Fashion for the Masses

There is a lot of snobbery with designers these days, especially ones coming fresh out of University. I live in East London, and always bump into people who work in the industry, and unless you say you work for some huge label, or a mega-trendy brand people are generally not interested - they will turn their pretentious noses up and walk away (it has to be said, that these people are mostly young and inexperienced and it may just be a London 'thing'). It's quite disheartening to hear, when you consider the sheer amount of graduates which are churned out from fashion schools all over the globe compared with the very limited number of jobs out there.

I work for the high-street, which I love! I get paid more than people who work for designer labels (you don't get anywhere in the designer world unless you make it big time), I have 99% of the creative control over what I do (obviously baring in mind that I am designing for the masses) and I get to design a range of products, for a range of stores. Where is the shame in that?

Miuccia Prada summed it up nicely in this quote from the latest issue of Purple magazine, and to be honest, has put some of my woes at ease...

"Do you like designing clothes for a large international clientele, or is it frustrating having to adapt to the masses?
Miuccia Prada - I don't agree with other designers who only want to address a small public, which is relatively easy. What's difficult is keeping your integrity with a larger public. Given that I do commercial work I want it to be as large as possible. If I only had to make four dresses for four fashion snobs, I'd change jobs. Maybe in the beginning I wanted to make clothes for the sophisticated few. But that doesn't interest me anymore. The aspect of my work that challenges me the most today is dealing with numbers, with the company, and with people who work with us."

Prada realises that it is more of a challenge to design clothes for a mass market, to keep the masses interested in your work. Anyone can create conceptual garments, but can they translate that work and ideas into wearable clothes? - That is where the talent truly lies.