Fashion vs. Trend — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 5, 2023
Fashion refers to a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, while a trend denotes a general direction in which something is developing or changing.
Difference Between Fashion and Trend
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Fashion and trend, while interconnected, possess distinct nuances in their meaning. Fashion embodies a prevailing style or custom, especially within apparel and accessories. It's dynamic, continuously evolving with time, influenced by various factors like culture, celebrities, and designers. On the other hand, trend denotes a pattern of gradual change or a direction of a prevailing movement, not limited to just attire.
While fashion often helps to establish a trend, not all fashions become trends. Trends encompass broader scopes, spanning across industries such as technology, finance, and social behaviors. Fashion, more narrowly, zeroes in on aesthetics and design, capturing the zeitgeist of a specific time period.
Fashion designers play a crucial role in setting the course of fashion, but it's the masses that decide the longevity and impact of a trend. Brands might introduce a fashion, yet it's the wider public acceptance and adaptation that solidifies it as a trend.
Moreover, while a fashion might be short-lived, trends often have a more extended lifespan. Trends can evolve, witnessing iterations across seasons or even years. However, whether speaking of fashion or trend, both reflect societal shifts, tastes, and preferences of a particular era.
Comparison Chart
Definition
A prevailing style or custom.
A general direction in which something is developing.
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Time Span
Can be short-lived or long-lasting.
Usually persists longer than a fleeting fashion.
Scope
Primarily relates to clothing, accessories, and design.
Can be applied to any industry or behavior.
Origin
Introduced by designers, influencers, or cultures.
Emerges from widespread acceptance or behavior.
Purpose
To showcase style, individuality, and aesthetics.
To indicate a prevailing movement or shift.
Compare with Definitions
Fashion
A popular or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration, or behavior.
Vintage fashion has made a comeback.
Trend
A topic that is the subject of many posts on social media within a short period.
#SummerVibes is the latest trend on social media.
Fashion
The production and marketing of new styles of clothing and cosmetics.
She's working in the fashion industry.
Trend
A general tendency or course of events
A warming trend.
Fashion
The make or form of something.
The sculpture was carved in the fashion of an eagle.
Trend
A general direction in which something is developing or changing.
The trend in computer technology is towards smaller devices.
Fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. In its everyday use, the term implies a look defined by the fashion industry as that which is trending.
Trend
A current style or preference.
Pastel colors are a trend this spring.
Fashion
The prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior
Out of fashion.
Trend
Current style; vogue
The latest trend in fashion.
Fashion
Something, such as a garment, that is in the current mode
A swimsuit that is the latest fashion.
Trend
The general direction of something
The river's southern trend.
Fashion
Manner or mode; way
Set the table in this fashion.
Trend
To show a general tendency; tend
The magazine's circulation is trending downward.
Fashion
A personal, often idiosyncratic manner
Played the violin in his own curious fashion.
Trend
To undergo a rapid increase in public interest or attention
News of the earthquake is trending on social media.
Fashion
Kind or variety; sort
People of all fashions.
Trend
To extend, incline, or veer in a specified direction
The prevailing wind trends northeast.
Fashion
Shape or form; configuration
A garden triangular in fashion.
Trend
An inclination in a particular direction.
The trend of a coastline
The upward trend of stock-market prices
Fashion
To give shape or form to; make
Fashioned a table from a redwood burl.
Trend
A tendency.
There is a trend, these days, for people in films not to smoke.
Fashion
To train or influence into a particular state or character
The teacher fashions her students into fine singers.
Trend
A fad or fashion style.
Miniskirts were one of the biggest trends of the 1960s.
Fashion
(Archaic) To adapt, as to a purpose or an occasion.
Trend
(mathematics) A line drawn on a graph that approximates the trend of a number of disparate points.
Fashion
(Obsolete) To contrive.
Trend
(nautical) The lower end of the shank of an anchor, being the same distance on the shank from the throat that the arm measures from the throat to the bill.
Fashion
(countable) A current (constantly changing) trend, favored for frivolous rather than practical, logical, or intellectual reasons.
Trend
(nautical) The angle made by the line of a vessel's keel and the direction of the anchor cable, when she is swinging at anchor.
Fashion
(uncountable) Popular trends.
Check out the latest in fashion.
Trend
Clean wool.
Fashion
(countable) A style or manner in which something is done.
Trend
(intransitive) To have a particular direction; to run; to stretch; to tend.
The shore of the sea trends to the southwest.
Fashion
The make or form of anything; the style, shape, appearance, or mode of structure; pattern, model; workmanship; execution.
The fashion of the ark, of a coat, of a house, of an altar, etc.
Trend
(transitive) To cause to turn; to bend.
Fashion
(dated) Polite, fashionable, or genteel life; social position; good breeding.
