In the name of sustainability as well as style, Shannon G lasheen designs many designers a re taking u nwa nted clothes apart and refashioning them i nto completely different and origi nal ga rments. In the interest of making good use of the mountains of discarded fashions that sit in closets, th rift stores, and warehouses a round the globe-if they have not already been relegated to la ndfil ls-these designers tra nsform the secondhand and the unsold i nto relevant new fashions. This repurposi ng resonates with a generation of fashion enthusiasts concerned with the environment. Designer Shannon G lasheen a pplies all her traini n g i n pattern making and construction to repurpose garments that may be outdated, well worn, or misunderstood. Breathing new l ife i nto pieces such as these req uires that the designer look at each item as raw material and not as a fin ished product. Once dissected, there may a lso be very specific sections of a garment that can be reoriented to serve a new pu rpose. Bui lding hybrids is a nother va riation of this m ethod, where ele ments from va rious garments a re remixed into a designer mashup. For designers worki ng with in the confi nes of a business model with d ifferent demands, the deconstruct/reconstruct a pproach to the design process can be incorporated as an aesthetic from the start, utilizi ng it to deve lop sample ga rments that can then be repl icated.

A variety of looks can be brought together to ill ustrate a bigger idea. The mix itself is an extension of the concept that inspi red each element of the col lection to begin with. Many choices a re involved in designing a si ngle garment, c reating corresponding pieces to put together an outfit, and then doing that n umerous times until you have all the ingredients necessa ry to tel l your fashion story: a collection. The designer m ust think like a stylist and consider how these pieces will go together to craft a bigger, more complex picture. Ask the questions that would help you craft a good story. H ave you a made conscious choice to juxta pose contra sting elements to create confl ict and drama? Is humor woven into the collection that con nects with your audience through witty choices? Is there a sense of harmony in how your choices come together? Does each ensemble feel like it represents a character in your story? Do you have a strong start and an exciting fin ish? The specific decisions a designer makes-putti ng emphasis on what she sees as i mporta nt-will u ltimately set her apart from other designers and their col lections. This process is just as importa nt as the garments themselves, because it places the designer's vision in a context of her own creation. 

Assembling an ensemble is like stringing words together to form a sentence. In the best of situations, the resu ltant fashion phrase is a wel l-calibrated combination of references that inspired the design process in the first place. M ixing d ra stically d ifferent colors can punch up a look. Blending more harmonious shades will result in a gentler touch. At either end of the spectrum or a nywhere in between, color should a lways a l lude to the i mpact the designer wishes to have on his a udience. The interplay of textu res and patterns can also be used to stim u late or relax the person wea ring those specific garments. Finding the right balance between different s ha pes is an i mportant factor, whether the designer wants the com plete look to have a reserved silhouette or one with d ra matic flair. O rnament can be sca led to different proportions so that it has the desired effect. The lack of it can be just as bold in its a usterity. Designers need to consider that these sets of garments will not exist in a vacuum, and they need to make their mark on the observer-the client's circle, the media, and the general public. Every designer has the abil ity to make clear statements of style with every composition.

Taming Textiles Textiles a re a very tangible source of inspiration. Much like the marble that informs the sculptor what it wants to become, fabric will suggest what shapes and types of manipu lation will transform it i nto a work of a rt. The same pattern for a garment will assume u n iquely d ifferent characteristics, depending on whether it is made of silk ch iffon, ribbed knit, ripstop nylon, Lycra, taffeta, or wool felt. The designer can design with fabrics based on h ow they coordinate and contrast with each other. Weight, body, and weave will provide further direction. Color, pattern, and texture a lso del iver a whole set of additional choices. A designer can take ideas for a collection i nto new territory by switching fabrics. Su bstituting fa brics like denim for taffeta, ch iffon for oxford cloth, leather for linen, and lace for tweed is one way to trigger u npredictable innovations. Blocking with color, pattern, and texture is another way to shake thi ngs up. Combine these methods with techn iques usually reserved for d ifferent fa brics, and the design choices multiply. Apply a top-stitched flat-felled seam, commonly found on denim, to silk organdy and it bri ngs together two seemingly unrelated a reas of fashion, creating something fresh and unexpected.

