Happy New Month Guys!
There has been a lot of controversy over the notion that “great designers copy”. In the fashion business, it is true that almost every designer works with the same color and style trend. It is inevitable, The world has been around a long time and with it there have been a lot of people doing, saying, creating, wearing and thinking things, so the probability of similar designs is pretty high, fashion designers will always be inspired by designs of the past. It seems to be integral for growth and progress that we have a keen sense of awareness towards evolving trends and movement in the industry.
But is there a point at which looking to the work of others begins to negatively affect our own creative process and can this hinder creativity and originality. Although the same color and trends apply, there are fashion brands that have been able to set themselves apart from other designers through their inspired designs.
Let’s flash back to year 2019, the month of October, day 23 when one of the top fashion brands in Nigeria, Deola Sagoe unveiled Deola Tropical Galactica SS20 01 Surreal™️ collection inspired by the colours and vibrancy of the rainforest, issued an intellectual property warning before releasing the collection on Instagram further setting her brand apart from every other fashion brand and protecting her brands from copycats.
This stirred up a conversation about the brand’s Originality with some comments being in support of the brand protecting its designs and some comments questioning the authenticity of the design.
What defines a design authenticity is the process that goes before, during the creation of that design and the end result. Authentic design will always have to be based on a unique idea and a concept. As a designer, it is essential to have the ability to stay so true to your signature style while keeping your pieces fresh and updated.
Every creative in the fashion industry has that unique factor in them that would allow originality to come through. All it takes is knowing when to separate the real stuff from the copied ones. As a designer, you need to have an eye for detail and allow yourself to see where that thin line between copying and inspiration lies.