Voxpop

London is turning its attention to Fashion Week again, but is fashion valued enough by other types of designers? With more and more fashion labels launching products, should other design disciplines pay more than a fleeting attention to the fashion industry?

It is strange that fashion design stands aside from other design disciplines when they have so much in common. All design is about finding creative solutions. The bravura of the fashion sector, and the huge risks that young designers take on, ought to be given more respect by other designers who sneer at fashion’s perceived hollowness. At the Victoria & Albert Museum, we see fashion in the context of all the design disciplines, as a lively sector of a greater design industry that flourishes through cross-fertilisation.
Gareth Williams, Curator, Department of furniture, textiles and fashion, Victoria & Albert Museum

Product design has been looking long and hard at the fashion industry, but not at aesthetics – far more attention is paid to how the business operates. We have a growing number of design superstars with signature styles and egos, to match anything found in fashion, creating hugely expensive products for luxury brands. Mainstream consumer electronics companies are mirroring the seasonal cycles of fashion, resulting in a relentless stream of ‘next big thing’ products that place style over substance.
Mark Delaney, Director, Plan Design