Creativity – When and how do I do it?

The centre of Out & About clothing is its colourful collars and trims. This is what I think my customers are looking for; A combination of colours that stand out to them when they look at the range and that they can immediately see themselves wearing. Have you ever wondered how we keep coming up with something new? The following blog post will let you in on a few little secrets about when this creativity happens and the thought process surrounding it.

Colour and design combinations are a very personal thing. Everyone likes something different. The beauty with what I do is that I look at the colour and patterns of the fabrics and work with this rather than specifically taking into consideration my own personal preferences.

1. I first look at what catches my eye. Maybe it will be a couple of pieces of fabric laying next to each other on my table or sometimes I will see a few snippets of fabric sitting together in the bin and go…..aah, those colours really work!
2. Secondly, I consider whether individual fabrics and colours look great together and make sure they complement each other.
3. Thirdly I consider their wear ability. Sometimes the fabrics might make a lovely quilt….but would people actually want to wear them on their collar.

I also consider whether the combination will look great with only green rugby’s or will the same collar look great on the orange, the black and the green?

I do my designing when I am alone. I can think better then. Some days it just comes to me. Other days it just doesn’t. And I have learnt that you can’t force a winning combination.

It has taken some time to get to the stage that I can confidently say that someone out there will love each combination that I create. Not all will be best sellers and some may only appeal to a handful but whatever the case… the trick is to give the customer choice. Like I said…..everyone likes something different.