Thursday, April 28, 2011

What is design?

I recently heard someone say “Design is putting focus where it matters”. I would really have to agree with this statement… especially in terms of SOAS.
 
I have worked in ad agencies for years and often “where it matters” was not dictated by colleagues or myself but by our clients. This pays the bills but leaves a little to be desired.

Kebby and I have become very dear friends over the years and during this time we saw a very clear need for “putting focus where it matters”. We started thinking about designing Women's triathlon apparel for a completely selfish reason. We didn’t want to train in black shorts and your typical feminine colored tops that were unflattering and didn’t fit correctly. Let’s be honest, running around in a bunch of spandex is nerdy enough as it is… we don’t need to make the situation worse by dressing ourselves in colors that happen to fall on the cotton candy color wheel.

That is when our crash course in clothing design began. After many long hours, mistakes and learning experiences, I feel like we have designed a product that we can be proud of. There is not one inch of our triathlon kit that we have not thought through thoroughly, tested, and retested over and over again. We really put our focus where we thought "it mattered"… in the look, fit, feel, construction, and quality of our materials.

A year and a half later we are now learning that it wasn’t just Kebby and I that wanted something different. Many ladies were experiencing the same wants we were. I have been thinking a lot about this while working on our line expansion for 2012. We have met so many wonderful people this season through SOAS. I just wanted to express how incredibly touched we are by all the kind words and wonderful feedback we have received. Through what I believe is thoughtful design, we have been able to develop great relationships with some amazing people.

These people reaffirm my belief in the importance of design… whatever the medium may be. I truly feel that design matters, and love that these individuals do too.

Cheers to everyone’s training and racing. We can’t wait to show you what we have up our sleeves next!

Steph 

Some design that has been inspiring me.

The people over at Grove make some of the most amazing products. And yes... I have a custom SOAS iPhone Case!

Another beautiful typography piece by Josh Higgins.

Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers is described as "music for musics sake"
Love the track "Before I Move Off"