Fashion designing has been around basically since the time people wear clothes, although for obvious reasons, the methods of performing this art have changed. Centuries ago, for example, Kings and Queens had their personal clothes sewers to make them the best looking dresses with the finest products. These sewers could be considered to be the first fashion designers.
The boom of fashion designing, however, came after the World War II, a time where countries were brought closer by tourism, and thus people began to learn about other's costumes and cultures.
People like Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (commonly known as Jackie Kennedy), her supposed love rival Marilyn Monroe and other movie stars such as Jayne Mansfield and their dresses became known world-wide, and so did the men and women who dressed them.
During the 1960s the faces that wore the creation of fashion designers started to change, as they realized that there was money to be made among the more common people too and models like Twiggy became famous too.
Fashion designing kept on going along with the changes of times brought by the 1970s and 1980s and during the 1990s although the designing world didn't lose its eye on the higher society, a more affordable, so called urban leg of the fashion world sprang aloft too. With that movement, famous trademarks like Tommy Hilfiger, Arizona and Dr. Martens popped out on mall stores and establishments worldwide.
Modern fashion design is roughly divided into two categories, Haute-Couture, and Ready-to-Wear. This can be thought of as analogous to "theory" and "practice." A designer's Haute-Couture collection is meant exclusively for the catwalk and perhaps photographs. These are more exotic or abstract clothes then people would really wear. Ready-to-wear is the kind that is actually sold to people. Designers typically produce both each season.
See also: Fashion