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Gathering inspiration as a force of creation

A couple of things in my thoughts are coming together; recently I have been reading the Virgil Abloh chronicle “Make it ours” and the book Abloh-isms. In it you find reference to his 3% rule. Separately have I been working on migrating all my Instagram saved posts to Are.na. “Mooooooooodboard”, something Loïc Prigent always says in his videos (of which I have watched this recent one) and apparently is also a website of his. Also did I watch this video tour of Diplo’s Jamaican house (mansion), making me think of Major Lazer and its graphic record sleeves.

“Abloh became even more committed to his belief in a 3-persent principle – the idea that an object altered by 3 percent becomes something wholly new. […] By touting his 3-percent philosophy, Abloh spotlighted fashion’s reliance on reiterating what had come before.”

From ‘”Make it ours” – Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh’ by Robin Givhan

How can moodboards and the 3% rule lead to more creative creation and freedom

Combing these thoughts, I’ve had the realisation that a way to progress in my creative pursuit to create a fashion brand is to be more intuitive in the way I create. As I have been educated in my Bachelor to be able to come up with well formulated concepts, I now have the tendency to start not in the creation phase but in the explanatory phase of a creative project. I notice in myself that finding the explanation for why I’m creating (something), an idea, research reference or fully formed concept is how I want to start of my making process. The process of intuitive creation based on subconscious inspiration has been lost on my a little bit. Re-igniting that child like making and creating process is very important if I want to be able to progress in my creative pursuit as I imagine myself to be.

Moodboards Setting myself a challenge to make a weekly mood-board of inspiration, however (un)co-herent it may be. By setting aside half an hour to a full hour of free roaming on Are.na and printing out (part of) this mood-board and sticking it onto a foam board pannel.

3% rule Challenging myself to be more open to using found inspiration as a direct input for creation. Authenticity can come from how you reposition and repurpose. Freeing myself from creative limitations like this could help me progress towards a visual identity and style that over time I can make my-own.

Major Lazer Finding inspiration in different cultures can be a great resource towards making something new and inexistent. I want to relieve myself from the constraint that I’m not myself part of the cultures that inspire me, and instead use these inspirations to create things that relate and build on that which instigates my curiosities.

Major Lazer is a fictive character for an electronic dancehall project by two (white) producers. Although it raised some eye-brows in the beginning (as they themselves where not coming from a background in which the dancehall music was founded and created), they have kept going and are now widely accepted as a major group in the scene. It’s a prime example of not letting yourself be limited to only working within your own confounds (culturural upbringing/heritage). See also my own reflection cultural inspiration.

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Step one

Design clothing

It’s not enough to come up with smart and interesting business models for a would be fashion business. Without designs, there is nothing to make and therefore sell. It’s important to push both of these aspects forward. As thinking about business propositions is something I do all the time and which is something I have started to draft here on this very blog, it’s time to also put energy into the “unknown” of creating my clothing designs. It’s easy to immediately start thinking in restrictions and hurdles, for example; Fashionary creates these Figure template cards that are very well made and would give a good sense of proportions and poses. However, I don’t NEED to have that to be able to create. It’s just me trying to come up with a reason why I can’t start right now.

My biggest challenge right now is stepping over these imaginary hurdles and to start creating/scheduling in time for myself to start making. And the scary part in that process is the unknown; not knowing what you will come up with and if you will be capable of doing so. But this is the process and something you have to learn and learn to enjoy.

What was useful after all, was finding inspiration in the work of Connie Lim who made the final illustrations to form an impression of how you can use the Figure template cards. Her style is free flowing but also clear and realistic in a sense. It’s something I’ll be looking at further for inspiration when I’m stuck with my own work in the coming months.

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Different profitability mindsets

No sales-discounts

Good products deserve reasonable pricing. This works two ways; neither should a product be overpriced to create a false perception of value and quality, nor should a product be underpriced to encourage impulse buying and the idea of a good deal. A good product has a price that is linked to its production process and quality manufacturing. These days brands either work with economies of scale (Primark) or economies of exclusivity (Dior) to determine their pricing. When something seems too cheap or expensive to be realistic and fair, it probably is. Sales-discounts play a part in this too. When a product can still be sold for a significantly reduced price without a loss, it means the consumer has been fooled with the original product sales-price.

