Unmanly Confession: I Follow Women's Fashion for Inspiration

I cannot wait for the Superbowl, I practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu weekly, and overall I am a “typical” American male.

However, there is something most people do not know about me . . . I follow women’s fashion for inspiration.

It started a few years ago when a mentor and I were eating lunch.  As we were speaking I started asking questions and came to one of my favorites. I asked, “how do you predict the future of marketing?”  

He laughed.

Then he gave me an answer I was not prepared for, he said, “follow women’s fashion.”  

I thought about it for a second and then had a natural reaction, “why?” He explained that fashion moves quicker than most industries, therefore, to better understand marketing and all industries it is important to follow fashion trends to stay ahead of the game.

It took another 8-months for me to realize he was correct. A few years ago I took two courses in Paris on luxury branding and international marketing.

We dissected “fast fashion,” where companies release entire fashion lines every 8-weeks! I have worked on marketing campaigns where it took 6-weeks just to agree on a color scheme let alone an entire campaign.

Think of all that must occur in those 8-weeks from strategy to supply chain to marketing to distribution and more. Fast fashion has become the vehicle that moves products quickly to consumers. While I might not agree with how a lot of fast fashion is done, i.e. how workers are treated. It cannot be denied that companies are moving at an incredible speed.

I know what you are thinking, what does fashion have to do with the goal of this Bizlatte (this website) which is for you to find your professional purpose? The answer is simpler than you think.  

Sometimes to determine your purpose and where you want to go you must think creatively and from a new perspective.

Ideas from the fashion world can be seen all over this website and how I operate my marketing consulting company.

I have learned to:

• Move quickly, there is no time to waste in the current professional world.
• Be creative in everything I do and think broadly about how to solve problems.
• Not worry about failure, most designs you see at large fashion shows never make it to the streets, the same could be said for professional ideas. The key is to keep the ideas coming.
• Accept stress will come and that is okay. Dior and I is a great documentary about how stressful launching a fashion line is and what it takes to overcome obstacles.

These ideas have inspired my marketing consulting along with this website. I have not become a fashion expert but I have taken ideas from a field completely separate from my own which has given me an edge.  

As you continually develop your professional self, do not be afraid to look at industries outside of your comfort zone.

Your next big idea might come from somewhere that is not even on your radar. When you find those ideas you will look like a rock star.

Matt Avery