How Can Independent Fashion Designers Learn From the Catwalk?- Guest Post by Stylepilot

Perhaps the best part about being an independent fashion designer is the creative freedom that you have to put together absolutely anything you want to. At the same time, even the most creatively minded among us can have days where we yearn for inspiration and need that one glimmer of light to show us the way to mind-blowing ideas.

With this in mind we looked at some top tips for learning from top designers and what they produce on the catwalk.

A Balancing Act

Ironically, one of the biggest possible things you can learn from top designers is what not to do. You probably quite often look at catwalk shows and think “what is that?” Established designers have built up their “credit” in the industry to such a degree that many of them have licence to do whatever they please in the knowledge that people will pay attention.

As an independent, up and coming designer, of course you want to grab the attention of as many people you can. The best way to do this is not necessarily to produce shocking items, but to produce thoughtful, high quality designs that you can sell online yourself or licence to a retailer. If you go for the loud and over the top early on, your credibility will suffer. Once you have an audience, a following, and are making money as a serious designer, then you can get a little wild.

Identifying Trends

Again, as an independent designer you may well have decided to be rebellious and go against general trends of the time. Remember that catwalk shows are generally an indication of what you can expect to see in six months’ time, so you have a big window of opportunity for putting together your response.

At the same time, there is definite value in identifying upcoming trends and following them to a degree, perhaps putting your own slant on a particular garment or using patterns and colour in a different way. In a similar manner to we looked at grabbing attention, when you are trying to establish yourself it is better to be “different” yet similar to current trends rather than a million miles away.

Putting on a Show

If you have a great collection that you are proud of, then put on a fashion show! Even if it is something on a relatively small scale, for example at a local college or shopping mall, it is still putting yourself out there for people to see what you are about. Perhaps link it with a social media competition or something similar to attract more followers, and give yourself a platform to raise awareness of your design talents.

Stylepilot is a leading mens fashion and style website catering for the fashion conscious males. They host one of the largest collections of mens clothing in the UK aggregating a number of the top UK retailers.