As creative thinkers, we all need a moment to make space in our minds and calendars to rest and reflect. That’s what summer is all about, right?
After a decade in the fashion industry (and plenty of reflection), I decided to take a risk on a new learning challenge and transition from the world of fashion to UX Design. It’s been 7 years now, and I have not regretted it for a second.
As a wise designer once told me, “A career change isn’t about starting at the bottom of a ladder. It’s about adding more blocks to your tower.” So, in the spirit of self-reflection, here are a few blocks of experience that have resonated with me throughout my career.
Meet our curator of the month
Sanna is an adaptable multidisciplinary designer with a passion for finely-tuned details and a penchant for stepping out of her comfort zone. She began her career in the fashion industry, worked for renowned fashion houses, and established her own self-titled womenswear brand which was featured in Elle and Helsingin Sanomat. As a digital product designer, Sanna now enjoys working with design ops, accessibility and design systems and is currently learning more about strategic design.
Outside of the office, Sanna has a soft spot for maximalist interiors, films based on historical events (and secretly dreams of owning a riad in Marrakech!)
Innovation is easier to accomplish once you’ve mastered your craft. To quote the late Lee Alexander McQueen, “I spent a long time learning how to construct clothes, which is important to do before you can deconstruct them.” Before establishing his eponymous label, McQueen honed his tailoring skills as an apprentice on Savile Row to master the finest of details down to the linings of his suits.
In “Give me the boring job”, Van Schneider talks about the importance of having passion for your craft, whether it is seen or unseen. Celebrate the boring. Take pride in the most mundane of details. Make that “Forgot your password?” recovery flow the 👏 smoothest 👏 user 👏 experience 👏 ever.
Have you ever looked at a fashion show and wondered “Wait… people wear that?!”? Fashion shows are not always merely a catalog of garments in motion, but instead, an elaborate storytelling tool that invites the customer to imagine how it might feel to be, say, Halpern’s sequin-clad glamazon straight off the Studio 54 dancefloor or a postcard-perfect Portofino dream in Dolce & Gabbana’s citrus-printed pieces. After all, isn’t half the challenge getting customers to imagine what life could be like if they used your product or service?
In this case study about Airbnb’s approach to storytelling, Akkawi quotes journalist Tom Wolfe: “The things we make only exist to illustrate stories we want to manifest into reality; whether it’s an animated Disney film or an innovative product or service.”
Designers are collectors of sorts. We collect inspiration, references and insights and we reinterpret and translate them into our own work. Yves Saint Laurent’s 1981 collections were inspired by French painter Henri Matisse, who in turn was inspired by Paul Cézanne. As French writer André Gide once said, “Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”
Kleon’s book, “How to steal like an artist” explores the concept that nothing is original, so we should embrace influence, learn through the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover our own paths.
And finally, a piece referencing fashion wouldn’t be complete without sharing a fashion landmark: Plato’s Atlantis. McQueen merged theories of evolution and Plato’s prophecies of a future world in which humanity would need to evolve in order to survive into his acclaimed Spring / Summer 2010 collection. It was a show which set the benchmark for the future of the fashion industry and established him as one of the visionaries of our time. Spoiler: No how-to’s or advice here, just pure ✨fantasy ✨.
Hey, it’s ok to feel stupid sometimes. In fact, you know what? It’s great! That means there’s a golden opportunity to learn something ahead. Embrace the #impostorsyndrome.
Something you feel very grateful for when looking back on your career
Although I am grateful for the resilience, adaptability and ambition level that came with navigating the competitive world of fashion, I am even more grateful for finding a company like Futurice that has provided a safe, supportive space to grow and a community of the most incredibly talented colleagues to learn from. 💎
Most interesting case you’ve worked on
For my very first Futurice project, I got to work with the Nobel award-winning Nokia Bell Labs to help them demonstrate the value of trusted computing technology through design fiction. No pressure, right? Aside from being one of the most fascinating and challenging subjects I have had the opportunity to work with, we had a blast working with and learning from the incredibly talented and warm-hearted Bell Labs team.
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