Fashion As Business and Philosophy

Tonight, the age old question about art was posed on After the Runway. Which is better . . . to do work that you would wear or to do work that you believe appeals to the most people? There was a kind of gender bias to this question, as the person who asked it was discussing how female designers often design things they, themselves would wear and male designers create things for a kind of generalized woman.

The practical answer is that you do not design for yourself.  Designing to your own tastes limits the appeal and the market. Moreover, as your tastes change, your design would change, meaning how people viewed you would also change. In a basic way, it makes sense.

However, I believe that designing for yourself and your own tastes has some very strong advantages.

• Designing things you would wear keeps your aesthetic pure.  If you are creating things to your taste and you have a very clear vision of what that is, you never have to second guess what you're doing.  You never have to worry if your work is following a trend or outdated or something that you copied from someone else.  You never have to worry if the work is genuine.  You know it is because it's what you wanted.  Even if no one else likes it, you do.  And, unless you're deeply socially maladjusted, others will like it as well. Hell, maybe even more because of that.
  
• Designing things you would wear keeps you inspired. If you are relying on what others are wanting or what will make you the most money, design can begin to get tiring.  Maybe you don't want to design jumpsuits (In fact, please don't do them. They're ugly. They are always ugly.), but feel you should.  Maybe the current looks leave you flat.  It will become very difficult to muster up the creativity to keep going.  However, if you are designing for yourself, what you want to wear serves to inspire you.
   
• Designing things for yourself insures that you'll have things to wear.  To me, this is the best and biggest advantage to being this kind of designer.  You never have to worry about finding things for yourself.  You can create your own clothing, accessories, and everything else.  I think this applies a lot to people wear clothing based in less populated genres of fashion. There are people out there who design amazing steampunk looks or goth corsets for big girls or Jedi robes. They make these things because, while it is a niche market, it is the niche they love.  The one where they, personally, need things made.
  
• Designing things you would wear gives you the chance to build a smaller, but more loyal client base. Will everyone in the world want your Cthulhu hat? No.  But the people who, like you, adore the idea of said, hat, will squeal with delight at the idea of it and buy the shit out of that thing.  They'll show it to their friends, who will want one. You'll make a decent amount of money and everyone gets an evil hat. Win win.

Keep in mind, designing things you would wear yourself needs to be the true thing you're doing, not just the excuse you're using for why your lameass shit looks the way it does. You have to mean it. You have to have an understanding of who you are and what you really do want to wear. You also have to accept that it does limit the appeal.  However, if you can do all of this, designing things you would wear every day of your life could make you a very happy person. Maybe even a successful one!