One aphorism from Christopher Breward’s forward to Fashion Studies is “Fashion is intensely personal, in the same way, that poetry is intensely personal. It is a medium through which personal stories can be told, memories re-lived and futures foretold”. This aphorism argues that fashion is a process of turn intangible to tangible and concrete through the process of personification. It is about personal expression and manifestation instilled with the creativity and imagination of the fashion designers. The process of fashion design is also the process of making and representing images and ideas, which provide a channel for fashion designers to tell their own stories, experience or even reimagine the future. Therefore, Louis Bourgeois, the noted female artist, can tell her own personal ideas and experiences through her artistic works. Gareth Pugh can express his futurist idea of future clothing. Fashion provides a channel for these artists or designers to tell their stories, express their ideas, or foretell the futures. “Fashion is …in the same way that poetry is intensely personal” implies that fashion design requires the genius and creativity of fashion designers. It is this unique quality of fashion designers that set them apart from clothing manufacturers. It should be noted that although fashion is “intensely personal”, it is not solely personal. The making of fashion and fashion designers is actually a collective process through the process of legitimation.
This aphorism is actually closely related to another aphorism which says that “fashion does not define. It is instead a term that demands definition”. It means that fashion is a concept that is constantly changing and evolving. What is popular last year may probably be out of date next year? This is why fashion is changing so rapidly. Fashion is influenced by many stakeholders such as consumers, fashion designers, fashion companies, and so on. One of the most influential stakeholders in the fashion industry is the fashion designers who use their creativity, skills, and imagination to define and refine what fashion is and is not. It can be said that fashion designers and the fashion industry are interdependent with each other. While the fashion industry provides a channel for fashion designers to express their ideas and values through the process of personification, the creativity of different fashion designers indeed constantly push forward the development of the fashion industry. Although fashion does not define, fashion indeed can influence people and society in different ways.
