I just finished watching Project Runway (best show ever!) and it just makes me reflect on how much it excites me to see people who put their whole life into becoming a designer. Their dream to become a notable designer really affects me - and it makes me want to get up and do something about it - but what could i do?
Well as a consumer, I would buy clothes from young designers. If I were in magazine, I would feature them in editorials. If I had my own shop, I would carry their line in my store. If I were a consultant, I would help them develop their collection and help present it to buyers. Or if I were Bloomberg create studio spaces for them (we do have pretty good mayor in NYC, don't we?) I think NY does a pretty good job making room for new designers, but doesn't really match up to London. For example, in America they call the aesthetic of April or Andy from this season's PR "student work" but in London they would call it "non-commercial" (since they think American designers are too commercial). I also love emerging designers from all the way in Australia. Globalization has definitely helped leverage designers from places other than Europe and now America, but really, there needs to be more investment in new designers than growing mass and fast-fashion brands.
I have started to embrace the idea how each piece in your closet should be cherished - and move away from buying items because they are cheap, then you wear it for a year or two and throw away. It's about making an investment in something you truly love and being able to store forever. In that sense, I want to own pieces that were designed by individuals who put alot of thought and effort into it, and only created a few pieces in each size. Plus, I hate having the same thing as anyone else!
