I have a few special interest areas, one of the big ones is furniture. Very rarely do I see furniture talked about. I also see a lot of footwear, but not a lot of clothing. Or I’ll see socks or something but not very much focus on tops/bottoms/whatever else. What are some starting points, some must-buy books, some mentors to check out?
@finallyin You don’t see a ton of furniture designers on here. I have a few friends who make their living almost solely on contract furniture.
Check out my friend Chris:
Here is an interview with him:
When you say apparel do you mean technical apparel (like athletic and outdoor gear) or straight ahead fashion? Technical apparel is a super interesting specialization. Let me see if I can dig up a few links there. There used to be a great conference here in Portland on the topic Called Struktur run by my friend Michelle Rose. She has kind of taken it online here, not sure if it will go back to in person:
Also, for a little furniture design inspiration/info from working contract furniture designers check out my friends the Achella Brothers:
Another friend of mine whose career might be of interest is Cia Mooney. Cia was VP of design at Steelcase before becoming Chief Design Officer of Watson Furniture.
I mean pretty much anything, but with focus on more of the latter of what you mentioned… fashion, atheltic wear, outerwear, anything that makes every day more accessable (pockets!) or makes certain situations/events more of a breeze… athletic wear that won’t get in the way of your actual workout, Canada goose coats come to mind for the winter, ample storage, hidden and unhidden, thoughtfully placed buttons, zippers, fabrics & textiles. I really wanna see a cutting-edge of fashion that isn’t just based around style, but INTEGRATES nicely with style