My sister said my designs were missing a 'story' and I can't stop thinking about it

We were looking at my sketches for a fall line last weekend, and she pointed at a jacket design and just asked, 'What's its story?' I was totally stuck. I'd been so focused on the cut and the fabric weight that I hadn't thought about what feeling it was supposed to give someone. She said clothes should make you feel a certain way, not just look a certain way. It hit different because she's not even in fashion, she's a librarian. Now I'm going back and trying to build a little narrative around each piece, like 'this coat is for walking home in the rain after a good date.' Does anyone else work with a theme or a character in mind when they start a design?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.ivan5h ago

Honestly, is all that story stuff just for selling things to rich people? I get that a jacket should feel good, but a story feels like extra homework. If the cut is right and the fabric keeps you dry, isn't that the real story? People just need clothes that work.

robertperez2h ago

Man, @sanchez.ivan, you're not wrong. I bought a rain jacket last year that came with a whole booklet about some mountain it was tested on. I just wanted to know if it would keep me dry walking to the coffee shop. The real story is if the seams leak when it pours, not some adventure I'll never have. Give me solid zippers and pockets where my hands actually go. That's the stuff that matters when you're just trying to live your life.