A few years ago, Lynn Hirschberg wrote an amazing article in The New York Times Magazine about Stefano Pilati, the designer of YSL. The article/interview chronicles Pilati's life, and brings to life his imagination and ingenuity. Throughout his career as a designer, Pilati was always on the bleeding edge of fashion, often times setting the tone for seasons to come.
One passage from the article in particular stuck with me:
"In past seasons, Pilati was too far ahead of the customer. When he showed tulip-shaped skirts in 2004, the proportion was still confusing to women, and the collection did not sell well. Now, it is difficult to find a skirt that is not tulip-shaped. When, in 2006, he designed long, narrow tunics over pants, his collection was panned, but the following year, the look became the mainstay of women everywhere. Similarly, in 2007, Pilati brushed brightly colored paint on simple silk dresses, and the look was widely copied by design houses like Max Mara at, of course, lower prices. 'Two summers ago, I did flowers..the press killed me because they said it was too romantic. And this summer, flowers are everywhere. I used to think it was a good thing to be different than the other designers, but no, it's not. But I can't always help it. When I was 17, the design director at Nino Cerruti, who was my first mentor, taught me that to be too much ahead is to be behind. The most important thing is to be right on time.'"
Technology is a lot like fashion. A relatively small number of visionaries set the precedent and the pace for innovation. They place bets on the future, and ultimately, they influence it...
