The Fashion Businessto be considered, from the creative and marketing point of view, have
multiplied, and everything is subject to change. And yet we must attempt to
devise strategies for innovation, since the successful inauguration of new
fashions is increasingly likely to be the result of such planned approaches
and less the result of the almost accidental fashionableness that was the case
with the mini skirt in the 1960s, or Timberland shoes. In noting the necessity
for a strategic approach I refute the widely held view that fashion is ‘change
for change’s sake’; Craik has described how the current fashion acts as a
determinant for the future one.^13 We who work in the industry are acutely
aware that not everything is possible, and have learned by experience that
new ideas must usually relate to what already exists if they are to succeed.
At the same time we are conscious that the evolution of fashion is punctuated
by spasmodic flashes of revolutionary genius, such as Chanel’s, which
radically change its course before it becomes too predictable. If we are to be
successful, therefore, we must keep an ear to the ground ready to detect the
first signs of such.
A company producing fashion is the utmost example of forced innovation.
It is absolutely necessary to relaunch, recreate, rethink and to discuss things
over and over again. Despite what one might think, this does not only apply
to the design team, but the whole organization. To be successful, each element
in the process of developing and marketing the product must be innovative
and everybody should have a creative attitude. I must emphasize that I
consider a designed garment ‘fashion’ only when it is marketed and worn by
someone. I have a high opinion of the ‘idea’ but I believe we should consider
it developed and embodied only when it has passed through some kind of
process and become a ‘product’, no matter how small the market. Original
ideas are only the first step of a long journey towards a desired success.
Before examining how the creative process develops in a company I should
observe that companies, being human organizations, have many similarities
with living organisms. Each possesses its own original ‘genetic code’ which
is normally connected to the figure of its founder, but during its life its
character may evolve in consequence of the external stimuli it is subjected
to. A company possesses its own culture, which will become stronger over
the years, transmitting itself through the inevitable conditioning of the
individuals entering its ranks. But company culture is not necessarily positive,
in fact, it is sometimes so deeply rooted that it hinders that renewal which is
so critical to its survival. Company culture is like an enormous database
from which can be read the company’s life, experience, skills, individuals’
contributions over the years but also its limitations and handicaps.
- Craik, J., Cultural Studies in Fashion, London: Routledge, 1994, p. 60.