Every year, New York City sees a new crop of eager, fashion hungry/conscious designers willing to do anything in order to make it in the industry. They intern for other up-and-coming designers, they take classes at fashion design schools like Parson’s and FIT, they work at SoHo retailing establishments to pay their studio rents, and they digest WWD, Vogue, and W for the latest in trends and inspiration. But for every aspiring designer migrating to the island of Manhattan (or Los Angeles), there are many more that are giving up on New York City dreams.
The Christian Science Monitor in an article titled, Fashion’s New Sweet Home by Teresa Mendez, illustrates this trend of fashion designer migration from the coasts to the country’s heartland and southern regions. Mendez writes:
While there's no question that the coasts dominate American fashion, Project Alabama's Natalie Chanin, and a handful of designers like her, have found success in unexpected places in between. Away from the din of New York and freer to turn inward for inspiration rather than grasping at the latest trend, these designers say they can hear their inner muses a little better. And by working in her hometown, it's easier for a designer like Ms. Chanin to look backward to her roots.
I have always found it quite interesting that so many designers flock to New York City, even though it must take a hell of a lot of luck for one to actually profit from their creativity. Yes, a handful make it: Zac Posen, Derek Lam; but with every bit that makes it, there are a lot more that don’t. And this article illustrates what happens when they just can’t make it in New York. No, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world because they are actually finding success in different parts of the country because there are markets that have yet to be explored beyond The Gap and other mass retailers.
Additionally, it points out that being away from the craziness of the coastal cities, designers are producing better products that reflect their true voice. And for a designer, finding your true voice and point-of-view is what will sell products across the country.
It's this relaxed lifestyle that drew Lisa Kingsley of Fins Denim back to Chicago from Los Angeles. Out her dining room window, which overlooks the Chicago River, she can see her boat and dock. "I have this very zen, tranquil way to work," she says. "I feel unencumbered." From her Midwestern base, Joy Teiken, creator of label Joynoelle, feels as if she's in a cocoon. In Minneapolis, she says, "I can do my own thing the way I like - instead of chasing a trend." And the unique perspectives that can come from working in the South or the heartland may also resonate in New York."I do think people really respond to a fresh point of view," says Meenal Mistry, fashion news editor at W magazine.
