Definition
A woman who designs or makes high-fashion clothing, especially expensive custom dresses.
Etymology
From French couturière, feminine form of couturier, derived from couture (sewing/fashion) from Latin consuere (to sew together). The term emerged in 19th-century France as the fashion industry professionalized.
Kelly Says
This word is almost exclusively feminine in French (unlike the masculine 'couturier'), revealing how language itself encoded gender roles in the fashion world—even though both men and women have always designed clothes.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
አዲስ አይነት
a-di-sis a-i-net
ARالعربية
مصممة
mus-ma-ma
BNবাংলা
ডিজাইনার
di-zai-nar
CACatalà
modista
moh-dee-sta
CSČeština
krejčová
krej-cho-va
DADansk
modedesigner
mo-de-de-si-gn-er
DEDeutsch
Schneiderin
ʃnaɪ̯dɐʁɪn
ELΕλληνικά
couturière
koo-tee-ree-ay
ESEspañol
modista
moh-dee-sta
FISuomi
muotisuunnittelija
mu-oti-soo-nni-te-li-ja
FRFrançais
couturière
koo-tee-ree-er
HEעברית
מעצבת אופנה
me-a-t-zet o-fan-a
HIहिन्दी
डिजाइनर
di-zai-ner
HUMagyar
divatblogger
dee-vat-blog-ger
IDBahasa Indonesia
penata busana
pe-na-ta bu-sa-na
IGIG
onye na-eji
o-nye na-e-ji
ITItaliano
couturière
koo-tee-ree-ay
MSBahasa Melayu
penata busana
pe-na-ta bu-sa-na
MYမြန်မာ
ဆံပင် ဆီ
shan-pin si
NLNederlands
couturière
ku-ty-ree-ay
NONorsk
modedesigner
mo-de-de-si-gn-er
PAPA
ਸੁ veiligheid
su-ve-lai-at
PLPolski
krawcowa
kra-v-co-va
PTPortuguês
modista
moh-dee-sta
RORomână
croitoreasă
kroi-to-re-as-a
RUРусский
модница
mod-nits-a
SVSvenska
modedesigner
mo-de-de-si-gn-er
SWKiswahili
mtengenezaji wa nguo
m-ten-ge-ne-za-ji wa ng-uo
TAதமிழ்
படைப்பாளிய
pa-dai-ppa-a-li-ya
TEతెలుగు
డిజైనర్
di-zai-ner
THไทย
นักออกแบบ
nak-ok-baep
TLTL
disenyer ng damit
di-sen-yer ng da-mit
TRTürkçe
moda tasarımcısı
mo-da ta-sim-cha-si
UKУкраїнська
модница
mod-nits-a
URاردو
ڈیزائنر
di-zai-ner
VITiếng Việt
nhà thiết kế
nha-thiet-ke
ZUZU
umshayeli
oom-sha-ye-li
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
The feminine form of couturier, cementing the gendered split in French fashion terminology where -ière denotes female practitioners, historically lower in status and pay than their male counterparts.
Inclusive Usage
Prefer 'fashion designer' or use individual names; if historical accuracy requires noting the term's use, contextualize that it reflects discriminatory hierarchies in fashion history.
Inclusive Alternatives
["fashion designer","designer","haute couture designer"]
Empowerment Note
Women dominated seamstress and garment work yet were systematically excluded from haute couture's prestige; the gendered suffix reinforced their invisibility in design history.