this article is taken from here
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social lattitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories. Some work alone or as part of a team. They attempt to satisfy consumer desire for aesthetically designed clothing; and, because of the time required to bring a garment onto the market, must at times anticipate changing consumer tastes.
Fashion designers attempt to design clothes which are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. They must consider who is likely to wear a garment and the situations in which it will be worn. They have a wide range and combinations of materials to work with and a wide range of colors, patterns and styles to choose from. Though most clothing worn for everyday wear fall within a narrow range of conventional styles, unusual garments are usually sought for special occasions, such as evening wear or party dresses.more info click link above.
my personal addition: well, actually I've never got this wide range explanation when I was in Fashion school.It was more like straight to the point and only short history in fashion. However as for explaining what was exactly the definition itself or the detail in fashion design had never occurred to me that it was this long and wide. I love Wiki for becoming the source of any information I want, almost everything. So, for beginners or anyone who are interested in this field fell free to find out more before you're involved inside.