[BRAND NAME] wants to offer products that are priced fairly to sustain a good product quality and a reasonable and publicly communicated growth percentage (revenue). This means products shall be priced accordingly, and any devaluation in pricing won’t be possible nor necessary.

No out of stock items

Sales-drops and limited edition products have become a mainstay within the global (fashion)economy. They are a sales tactic with revenue as the prime incentive, not creativity. Why else would a great product design only be offered to a limited amount of people. This sales-tactic is used mostly to lure customers to a baseline product offering by creating the perception of scarcity and belonging. The scarcity is false, as it’s entirely within a brand’s power to make as many items of any product as they wish. The sense of belonging is created by making people think they are part of a select group of people that are “in-the-know” or these special editions/drops. Even if they couldn’t actually make a purchase of said item, by buying any other mainline product they feel connected to this urge they have to belong to the in-crowd.

[BRAND NAME] wants to offer products fairly and indefinitely based on people’s desire to purchase, through either pre-order listings, item inventory or archive reproductions. A product might be produced and launched in a specific quantity at first. Afterwards it might immediately be reproduced based on consumer demand or placed into a product archive from where re-runs and reproductions can be requested by prospect buyers (in active communication with the brand).

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Business model v1

Ideas to be more fully formed and formulated:

Direct to consumer. Describe what that means for this brand and for me. Make a diagram in which you can see how currently my income is fully made up of my paid job, and my brand is secondary to that. This means that time spent on the brand is limited but income from it also will be, so product costs can stay relatively low as they mainly need to support production instead of generating a living wage. A projected diagram can show how shifting the time spend and income earned through each channel can affect creative output and pricing, although it doesn’t necessarily have to mean products get more expensive. Maybe it’s more about the profit being used to support different things (at first it’s about stimulating growth and R&D, and once that has been achieved, income can and will support wages).

Think about a business model of funding, where a product will be released/produced once there has been enough backing in place. This can be done with time limits in place; if not reached before so-and-so the fund will be refunded.

Describe why these models are important to the brand’s ethos; forever growth is hurting the planet, our quality of life and our pockets too. There are different ways to undertake a business endeavour and this is one of them. Production in itself doesn’t have to be the problem, over production at the wrong cost can.

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Pharrell Williams On His Vision for Louis Vuitton

  • It’s okay to dream beyond the realm of possibility.
  • These days so much can be fluffed; authenticity stands out.
  • Luxury is about aspirations (economically free, educated, equal access – freedom).
  • You design for peoples life, for moments in their day – “I want you to feel empowered, to be seen (as a person), to express yourself”.
  • Recognise that you ARE a living human being.
  • Go! Don’t look back, for what? You can see how far you have come later. I’m scarred for when I take my eyes of the sun, I loose my way.

https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-business-of-fashion-podcast/id1225204588?l=en&i=1000631225499

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Unconscious ideation

In the background I’m slowly working, building on this concept of a clothing brand (and sometimes an online gallery/store). Fleeting thoughts get stored away into a section where they brew until they have formed into a more substantial idea. Soon, I will have to capture some of them, for I can’t risk loosing them. But I have also realised that for me to actually progress towards these concepts of entrepreneurial endeavours, I have to mostly create and action things. It is important to get my thinking straight (and formalised into writing), but it shouldn’t stop me from progressing with intuition. The next steps are therefor not in order, but give a general overview of things to finalise and start semi-simultaneously;

• Write down core business manifesto/principles
‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Ideas for business operations (how things are sold)
‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Ideas for brand identity

• Start designing (print-out inspiration, create mood-board and draw designs)

• Make outstanding pieces
‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Paris sweater
‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Mathilde’s pants/overshirt
‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • London handkerchief
‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Shorts (Chinese handloom fabric)

• Educate myself on clothing making
‏‏‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • Pattern drafting course

One big change has been that my almost decade long ‘obsession’ and main focus on China as an inspiration and reference point, has made way for other wider arrays of interests and inspirations. This, to be honest, has been a big step in the right direction for my ideas of starting up the clothing brand that I keep envisioning. To be able to have a broader range of inspirations to work from, gives me a wider scope and that is something I needed right now. It is motivating and I’m looking forward to see what I’ll be looking at for inspiration and will come up with in my designs.

