fredrick Worth is memorably famous for changing the fashion dynamic. And what it meant to be a fashion designer in the fashion industry. But not only he defined the modern scene of ‘designer’; he even became known as the first couturier! That’s right, Worth is considered to be the founder of haute couture. As around 1850 Paris saw the birth of the couture industry, with couturiers visiting clients at home for fittings. Charles Frederick Worth founded the first true Couture House at number 7, rue de la Paix in Paris. And was the first to invite customers to his atelier, starting this new tradition.

The designer/couturier became the first to recognize and implement a business model based around a single collection.

He staged “salon shows” dedicated to a sole collection, showcasing a series of garments and designs unique to this one collection only. The main goal of these “salon shows” was not that much for art purposes, but mainly to find clients and sell the collection. Showing his designs live on models at the House of Worth was a first in fashion; his clients made their selections and had garments tailored according to their measurements. Later, Worth had the idea of organizing events twice a year. So all fashion clients could be in town at the exact same time to show their different collections, which laid the foundation of fashion week. Basically, Worth invented the way the industry runs today and how fashion designers work and build their collections. He defined the modern scene of ‘designer’, even becoming known as the first couturier!

The 1900’s brought the most iconic designers we know to date.

The huge fashion houses we admire and adore today began with the people, the designers and the creatives as the role of a designer evolved. The era undoubtedly revolutionized the meaning of a designer and how we view them today. The 1900’s welcomed the momentous designers who still impact us today. Such as Prada, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Cristobal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent and Hubert De Givenchy. They are among fashion designers who truly changed fashion forever. And revolutionized the way we dress – in particular women-, inventing timeless pieces we still wear today. They also carried on Charles Frederick Worth’s ideation of Couture, fashion shows and the structure of fashion we know today. All these houses left a powerful legacy that is cherished and continued today. And still leads the fashion industry, long after their founders’ passing.

A Fashion Designer in the 21st Century

The role of the fashion designer as we know it as today, in the 21st century, has developed extensively since the industry began to rise. It’s not often we see dramatic innovation like the 1900’s when big new fashion houses were being formed. Instead, the role of the designer has now evolved into a director taking creative lead of a pre-established house with the help of their design teams. These designers/creative directors are now seen as celebrities, as Emma McClendon teaches in the Inside The Fashion Industry course, as well as how they become synonymous with a brand created before they were even born.

A role that began with the ideation and impact of Charles Frederick Worth, has led to the globalized, modern meaning of the fashion designer we know today. It’s hard to imagine a world without this structure of collections, couture, and fashion shows. What do you think is next in this remarkable role?

If you would like to learn more about the history of fashion you can register for our free webinar on the History of Fashion Capitals now.