A modern design inspired by classical Chinese art.

Exactly what is creativity, and where does it begin? Many non-designers and design students in their early years believe that there is some kind of “creativity gene.” It’s certainly true, of course, that some people are more creative than others, and that some seem naturally inventive. But, there is a recognizable creative process that all designers use, whether they know it or not.

Creativity begin with acquiring information or knowledge. Then comes a period of contemplating that information, or just letting it gestate in the subconscious. Then the designing can begin.

A British-made dress from the 19th century.

When I embark on a design project I want to focus, but I still want to keep my research areas broad. If I’m researching Japanese floral designs, for inspiration, I would want to look at both modern and antique examples. In the latter case, I will want to visit textiles in relevant museums, look through catalogues of auctioneers, and find out where else I might find useful materials.

But, it’s also going to be essential for me to think about the markets today. I’m going to have to think about trends in color, styles of pattern and graphics, materials, etc. That’s going to mean searching through the stores, to see what’s hot today. And, more importantly, it’s going to mean looking at trend predictions, and charting where it has been heading over the last few years.

Although you may not have thought about it, if you look at the work of many designers — such as McQueen — you’ll find lot’s of references to antique clothing, from China, Japan, Scotland, and just about everywhere else. What makes these original is that they have been married to our contemporary understanding of fashion and aesthetics.

In a certain sense, antique clothing not only helps to inspire modern design, and designers, it also helps to keep the aesthetics from running wild (think of punk fashion for example — very creative, all new, but how many people are wearing it today?), byt helping us to think about form and balance of design.

If you’re designing for the modern world, don’t be afraid to look back. Just don’t get stuck there.