Fashion is a style of dressing which is an expression of individualism and autonomy in a particular time and geographical area and at a certain context, with regard to dress, accessories, shoes, life style, makeup, hairstyles, and body posture. The word also implies a distinctive appearance defined by the fashion industry by what is considered to be trendy. Today, the term has become so vague that it is not often used as a precise term anymore, but more as a casual assumption that may describe anything trendy.

The term has developed as the result of the continuing evolution of various cultural definitions of fashion. In the early days, fashion was seen as a localized activity with a clearly defined social function. The world fashion scene, for instance, included elite women who were primarily involved in the classical evenings and balls of the upper classes in Europe. However, in the nineteenth century, with the development of railroads and with the rise of a vast and expanding middle class within the European continent, there came a movement to elevate fashion from being localized to a more universal concept.

In this new light, fashion became a comprehensive and almost philosophical approach to a person’s sense of individuality and fashion as the epitome of the liberalization of the nineteenth century world. With the passage of time, fashion also came to assume a more global perspective in which the entire world was seen as a possible marketplace of buyers and sellers, and as a potentially rich and varied environment in which to fashion. Today, fashion has assumed such a global perspective as well, with an immense impact on the design of popular clothing and the promotion of particular brands in the world market.