Fashion Term Directory 2: Terms N–Z

Fashion Term Directory 2: Terms N–Z

Terms of interest to the fashion industry, organized letter by letter.

Are you looking to gain a better understanding of the clothing industry? Learn more about fashion from our fashion terminology resource guide. Research various apparel, footwear, and accessory terms so that you can impress your colleagues and stylish friends.

This page is the second half of the Apparel Search Fashion Term Directory. The directory divides the glossary alphabetically across two pages: the first page covers Terms A–M, and this page continues with terms N through Z. Every letter below opens its own directory page collecting the fashion terms filed under that letter, from single-word definitions to concept pages that explain how a word is actually used in the trade — in design rooms, factories, showrooms and stores. If you already know the word you are looking for, start with its letter; if you would rather browse by subject, the Fashion Terms by Category page groups the same vocabulary by topic.

What You Will Find in the N–Z Terms

The second half of the alphabet is where the glossary turns from the design studio toward the factory floor, the warehouse and the sales floor. The letters from N to R gather a wide mix of garment, fabric and production vocabulary alongside the business terms of making and selling clothes. Each letter page mixes straightforward definitions with longer entries on processes and garment types, so a quick lookup often leads to the related concepts a buyer, designer or student needs next.

S is one of the hardest-working letters in the fashion language, and its directory is correspondingly deep. It ranges from measuring and sizing vocabulary such as size specs and sock sizes to fabric and construction terms like selvage denim, sequins and silhouettes, garment ideas such as shapewear and shackets, and shopping-and-style entries including sample sales, second-hand fashion and seasonal transitions. Smart fabrics and silver antimicrobial fabric represent the performance-textile side of the letter, while seamstresses represent the people who work with all of it.

T brings together the machinery of the trade. Tailoring and tannery terms cover craft and material production; techpacks and time-and-action calendars cover the paperwork of product development; textile units and textile waste cover measurement and sustainability on the factory side. T also carries the glossary’s deepest run of trend vocabulary — trends, trend forecasting, trend boards, trending fashion and top fashion trends — plus trunk shows and tulle at either end of the formality scale.

W closes the alphabet with the working end of the business: wholesale clothing and supplier sourcing, performance ideas such as wicking and waterproofing textiles, care and labeling terms like wash care labels and woven labels, and sturdy categories such as workwear, western wear and winter clothing and footwear. Several women’s fashion and footwear guides sit here too, alongside wardrobe terminology and wearable technology.

The shorter final letters, U through Z, round out the working vocabulary of the industry, and the companion Number Terms page gathers the glossary’s number-led entries that do not belong to any letter. Together with page 1, this directory is written for anyone who works with fashion words: designers and product developers checking production vocabulary, students learning the language of the industry, retail and merchandising staff, writers who cover fashion, and shoppers who want to understand what a label or a product description is really saying.

It is always a good time to learn more about clothing, shoes, and fashion accessories. Reading various terminology is a good way to research topics you enjoy.

We hope you have enjoyed reading these Fashion Terms. If you need to view more definitions, you are welcome to also visit our apparel glossary of terms.