The state of fashion as it currently stands is ripe with room for dialogue. How is the digital revolution impacting education? How do creativity and business go hand in hand? What type of advice would fashion luminaries give design students?
To answer these questions and then some, the CFDA tapped esteemed fashion consultant Julie Gilhart to moderate a discussion with Imran Amed, Founder and CEO of Business of Fashion and Floriane de Saint Pierre, Founder of Eyes on Talents at the CFDA’s fifth annual Fashion Education Summit.
The three fashion visionaries began with an anecdote about Kanye West’s Yeezy fashion show at Madison Square Garden and how it represents the industry’s shift to directing shows towards consumer interests. Amed stated that while the industry may be immersed in what he calls “creative destruction,” this will be a year for solutions – but don’t expect a monolithic, one-size-fits-all result. De Saint Pierre cited a significant opportunity for designers to be connected to their final audience, noting that it’s the right time to break and invent the rules in a meaningful way. CFDA President and CEO Steven Kolb pointed to the CFDA’s current Boston Consulting Group study on the state of fashion shows, with a more conclusive roadmap to be unveiled in early March.
On the topic of educating design students today, Amed stated that the days of just one way of reaching and engaging with consumers are over. He advised that younger talent has to be more adaptable, exposed, and connected to the world in order to adapt to these changes. He emphasized the importance of practical experience and learning directly from the people making the business of fashion happen, especially at smaller companies where employees can have their hands in several working pots. There are a “myriad ways that we can build businesses in fashion [today]” he said. Gilhart mirrored these sentiments, adding that education has shifted due to the rise of YouTube and ease of accessibility to learning at such a young age.
The panel also emphasized that creativity and business acumen are not mutually exclusive. According to Saint Pierre, a product must still be beautiful to thrive and that even with clear financial strategies in place, it won’t be successful without strong design and impeccable execution. She ascertained the importance of creative leadership within companies. Amed noted that he teaches his students how creative decisions about fabric selection or the agreements designers sign with retailers will impact the business components of the enterprise.
With information surrounding young talent at such a young age, there is also growing pressure to learn and evolve early. With this in mind, the BoF founder advises young students to enjoy the discovery process and figure out what they want to be and attenuate some of the achievement pressure that they ineluctably feel.
De Saint Pierre added that the etymology of school meant “leisure,” and that everyone should keep that in mind when teaching youth. Now that’s a lesson that we can all learn from.
To watch segments of the 2016 Fashion Education Summit, please see here.