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DSM

One of my favourite places in London is Dover Street Market (probably my No.1 favourite place to be honest). I have been going there for many years to soak up the vibe and gain immense inspiration from the store design/layout, clothing designs on display, people that go and work there and Rose bakery. The complete package makes it’s worth visiting with frequency because there is always something new to discover or gain creatively.

The DSM logo has come to represent this experience and memory I have of this place. When I look at their logo, I feel connected to my inspired self. Analysing the logo further;

  • The shape is a sort of primal drawing shape, representing a house. This simplicity creates a sort of open platform for the diverse selection of brands and styles within the store.
  • A home which represents the family, which is very suited to their store concept; a group of brands together under one roof, some united by brand origin (Comme des Garçons) some related to it and yet others invited in as new friends.
  • “Dover Street Market” as a form of an adres places it in a space and time, a location*. Variations of the logo add the city name underneath “Market” (NEW YORK, LONDON, GINZA).
  • “Market” signifies a collection of sellers/retailers and a certain temporality to what’s on offer. It also brings up an image of a lively and communal atmosphere.

*Dover Street Market London, which was the first location of all DSM locations, was located originally on Dover Street in Mayfair, London. This is where its name originates from. Although the London store has since moved to Haymarket, its name is still linked to the first store location, rooting it in a place and linking it to a certain time.

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Observations on trend

Clothing design creates garments that may or may not be trendy.

Trend is based on community, on mass; when a majority considers something of a new/unique (design)style and want to associate themselves with it, you could see a trend appearing of appreciation for this certain style.

When a garment or style is in trend i.e. trendy, you could also say it is in fashion.

A trend being constant would mean it at some point becomes the norm to some extend. When a trend increases for it to degrease at a later stage, you could say it is a fashionable trend. For example; it has come into fashion to be associated with this trend (A), but trend A subsequently becomes surpassed by another trend (B), thus A is not able to sustain itself to become the new norm.

Fashion design therefor is a rather misguided term as it is not the designer that creates fashion, its the people that decide what is in fashion (which in tern is based on trend).

Something can be fashionable when it is designed to go along a certain trend that is currently in fashion. However, it is very unlikely that a designer creates something that will become fashionable, if it is not linked to a current trend within society. The term fashion designer therefor merely means that the designer is designing something that follows a currently fashionable trend (which either can be on the rise or decline, depending on the foresight of the designer). Success as a designer, or the success of their designs, is somewhat dependent on a variety they can bring within the boundaries of a current trend and on the suitability with a currently fashionable trend.

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Global vs Local, Fashion vs Clothing

Current trends in fashion seem to be mostly self referential, in the sense that the clothing designs feed off (street)style and archival pieces/references. This creates a strong image that is coherent but refreshing as it’s based on designs and styles that float around in the subconscious minds of the wearer and creator simultaneously (at least amongst those that closely follow/relate to the fashion world). Extending beyond this realm of reference, it has become apart that a wider perspective on art has become a secondary source of inspiration (e.g. music, sculpture, painting).

Although it seems to be aspirational for many to become familiar with these reference points that have instigated pieces of contemporary fashion, it has become less important to know (or show, in the designs) a cultural background and history. Taking Louis Vuitton (Virgil Abloh) and Givenchy (Matthew Williams) as examples here, there is a certain influx of American perspectives within the fashion world (and within traditionally Parisian houses). But also beyond that, when you look at Balenciaga for example, Demna Gvasalia (Georgian) uses inspiration found in Eastern Europe. This however often seems to be a referencing a certain styles, which in turn is often an aspirational versions of an American one.

Thinking about this further

Is it possible to express locality in fashion design? Within the current day and age, in which everything is instantly shareable and readable online, is it even appropriate? Or is that precisely the reason why it would be important to share local identities, exactly because we are so connected and therefor loose a sense of place within the world?

How does expressing locality within fashion design look like? Is clothing design the same as fashion design? Can clothing more effectively represent a local identity than fashion, as fashion suggests a globally shared acceptance of something being “fashionable”?