A truly creative mind is one that builds a foundation with the left b rain so that the right b rain can make giant leaps of fa ncy. It's easy to identify and focus on what our b rain has a natural tendency to be good at, and to disrega rd wea kness. Strengthen ing those sho rtcomings is a key to success. Lefties a re ana lytical, techn ical, critical, and logical. They need to stretch to tap into the part of their b rain that a l l ows them to be more intuitive, i maginative, and i n novative. The same level of effort should be put into plann ing, o rganizing, and building structure for a right-brain individual. Simultaneously entertain ing opposing needs and desires can be a tough thing to contain in your b ra i n . In order to overcome natu ral tendencies that lean to one side or the other, a designer needs to move the process outside of her head. There a re severa l ways to map out a successfu l creative strategy that allows the designer to see, sort, and shuffle everything i nvolved.

Design is as much a bout what you add to the mix as what you elect not to add. The fabrics, the cut, and the fi nish m ust be beyond reproach, because there a re no distractions-what you see is what you get. Neutral colors and the a bsence of adornment a re often used to define a restra i ned aesthetic. Fashion with more of a pop usually rel ies on something more. This type of design has a pulse, something that can be tapped i nto, whether it is the vibrant play of color, a stimu lating pattern, or the hand of a texture. Impact can have many of the qualities of impu lse, but it is not restra ined to passion or theatrical ity. Sometimes this type of forceful fashion c a n b e down right h ideous. The role of ugly fashion is to challenge. O bservers can't help but be engaged, whether they find themselves intrigued or offended. The l ove-hate relationship teeters on design sensibilities. Will pu rposefu lly dowdy, discorda nt, or garish creations be i nteresti ng? Or does a ru nway odd ity d isturb and u nsettle you? The point is that regardless of whether you like someth ing you don't understand you can not dismiss it, because it has grabbed your attention. It can be appreciated merely for having been able to shake things up and penetrate establ ished standards of beauty far enough to chal lenge you.

Even though the desire to fit in is strong, the idea of i ndividual ity a l lows a person to feel special. Faster, more facile man ufacturing now a l l ows customers to benefit from lower prices, while sti ll a l lowing them to enjoy owning something that is truly u nique, becau se they contributed to the design process. Designers of many different types of products are taking advantage of both the tools and consumers' i nterest in finding this balance between the two. Compartmental ized design a l lows the customer to select how the elements of a product a re fa b ricated, creating one-of-a-kind combi nations. 9ta ilors produces qua lity shirts. M ixing fab rics and choosing specific design details, such as collar, placket, pocket pocket position, cuff, and cuff button, a l lows a customer to transform a 9ta i lors shirt i nto an original. Converse produces the iconic Chuck Taylor All Sta r h i-top sneaker, a style that is offered in the traditional ca nvas, suede, or leather-but that is just the fou ndation. Customers have many choices when it comes to the design and customization of the shoe, as well as a wide assortment of colors, resu lting in infi nite design variations. Based in the Netherla nds, fashion designer Berber Soepboer and graphic designer M ichiel Sch uurman designed the Colour-In D ress, a simple sleeveless dress with an A-line skirt. The third partner in the design process is the wea rer. She can use the textile markers provided with the d ress to make it her own. The graphic pattern on the textile lends itself to being interpreted in many d ifferent ways. The dress also has the potential to be a work in progress, should the wearer decide to add more color each time it IS worn. The whole customization process is particula rly s uccessful when the ga rment itself is familiar and the modifications are easy to i magine. Designers m ight be wary of giving up complete control, but in all of these exam ples, the product designers have the unique opportunity to see their design through the eyes of their customers. The exercise provides va l uable i nsight i nto what their audience wa nts