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The Concept

A brand stays in business by creating new collections every few months in the hope that customers will keep buying their clothes. In order to provide coherence to a collection, the brand needs a concept. It is the foundation upon which the collection is created and it is an important point of reference during the development, launch and production stages of the collection. Its generation can be the result of moments of inspiration or of careful analysis of market trends; in practice, both are important contributors to the formation of a successful concept.

WHAT IS A CONCEPT?

A concept is a design direction for the shape, colour, mood and fabric for any fashion collection, and is created at the beginning of the season. It creates the mood of the collection and is always open to different interpretations. The initial idea first needs to be analysed carefully and translated into something that people can actually look at, and that can set out the direction of the collection.

Several seasons ago the K Karl Lagerfeld launch concept was Rock and Roll Androgyny. The designer took images of androgynous models in skinny jeans and boyish clothes and built a men’s and women’s range around it. Black, white and grey were the colours, with an idea of using coated leather look fabrics, silver metallic prints and washed out, vintage look T-shirts. The starting point for the research was the love of denim and the colours, black and white, of Mr Lagerfeld himself. These three elements evolved into a concept that gave the feeling of rock and roll edgy clothes that could be worn by males and females.

A concept can come from fewer than three elements as well. A while ago, a spring collection for the Hilfiger Runway line had the theme: ‘New York Country Club’. The concept began with the words Country Club, and from there, images of 60s and 70s women’s sporting clothes, pleated tennis whites, halter neck tops and mini dresses were added to the visuals. Images of Katherine Hepburn in her signature high-waist wide leg pants matched with bra tops gave the movie star reference, and the fabrics for the mood were fine chiffons, and checked linens.

ELEMENTS OF A CONCEPT

The four parts of the concept are fabrics, colours, shapes and mood. We shall look at them in detail and explain what exactly they consist of and how they influence the process of development.

FABRIC

Fabrics (or yarns and textiles) are very important to the feeling of the concept. Most concepts are first presented in the form of a handful of fabric pieces. They provide a tangible expression of the feeling you want to convey. If you want to evoke a 1920s romantic, nostalgic feeling in a concept, chiffon would be perfect to conjure up an image. A men’s military theme would have heavy weight cotton or boiled woolen fabric to illustrate the mood. Fabrics add an extra dimension to the concept, but they do not have to be the only ones used for the collection. It is, however, a signature element.

COLOUR

Sitting alongside the selection of fabrics is the composition of the colour palette. The palette is a collection of colours (or tones, tints, shades, hues, stain wash or dyes) that will be used throughout the range collection. Making a palette for a concept is not easy. The shades selected have to work not only in many of the types of garments but also in the colours of buttons, zips, prints and embroideries.

For instance, yellow is a bright and ‘happy’ colour – mostly used for spring and summer ranges. It is a good colour for a T-shirt or a pair of socks, but can you imagine it in a wool coat or a suit? It’s a hard colour to have it in a great mass, but in small portions or in a specific fabric it works. It is also great for small embroidery on the chest of a shirt, a print on a T-shirt, a raincoat, or even a chiffon dress, but it has to have its place. Navy, on the other hand, is a great suit or coat colour, as it is a classic shade that everyone can wear. It also works on trims (e.g. buttons and zips), but could be seen as boring or too ‘classic’ for a print or embroidery.

Experiment with fabrics to see what works together and what doesn’t. Take one colour and two or more fabrics, decide which fabric has the stronger colour tone when compared to the others. Do they all work or is one a stronger element? It is a nice challenge to assemble the colour palette, making sure it ticks the above boxes, as well as being ‘new’ and interesting for another season.

SHAPE

Shapes within a concept refer to the sizing aspects of the garments in the collection, and every season the shape of garments changes for both men and women. In the early 70s the style for trousers was flared at the hem and tight at the waist and hip. In the late 70s there was the drainpipe jean that was super tight all over. In the 80s we had the power suit with the padded shoulder, and a decade later the shoulder lines got softer and less structured, giving a more relaxed look. These are just some important changes over decades, but even measurement variations of 5 cm can make a difference between seasons for a pair of high waist or waisted jeans. Being clear about the direction of the fit is vital for the concept.

MOOD

The mood of the concept adds an emotional element to the concept that ‘sets the scene’ for the other elements. If we go back to the K Karl Lagerfeld concept, the mood would be signalled with images of rock and roll bands, confrontational shots of models with blunt cut hairstyles, dramatic make up and monochrome imagery. For the Hilfiger line there would be faded sunsets, sheer pastel-coloured fabrics, and nostalgic images of models, hair blowing in the breeze at a 50s American sporting Country Club.

WHO CREATES THE CONCEPT?

Some companies have concept designers whose job it is to define the design direction of the range, brand or company. Their specific job is to understand the brand’s customer profile and heritage to form a new direction for the new season’s collection. This means following trend forecasters, fabric mills, music trends, lifestyle trends, catwalk shows, graduate fashion shows and current street fashion to decide on a direction most suitable for their brand. If it isn’t financially viable to have a specific concept creator, the designer can be entrusted to define the concept.

