Sometimes I find that I'm more fascinated by the process of identifying trends than the trends themselves. I've only recently been experimenting with fashion as self-expression, but have spent hours upon hours of learning how to run experiments in a lab or in a business setting.

If fashion is a way to communicate values and personality and I value calculated experiments and creativity within structure, why not approach fashion the same way?

And here is my confession: much of the trend analysis I do for Purse & Clutch consists of systematically researching trends across cultures and cross analyzing them with the current trends of my main customer to try to discover what people will want in terms of patterns, colors, and textures before they want them - so that we have time to get them produced!

As an avid Vogue reader, this is a typical approach for me:

Vogue Doodles and Notes

It is so very important to keep Purse & Clutch relevant in the fashion world for us to be able to achieve our vision for the company: bringing fashion closer to fairly compensating their artisans and providing humane work environments and hours and bringing fairly compensated artisanal products in to the wonderful world of fashion. This, for us, is a key point in creating sustainable jobs.

So where do you get your fashion inspiration? Bloggers? Magazines? Your mother?

How do you transpose your inspiration into your daily wears?

Stephanie

Jan 17, 2013

I get it from what I’m drawn to when I’m thrifting. I’ll see a piece that has a particular textural or pattern quality, and then try to figure out how to make it work! I think I’m veering pretty 70s at the moment, with a heavy does of minimalism. I’ve been buying a lot of structure and black! But then, black and white is very in this season, and it’s a great frame that you can jump off with, adding bold pattern and color.