5 min' read
Fashion design does not begin at a desk.
Whether it becomes a piece of festival fashion, a flowing boho outfit, or something completely unexpected, every design begins with a spark of inspiration — and the question of what that idea could become.
For me, inspiration can come from almost anywhere.
A dancer crossing a festival floor. Fabric caught in the wind. A colour combination glimpsed in a market. Someone walking past in a garment that makes me stop and look twice.
I might notice a silhouette, a beautiful textile, an unusual detail or simply the way something moves.
And then my brain starts working.
When Inspiration Becomes Overload
Design research never really switches off.
It follows me through festivals, travelling, markets, conversations, Pinterest boards, textiles, colour trends and all the visual language of clothing.
One idea leads to another.
A neckline from one design. A sleeve from another. A fabric that feels incredible in your hands but needs exactly the right shape to come alive. A print that suddenly makes sense in a completely different garment.
It can become a creative storm.
There have been times, especially in Nepal during the early days of Wild Fibres, when I would still be awake at two in the morning.
Not because I was working in the usual sense.
My brain simply wouldn't stop.
I'd lie down to sleep and still be swimming in colour combinations, textile patterns and possible designs. Everything seemed connected. One thought would trigger another, and suddenly I was mentally designing an entire collection.
It's exciting.
It's also exhausting.
The Smallest Details Change Everything
From the outside, fashion can look simple.
A top is a top. A skirt is a skirt. A pair of pants is fabric, stitching and a waistband.
But inside the design process, tiny decisions can change everything.
Move a seam slightly and the whole shape can feel different. Change a measurement and suddenly the proportions don't work in the same way.
You can find yourself staring at one small detail for far too long, wondering whether it should sit higher, lower, wider or narrower.
And sometimes you wonder: Does anyone else even notice this?
Maybe not consciously.
But they feel it.
Those tiny decisions can be the difference between a garment that feels effortless and one that just doesn't quite work.
That's especially important with festival clothing, where people need to move, dance and wear something for hours without constantly adjusting it.
When a Good Idea Meets Reality
Then comes the moment every designer knows.
You've imagined the garment beautifully.
You've developed the idea. You've pictured the finished piece. You're excited to finally see it in fabric.
And then you put the first sample on.
It doesn't work.
Maybe the fabric behaves completely differently from what you imagined. Maybe the shape doesn't hold itself properly. Maybe the pattern is too complicated or the proportions simply aren't right.
That can be incredibly frustrating.
You have invested time, fabric, labour and creative energy into an idea that now needs to change.
Sometimes you can rescue it.
Sometimes you have to let the original idea go and start again.
The Moment It Works
But then there are the moments that make all of it worthwhile.
One of those moments came with our Firestarter top.
It was a complicated pattern with lots of details that needed to sit just right. We worked through the concept, the shape and the construction, then put the first sample on.
And it was almost perfect.
Only tiny adjustments were needed.
We looked at it and thought:
How did we do that?
That feeling is difficult to describe.
It's part surprise, part relief and part pride.
And suddenly all those previous mistakes don't feel quite so wasted.
Every failed sample, every adjustment and every night spent thinking about a design has taught us something that eventually becomes part of the next piece.
The Moment It Works
But then there are the moments that make all of it worthwhile.
One of those moments came with our Firestarter top.
It was a complicated pattern with lots of details that needed to sit just right. We worked through the concept, the shape and the construction, then put the first sample on.
And it was almost perfect.
Only tiny adjustments were needed.
We looked at it and thought:
How did we do that?
That feeling is difficult to describe.
It's part surprise, part relief and part pride.
And suddenly all those previous mistakes don't feel quite so wasted.
Every failed sample, every adjustment and every night spent thinking about a design has taught us something that eventually becomes part of the next piece.
Why We Keep Doing It
That's the strange thing about being a fashion designer.
The finished garment might look effortless.
But behind it can be hours of thought, dozens of decisions, unexpected problems and a lot of starting over.
And then someone puts it on.
They move differently.
They feel confident. They feel comfortable. They feel like themselves.
That's the moment the creative storm makes sense.
Whether we're creating festival wear, boho clothing or something that doesn't fit neatly into any category, that's what keeps me designing.
Because the goal isn't simply to make something beautiful.
It's to take an idea that exists only in your head and turn it into something real that someone else can experience.
And when that happens, it's magic.