Fashion is the prevailing style or manner of dress and ornament in a culture or society at any given time. It includes styles in clothing, footwear, accessories, and cosmetics. The term may also refer to the art of design, manufacture, or marketing of these items. It can also be a way of self-expression or a means of communicating ideas.
Historically, new fashions have been created by combining elements of existing ones. This combination can be either from within the cultural sphere (such as when the Ottomans began to wear Western-style clothes) or through contact with foreign cultures, such as when Europeans first encountered Chinese, Japanese, or Turkish textiles and clothing.
Although the emergence of new fashions has been largely driven by economic and cultural factors, they have been affected by significant events such as wars, revolutions, or natural disasters. These changes in the social and cultural fabric have resulted in new trends, both within the mainstream and among subcultures.
Fashion has become a major industry in the United States and across the world, with the design of clothes often done in one country while being manufactured in another. The industry can be divided into several segments, including high fashion for the upper class, mass-market designer clothing, or casual wear. For something to be considered a fashion, it must have wide acceptance by the public. This can be achieved through advertising campaigns, magazine articles, or word-of-mouth. In the modern world, the Internet has become a major influence on fashion and the spread of trends.