Discovering & Developing Your Fashion Style

To create a successful clothing line, you must first learn to design your own style. Discovering and developing this side of yourself will influence your creative process and lead to a brand that reflects who you truly are as a person and as a designer. 

Understanding your taste and unique aesthetic is one of a designer’s most valuable traits. When applied in the real world, you should be prepared to represent your brand’s look every time you’re out in public. Ensuring your outfits coordinate with the garments you produce (or want to produce in the future) gives you the chance to be a walking advertisement for your label. Dedication to your personal style also shows others that you are committed to your craft.

How to Create Your Own Unique Style

If you’re wondering how to create your own unique style, The Evans Group (teg) can help. We’ve been implementing fashion development and design for more than 15 years, and that’s given us a lot of opportunities to help designers just like you perfect the look of their brands.

One of the first things we want you to realize is that your personal style isn’t likely to materialize overnight. This isn’t a lightbulb moment where a switch goes off, and you suddenly know all of the ins and outs of your aesthetic. Instead, the personal style development process is an evolution over weeks, months, and even years.

Everyone’s journey will be different, and you should never compare yourself to others. If you’ve ever taken a formal fashion design class, then you will have probably noticed that designers “come into their own” only when they are ready and not a moment sooner.

When you design your own style, it isn’t about choosing trends or fleeting fads; it’s about an enduring appeal that many designers choose to model their entire lives around. Over time, this “look” will be the central theme to base your collections. Establishing a solid foundation early on will allow you to use your imagination and take chances in your designs without removing your signature from the equation.

Which Fashion Style Works For You?

There are a variety of fashion genres out there in the world. Bohemian, gothic, urban, romantic, and preppy are just a few, and that doesn’t include the hybridized categories loved by risk-takers and out-of-the-box thinkers.

When it comes to identifying which genre is yours, it’s important to remember that fashion is supposed to be emotional. You want to feel something when you look at that jumpsuit or put on that dress. Therefore, a great way to discover what you gravitate toward is by understanding how you observe fashion makes you feel.

When you flip through magazines, watch runway shows, or shop for your personal wardrobe, which designs bring you joy? Which collections give you chills as they come down the catwalk? What kind of clothing makes you feel confident and comfortable in your skin?

Fashion, design, art, and nature are closely connected, so it’s really no surprise that the way our environments look almost always have some indication of who we are within them. Study your surroundings, get out in nature, immerse yourself in local culture, spend time at art museums, meet up with other people who inspire you, and become familiar with the architecture.

Tear out those magazine pages, take some photographs, design and create your own clothes, and make inspiration boards that you can refer back to. In other words, find what you love and never stop being inspired by it.

Becoming a Clothing Designer With Your Own Fashion Style

Becoming a clothing designer requires passion, dedication, skill, practical experience, business acumen, and a keen sense of style. Many designers enroll in fashion design courses before pursuing a paid position, while others depend on their years of personal design experience to secure internships.

Some designers work in the industry for years before deciding to design and produce their own collections, whereas others prefer the idea of being their own boss from the get-go. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to begin because no matter where you are in your career, there will always be obstacles to overcome.

TEG is here to reduce those hurdles for emerging independent and established designers by making the production and development process as smooth as possible. We have a highly specialized team of creatives and managers that will be with you from the beginning (intake and design) to end (production-ready patternmaking and costing) and can offer you as much or as little guidance as you’d like. In our vertically-integrated studios, we oversee every aspect of the design and manufacturing process, ensuring quality control checks along the way.

What a Fashion Designer Needs to Know About Fashion Development

If you want to create your own clothing style, and ultimately a collection, you’ll need to be familiar with the fashion development process. Many factors need to be decided upon during the collection development–from textiles to economics. We mustn’t forget that fashion design is as much about creativity as it is about business.

Nevertheless, when it comes to developing a collection, you can take a few steps for a stellar outcome. 

Research Inspiration

Inspiration is a well that seems to never run dry for seasoned designers. Of course, they do have teams of creatives behind them, but we suspect that they also know how to get their creative juices flowing.

Like we mentioned earlier, museums, nature, and architecture are sure to help you derive inspiration for the development of your fashion collections. Still, there are many others that we haven’t touched on.

Researching different cultures is a fantastic way to infuse a global look into your collection. Even a fine dining meal can be like being served art on a plate. Music and books are also excellent sources of inspiration.

Use Your Imagination

Brainstorm, free write, sketch, doodle, and do other creative exercises that fuel your imagination. Mood boards are a fashion designer’s friend and also happen to be a great way to document, visualize, and modify ideas for your collection.

You can also use imagination for problem-solving. Overcome budget restrictions, material shortages, fit issues, and more by using your creative, critical thinking skills.

Innovate

Fashion would be pretty ho-hum if it weren’t for innovation. This is where designers are really able to make waves in the industry while making a name for themselves.

How can you make your collection more sustainable? Where can you incorporate technology? Are you thinking outside of the box?

Iris Van Herpen utilizes 3D printing technology to create sculptural, organic designs, and truly one of a kind. This says that there is more to traditional textiles and distinct ways of thinking in the fashion world. Become well-versed in various topics that fascinate you, and innovation will be easier to come by.

Design and Create Your Own Clothing Line

Just as fashion design is a creative process, it is also a business venture. Turning your desire to become a clothing designer into a successful career requires making the right choices.

Fortunately, TEG has all the resources you could ever need to start designing and creating your own clothing line. Because our studios are vertically integrated, we are ideal for designers at every stage of their journey. You can reach out to us at any time, and we’ll always be ready to lend a hand.

We’re Here to Help Bring Your Fashion Style to Life

Your own style plays a vital role in your brand regarding fashion design. You’ll have spent valuable time and energy on developing a look that’s all your own, so be sure to entrust your collection to a professional production house with a proven track record.

The experts at TEG are here to see your ideas through from beginning to end. With a conscientious approach and a desire to keep your vision intact, we will help bring your ideas to life without ever watering them down.

For all inquiries and questions, please call or fill out the below form, and we will respond within 1-2 business days. Thank you!