May 23 2019

Independent Designers, the Path to Creative Freedom

8 min

They are the experts in expressing emotions through garments. Independent designers are those who seek to create, to express and be able to communicate a message. They are the ones who break all the structures, rules and stereotypes. They are those who create from the depths of creation and love of art. Leaving behind trends or any fashion that is established in society to set their own rules. Independent Designers, who, along with their creativity and devotion to art, their search focuses more on communicating the emotions and thoughts they want to communicate at the times they want. Most of them are timeless. They exhibit and launch when their collections are finished no matter what day or month of the year it is. They abide by no rules or corporate structures. The main purpose is to impose their ideas through clothing, expressing who they are, what the identity of their brand is, and what philosophy or manifesto they want to transmit through their creation.

@therapy_recyclexorcise_berlin

They explore independence from conventional materials such as fabrics made in low-resource countries and create their own fabrics, building them based on their values. Most create for various reasons, some focus on creating to help the environment, creating sustainable materials and recyclables to support non-production mass and create unique and unrepeatable pieces. There are all kinds of freewheeling designers. An exceptional example is @therapy_recyclexorcise_berlin. This brand was born between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Berlin, Germany. The story is about two sisters who, with equal principles and ideas, created an apparel brand that would reflect their philosophy of life, creating fashion as they see it, while embracing all humans.

“Therapy Recycle and Exorcise is… a sustainable and alternative, gender-free, season-free and trends-free upcycling fashion project based in Berlin, Germany and Córdoba, Argentina, ran since 2012 by two sisters separated by the Atlantic Ocean and re-united by this passion, Paula and Mariángeles Aguirre.”

Fashion Week 2018

With its philosophy “Upcycling means upgrading” Therapy Recycle and Exorcise pursue to relocate fashion from an ethical and sustainable side. Establishing their own criterion that there is no such genre that can use their clothes, create unisex garments that were deconstructed and out of the ordinary. Recreating pieces of old clothes achieved, this brand is a clear example of what an independent designer follows to create in the world of fashion. Generating a rupture in the pattern and while at the same time uniting and developing a feeling of a union that we can all discover based on our feelings and beliefs.

While we are in a new generation of fashion where everything is possible and everything is attainable, big brands or commercial brands are governed by structures and investors, hence they create competing trends than the ideals and emotions of independent designers. Therefore, the proposals of these creatives not only chase to sell a product but also go after making the person think what they will consume or why they want to consume that brand. As a commercial brand, the primary goal is to focus on that which is trendy and to make the cash registers keep ringing in order to satisfy commercial objectives and the pressure of board of directors and investors.
Albeit, an independent designer aims to make a financial success too, their heart and creative senses take lead in their decision making as such creating fashion art forms that expresses and communicate with their customers becomes their main objective while striving to balance the books and their financial objectives.

There are countless talented and aspiring fashion designers emerging from every corner of the world. While most lack financial assistants and exposure of their unique and unparalleled talents, they aren’t giving up their dreams of becoming a household name anytime soon. Charitable and God sent organizations such as The Council of Aspiring American Fashion Designers (CAAFD) brings opportunities to independent fashion designers that are just starting out. The experienced team of leading industry professionals support the designers financially and through fashion parades and showcases during New York Fashion Week shows, also giving directions and guidance through the front door. While getting support through such organizations can sometimes come from luck and fortune stars, it is certain a combination of talent, persistency, building your brand and following the process can give you some merits of getting the much needed support. Few fortunate designers from around the globe among the CAAFD approved designers were RC Caylan, Imogen Evans, Ayni, Patricia Wijaya Viktória Tisza, Tom Foolery, Sania Maskatiya, Mouton Blanc by Hakuyo Miya, Fesvedy and Ruth Zabetta were among some of the top designers showcased this past season during New York Fashion Week. Rest assured other independent designers such as Vanesa Krongold, Malababa, Anabela Baldaque, Dotz, who caught our attention could be added to their list soon.

All of these designers exhibit talent, independence, and above all transmit their thoughts and freedom of expressions through fashion. A timeless world, where in some cases the genre doesn’t matter, where the vibrations are high, and the rules are broken.