Designing From Your Inner Voice

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By: Cindy Wendland

Fashion is a big, beautiful business. The market is over $3,000 trillion. Notice it is not reported as $3 quadrillion because people don’t even know what that number is. That tells you how remarkably large the market is. With over seven billion people on the planet, it is no surprise that the garment industry is of such significance, yet the numbers are still eye-opening.

In fashion, designers produce collections of clothing and related items. Those items get sent to stores. Consumers buy the items from the stores. The consumers are happy with their purchases. The designers are happy with the satisfaction and the money from the purchases. Then it all starts over again for the next season. Sound simple? Well, there is actually quite a bit more to the whole process, starting back with the designers.

Karl Lagerfeld is one famous designer who creates collections for his label and Chanel. One might wonder if he studies trends and market data and gathers inspiration before he creates the next collection. In actuality, he says he does not work on the business side or attend meetings. Instead he listens to his inner voice, and sometimes even surprises himself.

Does it seem possible that a designer who is responsible for impacting a $3,000 trillion industry could work from instinct? In our analytical world where we measure everything, it seems surprising. Yet creative people perform best when they are left to their own volition. Perhaps we have too many reports and too much data that drives our decisions. Perhaps we should listen to our inner voice too and come up with some creative designs for our brand or business.

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About the Author

Cindy Wendland has a background in marketing and finance. She is the creative director for an online men's health magazine, BrainBrawnBody.com, and she gets to write their leisure/travel blog. She is also a web designer helping her clients with online community engagement, websitesbywendland.com. Prior to her web years, she worked in pharmacy consulting.

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