IDEAS FOR THE CONCEPT

Ideas are everywhere. They can strike at any hour of the day or night, and any time of the year. This is why it is so important to be aware of all the possibilities that are around, that are heard, seen or read. Reading books, watching movies, people-watching, all raise questions about words, characters, clothes, colours and scenery, many of which can be a starting point for the development of a concept. Concepts are formed from the strangest, most random beginnings. Concept designers keep a notebook and camera with them at all times, taking notes and pictures of anything they see that might be of interest.

HISTORY

Historical references can play a huge role in fashion collections. Whether it is a fabric, a garment type or a whole silhouette, designers have been referencing history for years. John Galliano referenced Marie Antoinette in his 2010 collection, and Alexander McQueen alluded to his Scottish ancestry in his Highland Rape collection with tartan fabrics and heraldry. Military influences are always strong in menswear and even with denims; the history of work-wear has been researched and updated by many a denim company. There is such a phenomenal depth of information available for shapes, colours and fabrics that the options are endless, and what’s more, it is free.

SHOPPING TRIPS

Every major shopping city in the world has interesting and innovative shops. Whether they are the international chains or small local independent stores, window-shopping in a new city can give inspiration on colours, shapes, fabrics and trim details. Shopping at someone else’s expense sounds like a pretty nice way to spend your time, and while I’m not going to try to pass it off as ‘a hard business trip’, it is a good way for the designer to increase the chances of picking up ideas. Staying in an office and trying to invent a new season is almost impossible, because of the day-to-day distractions, phone calls and meetings, but at the same time the reality of walking for eight hours in and out of stores whilst suffering from jet-lag, trying to make notes on styling details without being removed by in-store security is a tough challenge. The result is that whilst the shopping trips are nice, they are hard work, tiring and frustrating, but nevertheless essential. Don’t forget the vintage shops for research. Charity shops and second hand stores are great for the small details on coats, bags and scarves. Many of the luxury labels shop at vintage stores for their inspiration.

STREET STYLE

People-watching and photographing what they are wearing is a great way of spotting new trends and styles. Spending time in a new city will open up a new world of local designers, local clubs, bars and cafes, all with creative people expressing themselves in what they are wearing and how they are wearing it. Small details, like a turn up on a pair of jeans, the neckline of a T-shirt or the length of a jacket can have an immediate impact on the newness of a garment. By using the internet to research the ‘cool’ areas of a city, and sitting in a cafe or bar, the designer obtains a huge amount of information, which can add excitement to the shapes, mood or colours of a concept.

Designers do as the forecasting companies do: they window-shop and people-watch. If they’re working on a limited budget and are unable to hit style hubs such as NYC, Tokyo, LA, Paris, London, Antwerp or Milan, they try something closer to home. Cities, such as those above, are hotbeds for new trends and styling. Getting away from your usual location will help you find different styles, shops and images.

TREND ANALYSIS

Trend forecasting these days is big business, with established companies all over the world working several years ahead on customer profiling, shopping habits, colour analysis and silhouette cycles, formulating analyses targeted for focused demographics, and presenting their results in websites, books, seminars and trade shows. There isn’t a designer or brand that doesn’t use some kind of trend service. They put in the hours of research for you, giving brands the edited highlights in a purely visual display. They work to an international market with editors all over the world who visit shops and exhibitions, follow street trends, look at graduate shows and fabric fairs. There is no possible way that one person could have this much information at their fingertips at any one time. The yearly subscription to the services is expensive, but for any brand it should be a necessary cost.

WORKSHOPS

If money is no object, customised reporting can be commissioned by individual brands, but at the same time many trend companies are represented at the fabric and industry trade fairs with presentations and workshops offered to all participants.

Workshops at the industry trade fairs are free introductions to the trend company’s services. They give examples of how they approach their research, and how it leads to useful and relevant information that can be bought. The workshops are usually split by market, so there are presentations on street fashion, and children’s, men’s and women’s wear.

WEBSITES

Some websites that are highly used in the fashion industry are www.mudpie.co.uk, www.wgsn.com and www.stylesight.com. These have developed in order to cover every element of trend analysis from fabrics to colours, interiors, denim, junior, shoes, hats and garments. For a substantial fee, shop reports can be obtained from major fashion hubs around the globe, giving colour indications for every denomination and age group, and shape analysis for every known product group.

A mid point between the above trend websites and doing the whole thing yourself are companies, such as Mode Information (www.modeinfo.com). Working across all markets and demographics, Mode Information produces trend books and reports each season, which can be used to guide a designer or buyer on colours, fabrics, yarns and also shapes.

DURING REVIEWS

The concept is the creative backbone of the collection, and as a result it is used as a reference at the key review stages. At the proto review, launch and production review stages it is essential to refer back to the concept to ensure that the vision of the designer remains evident. With changes happening all the time on colour, fabric and fit, the developer and the designer will always need to be aware of the concept, and will question the link of the product of the moment to the concept before proceeding.

For instance, if one of the fabrics in the concept was a silver leather, it would be important to have that leather in at least three of the garments in the collection, as well as being used as a colour on a printed T-shirt and, perhaps, an embroidery on a shirt. This way the silver aspect is carried through the range. If in the proto review the silver print is cancelled and the embroidery changed to a purple colour, then we immediately have a problem, as we have lost some links to the concept. If, when we get to the production stage, we find that the orders for the silver fabric are not high enough and the leather is cancelled, we have lost every aspect of the key colour that was in the concept. By referring back to the concept at each key stage we can question the changes, so ensuring the concept stays intact throughout development and production.

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