Inspirations - How to Get Through a "Design-Block"

When I'm coming up with concepts for my designs/collections, I find that everything around me can be an inspiration. I know what it feels like to have a "design block" when trying to figure out what you want to make next, so I thought I would give a few tips and what I do to spark inspiration!

1. Stories

Everyone loves a good story whether it's a fairytale to a funny family story. For example, when I was finding inspiration for my junior collection, Delicate Wings, I looked back on all the times I went shopping with my mom and sister for evening wear and from there I was able to get the beginning concepts of my collection in the sketchbook. Also, if you draw your ideas from your own personal experiences, your intentions and the meaning becomes so clear in the final product.

2. Music

Music can act as a great foundation for mood, which can help your mood board development and even help you visualize what you want . Over the summer, I designed a dress for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. My one of my favorite songs is "gold rush" from evermore so I wanted to emulate that song in the dress. I looked through the lyrics and found that the lyrics " I don't like a gold rush" and "I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush" stuck out to me the most and I wanted the gold and the rose to be depicted somewhere in the dress. There was also a heavy depiction of water in the song and I liked the idea of having the garment shimmer as if it were sparkling water. I ended up finding a gold organza with a pinky/rose hue shift that was absolutely perfect for my concept.

3. Art

Art and Fashion Design go hand in hand because art influences what design elements are in fashion. For me personally, a painting I always go back to is Salvador Dali's Flordali Rose Butterfly painting because it has so much color, yet is very sophisticated which is what I strive for when I am designing. Finding a painting or artist that you like will be great for when you want to pull a color palette, evoke a certain emotion, or use an element from a painting as a design detail.

4. Your Interests

The best part about fashion is that anything can be fashionable and it also means you don't necessarily have to cut and sew a piece. When I was in high school, for a final project for my English class, I decided to incorporate the idea of wearable art into my project by repurposing a jean jacket I barely wore. painted each of the books we had read on the jacket and picked a quote that was impactful from the book to get my point across of why the lessons from the book are important for everyday life. Upcycling is also great way to gain inspiration because you're using garments/fabrics that are already made and in need of a second life.

Remember anything and everything can be inspiration, sometimes you just have to step back and see what is right in front of you. I hope this helps!