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Designer clothing is clothing that bears the logo of a recognisable fashion designer.

The 'designer' whose name is on the label may be:

• A European couturier, e.g. Chanel, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent
• A European luxury goods house, e.g. Gucci, Louis Vuitton
• An American sportswear label, e.g. Calvin Klein, Donna Karan

When talking about designer clothing, the highly creative, expensive (and often outlandish and unwearable) creations of top fashion designers are rarely what is meant.

Rather, 'designer clothing' is typically used to describe clothing that was not designed or made by the high fashion luminary, but bears their name due to a licensing agreement the designer has entered into with a mass market apparel manufacturer.

These agreements allow manufacturers of commodity apparel items to sell their wares at a premium price due to the cachet the designer's name; and provide the designer with another income stream.

The quality of the resultant clothing, and resemblance (or lack thereof) to the designer's work vary considerably depending on who the licensee is, and the terms of the agreement the designer has struck. Some terms of these agreements may include limits on the number of styles of different types of garments that may be produced, or a final approval clause allowing the designer to veto any designs they find unappealing.

This licensing of designer names was pioneered by designers like Pierre Cardin in the 1960s and has been a common practice within the fashion industry from about the 1970s.

There are now also labels that imitate the 'designer label' marketing model of attaching a high status name to otherwise-ordinary items of clothing. These labels have built up cachet through their marketing campaigns rather than using the name of an already-established designer on their clothing. Two examples of these labels are Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

Agins, Terry (2000), The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever. Harper Paperbacks.

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