Ashley Rowe is based in Marfa, TX and is considered an independent brand. She designs for and sells directly to her customers. Her brand is guided by minimalism, unisex aesthetics with limited edition drops that create buzz and interest for ultra hip looks. She often limits her fabric choice to one or two per season and then design cleverly around those limitations. She likely has a team of less than 3 people.

Launched in January 2017, Art Class is a trend-focused apparel and accessories line by Target. It’s a brand within a brand. Art Class label is designed for kids ages 4-12 and features limited-edition, capsule collections on an ongoing basis. Its fun, whimsical, and makes kids feel uniquely themselves. The designers on this brand take cues and inspiration from real individuals that are discovered via Instagram after which they team up with Target to help design the collections. This is the Art Class PROCESS - a term we’ll talk about soon.

American Eagle is considered a legacy lifestyle brand. They have been around and evolved with it’s core target demographic and aesthetic. Tapping into the tween and teen market, the designers at AE likely follow strict guidlines set by their bosses. For some, this is helpful because it makes you be more creative, for others, this type of design job is unfulfilling because they might want more freedom in design choices.

Vivienne Westwood (1941 - 2022) passed away in December. She was the designer who inspired me to become a fashion designer. Based in London, England she made PUNK fashion as we know it now. She spent a successful career building a legendary and iconic brand that gave so much to the fashion industry and a new voice to entire generations. She also gave back in many ways and was an environmentalist, activist and simply put, did the right thing in an industry full of bad things.