Does John Galliano’s story ring a bell..designing half-starved backstage at a fashion show? Or someone grinding all day just to afford fabric and pay off tuition at the end of the alley? Or even a promising student closing their sketchbook every day to stare at Excel spreadsheets? Right now, the question isn’t “Why does creativity no longer exist?” but rather, “What is it that actually supports and serves my creative practice behind the scenes?”
Across social media and within discussions among the fashion community itself, people are grappling with a heavy feeling: that fashion and art no longer have a real place, and that creative works are being churned out with zero value. They talk endlessly about constant repetitions. The absence of a genuine individual voice. The failure of emerging brands. And how fashion education focuses entirely on creativity without making students realize that creativity isn’t something you can strictly “teach”. Rather, it’s something whose image and core you refine and develop.
Then comes that post-graduation shock. Realizing that creativity was never enough to build an empire, and that understanding the logic of money is the actual engine driving the wheel. Creators are demanding answers about why fashion education ignores the business side. That shock hits exponentially harder when they finally collide with today’s fashion market, which drowns in oversaturated silhouettes and mixed tastes. Why on earth did everything change?
The Rise of the Designer-Investor Mindset
When a market gets oversaturated with creativity..which used to be rare back when the major fashion empires were built..getting a genuine chance among the audience and consumers drops to less than one percent. And that’s when the realization hits.
In the eyes of some creators, creativity alone is no longer enough to make any brand succeed. To make it today, you don’t just need scissors and imagination; you need a deep grasp of supply chains. Cash flow management, and investment. Creators have realized that whoever holds the “money” ultimately controls “art,” calling the shots and deciding who survives among millions of creators.
Some creators feel that job safety is a million times better than blindly chasing passion..especially lately, given shifting consumer psychology and global changes at large. They believe that studying money gives young people a flexibility and security that a volatile, highly vulnerable fashion industry simply doesn’t provide. It’s an industry super-sensitive to economic shocks, one that can force a company to lay off every single employee overnight, leaving them facing a harsh reality due to intense competition for top talent.
This shift isn’t the death of creativity; it’s an attempt by creators to protect themselves. They are studying money so they don’t fall victim to the variables that consume their art. So, will the future witness designers who actually combine the genius of cutting with Wall Street smarts?
