17.2.09

SINK OR SWIM...CONFORMITY vs. INDIVIDUALISM MARC JACOBS

This year's, Fall '09, New York Fashion Week is interesting on a variety of levels. As the economy is tanking, stores are closing, and retail is in a tail spin, when most designers are being interviewed, they say this is a challenging time and a creative time for them. I say its sink or swim time. It's about designing pieces that make people want to buy-that ushers in a wave of "I have to own that jacket, dress, or trouser." So, do designers play it safe and create a collection that's easy to sell and what people expect or go in the other direction. Will it be about the individual or will it be about collective conformity? The consumer will answer that question. Yes, the majority of people are being more conscious of where their money is being spent and they will likely want to make it worth their while. So, will it be spent on designers like Marc Jacobs whose show was all about the individual like DVF, Ohne and Titel, and Alexander Wang or will it go towards safe, collective conformity like Band of Outsiders, Rag and Bone, Travata, and BCBG. Time will tell, but I say the individual will always prevail.

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