1000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers

TFD_libro.indb 9

26/11/09 14:53:09

I’ve always seriously doubted that I chose

the right career. Journalists have to limit

themselves to the facts, while I work with

my imagination, or at least ideas. My job is

supposed to involve giving an account of the

world around me with empirical precision–

whereas I live in a parallel universe through

the looking glass. As an editor, I always

have to face my fears, and maybe (I did say

maybe) deal with my biggest one: making

a decision. Because that’s what editors do,

they use their judgment and pick out which

button should be used from a mass of oth-

ers. They have access to the entire range and

 lter it down until they shortlist the options.

They use a  rm hand to spell out the mes-

sage that the public will hear.

This time, I had to choose 100 fashion

designers. It didn’t matter whether they

were new on the scene or signed autographs

for their fans; whether they did business or

art; whether they did haute couture or doo-

dled on T-shirts; whether they began with a

course project or ended up as a multination-

al; whether their labels had gray hairs or were

pumping hormones; whether they showed in

Paris or did the samba in Rio; whether they

lived in Milan or a tiny Gaucho village in Ar-

gentina; whether they had a  agship store

on Fifth Avenue or a showroom in a garage.

I have brought together 100 designers who

have had an “intimate experience” with

fashion and lived to tell the tale. The aim of

this book is to make the direct experience

of these 100 designers a vicarious experi-

ence for new graduates: a system of learn-

ing whose main resource is the feelings and

emotions of their fellow designers. It asks

them questions like what they think about

when they begin a collection; what kind of

woman they have in mind when they design;

what they have on their work table; how they

transfer the concept for a season to each gar-

ment and accessory; why they choose a fab-

ric and where they buy it; what they look

for in color; whether they go for tradition or

experimentation; what brand values they

offer; how much importance they place on

communication; what they change and leave

unchanged in their style each year; whether

they welcome or re-

ject trends; what good

habits they have; what

bad habits they try to

shake off; and whether

their inspiration takes

a back seat to sales.

These are some of the

many questions stu-

dents ask themselves, and this book offers

1,000 answers. In order to succeed, there’s

no secret magic formula like Coca Cola’s. But

there is an almost unanimous feeling among

designers: creative freedom while staying

true to your own style can be the password

that opens up Ali Baba’s cave (or your bank

account) for a sustainable and long-lasting

label. In fashion, as in life, it seems that tri-

umph comes to those who don’t betray their

ideals. After all, numbers aside, those who

design fashion are seeking the same things

as those who use it: self-expression.

I have brought together 100 designers who have

had an “intimate experience” with fashion and

lived to tell the tale.

Generation F

…a system of

learning whose

main resource is the

feelings and

emotions of their

fellow designers.

Generation F 9

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