Men of fashion
Trend
To be the subject of a trend; to be currently popular, relevant or interesting.
What topics have been trending on social networks this week?
Fashion
To make, build or construct, especially in a crude or improvised way.
Trend
To cleanse or clean (something, usually wool).
Fashion
(dated) To make in a standard manner; to work.
Trend
To have a particular direction; to run; to stretch; to tend; as, the shore of the sea trends to the southwest.
Fashion
(dated) To fit, adapt, or accommodate to.
Trend
To cause to turn; to bend.
Not far beneath i' the valley as she trendsHer silver stream.
Fashion
(obsolete) To forge or counterfeit.
Trend
To cleanse, as wool.
Fashion
The make or form of anything; the style, shape, appearance, or mode of structure; pattern, model; as, the fashion of the ark, of a coat, of a house, of an altar, etc.; workmanship; execution.
The fashion of his countenance was altered.
I do not like the fashion of your garments.
Trend
Inclination in a particular direction; tendency; general direction; as, the trend of a coast.
Fashion
The prevailing mode or style, especially of dress; custom or conventional usage in respect of dress, behavior, etiquette, etc.; particularly, the mode or style usual among persons of good breeding; as, to dress, dance, sing, ride, etc., in the fashion.
The innocent diversions in fashion.
As now existing, fashion is a form of social regulation analogous to constitutional government as a form of political regulation.
Trend
Clean wool.
Fashion
Polite, fashionable, or genteel life; social position; good breeding; as, men of fashion.
Trend
A general direction in which something tends to move;
The shoreward tendency of the current
The trend of the stock market
Fashion
Mode of action; method of conduct; manner; custom; sort; way.
Trend
General line of orientation;
The river takes a southern course
The northeastern trend of the coast
Fashion
To form; to give shape or figure to; to mold.
Here the loud hammer fashions female toys.
Ingenious art . . . Steps forth to fashion and refine the age.
Trend
A general tendency to change (as of opinion);
Not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book
A broad movement of the electorate to the right
Fashion
To fit; to adapt; to accommodate; - with to.
Laws ought to be fashioned to the manners and conditions of the people.
Trend
The popular taste at a given time;
Leather is the latest vogue
He followed current trends
The 1920s had a style of their own
Fashion
To make according to the rule prescribed by custom.
Fashioned plate sells for more than its weight.
Trend
Turn sharply; change direction abruptly;
The car cut to the left at the intersection
The motorbike veered to the right
Fashion
To forge or counterfeit.
Trend
A prevailing tendency or inclination.
There's a trend towards healthy eating these days.
Fashion
How something is done or how it happens;
Her dignified manner
His rapid manner of talking
Their nomadic mode of existence
In the characteristic New York style
A lonely way of life
In an abrasive fashion
Trend
A general course or prevailing movement.
The trend of the stock market is upward.
Fashion
Characteristic or habitual practice
Fashion
The latest and most admired style in clothes and cosmetics and behavior
Fashion
Make out of components (often in an improvising manner);
She fashioned a tent out of a sheet and a few sticks
Fashion
A manner of doing something.
The bridge was constructed in the fashion of the 19th century.
Fashion
A way or method of using or doing something.
He solved the problem in his own unique fashion.
Common Curiosities
How long does a trend last?
Trends can vary in duration, from short-lived to persisting over years.
Can trends be observed outside the fashion industry?
Yes, trends can be found in technology, finance, behaviors, and more.
Is fashion only about clothing?
Primarily, but fashion can also encompass hairstyles, accessories, and other aesthetic elements.
How does a trend start?
Trends often start from a shared behavior or preference among a large group.
Who sets the fashion?
Designers, influencers, and cultures often introduce new fashions.
Can a trend influence fashion?
Absolutely, broader societal trends can shape and influence fashion directions.
Can something be both a fashion and a trend?
Yes, if a specific style becomes widely accepted, it can be both a fashion and a trend.
Can a trend re-emerge after fading out?
Yes, certain trends can resurface after a period, sometimes influenced by nostalgia.
What's the difference between a fashion fad and a trend?
A fad is short-lived, while a trend has a more extended duration and broader acceptance.
Is every fashion also a trend?
No, not every fashion becomes a trend; it depends on widespread acceptance.
Is the fashion industry only about clothing?
While clothing is central, the fashion industry also includes accessories, cosmetics, and even decor.
Are trends predictable?
Some trends can be forecasted, especially in industries like fashion, but not all are predictable.
How do trends affect businesses?
Businesses adapt their strategies based on prevailing trends to cater to consumer preferences.
Are fashion and trend synonyms?
While related, they aren't synonyms. Fashion is about style; trend indicates direction or movement.
Why do certain fashions never become trends?
It could be due to lack of wide acceptance, practicality, or appeal to the masses.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
