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.
As my thoughts go; I want to start something of my own, namely a business selling things I make myself.
But what is this thought worth if you never start working towards a realisation of it? Starting is the hardest part, making the first move. Once you’re in the flow, you’re flying. But getting the engine going… how?
By doing you, by not going the copy cat route. Define what it is that you really want, where these urges really do come from, and start using that as the fuel man!
That’s right!
Let me list it out for myself, because who else is here to get inspired by these words than myself (at this point) really. There are two ideas floating around, and it’s worth finding out where these ideas come from (what motivations/urges) and what it would take to get started (realistically, not hypothetically):
➊ Clothing line
Where it comes from: – Against fast fashion (new collection every season) – Against continues sale (sign of overproduction) – Against unsustainable practices (of production, of wearing things once) – Against the copy cat nature (‘globalisation of style’) + Pro paying for quality (high price, high value) + Pro ‘never out of fashion’ (keeping things available for longer) + Pro upcycling (there is already enough out there) + Pro individuality (local styles, designs with a story/concept)
What it means: ➀ Translating inspirations into clothing pieces/designs ➁ Using memories of places to inspire (visual) research and design ➂ Creating a representation of the world, spreading local identities globally, without becoming a globalisation of style ➃ Creating a flexible brand identity that can adapt to/represent cross-cultural pollination (instead of monocultures)
➋ Online gallery
Where it comes from: – Against uninspiring ‘art’ (‘wall fillers’ encountered in short-stays) – Against the short lifespan of pictures (instagram fast feed) – Against the business of representation (quality approved by…) – Against exclusivity of art photography (limited supply) + Pro alternative visual expressions (tools for pondering) + Pro slow photography (analog methods, careful selection) + Pro self-representation (being able to earn of your own creations) + Pro domestication of art photography (inspiration is for everyone)
What it means: ➀ Printing and framing photographs from my archive ➁ Using photography to represent something between the abstract and picturesque ➂ Creating a website that is inspiring as a portfolio while simultaneously being functional as a commercial environment (there can’t be confusion about it being a webshop, but it has to equally be able to inspire) ➃ Creating a brand identity that encompasses more then myself and photographic print sales alone
Now these two business objectives could be realised onto separate lanes, but don’t necessarily need to exclude each-other. They could merge into one. And to be honest, the fact that they don’t usually overlap should not be a reason for me not to do so either. If it works for my, if its my dream to do so, then so be it. Be yourself and do you. After all, the motivations behind both these business ideas are rather similar; out with the homogenisation of creativity and culture, in with the independence and affluence of styles.
How to start while in limbo
Living in temporary accommodation with most, if not all of our personal belongings in storage, I find it hard to even find the motivation to sit down and do this (write these words). Finding motivation/inspiration to even think about making work seems to take a lot of energy at the moment. But luckily that’s changing by the help of a list I started writing ‘those that inspire’, of people that are able to push me in the right direction just by doing what they do best.
Some smaller scale things I can start working on, that help me work towards my larger goals (as described above) could be the following:
✪ Draw without the pressure of ‘working towards something’ (contradictory but true) ✪ Organise my reference library into one place (migrate all to Are.na) ✪ Research brand positioning (instagram, SEO, naming, business plan)
➊ Embroider items of clothing I hardly wear ➊ Create graphic designs that could be screen printed onto something
➊ & ➋ Think of a name that is scaleable (with the potential of combining everything into a single platform)
➋ Select photo’s to be printed from those that I have already scanned ➋ Compare printing/framing costs and calculate cost vs selling price ➋ Sell some prints to my network (via instagram)
