Where to Find Fashion Inspiration

Wondering where to find fashion inspiration? Well, the simple answer is that creative inspiration exists all around you—you just have to know where to look.

Like any artistic undertaking, fashion design and styling is often informed by outside influences, including those that inspire self-reflection and allow us to better understand ourselves. Tapping into the things, places, and ideas that boost your creative spirit is a big part of establishing a successful career in fashion, and will play a major role in establishing your brand, image, and interests within the industry. It’s definitely a skill that needs to be learned and sculpted, but fortunately it’s something you can actively work on everyday. 

If you’re ever stuck in a creative rut, it’s always useful to look to outside inspiration to help you better define what you like and what speaks to you. And below, we’re sharing some places where you can start.

Sources of Fashion Inspiration

No matter where you live, you always have access to sources of creative inspiration. Here are some of the best places to start:

• Museums and art galleries
• Vintage archives and historic sites
• Antique stores and estate sales
• Films and other types of moving graphics
• Novels
• Markets
• Travel, city walks, nature walks, and general explorations

All of these places and experiences serve to enhance your “visual library,” in turn providing you with more input for your creative fashion design portfolio. They can also be instrumental in unlocking your most basic creative impulses, with something as simple as a color combination or a pattern sparking an idea that you can then build off of in new and unique ways.

Also critical to this process is staying on top of style and market trends. Fashion forecasting, trend stories, trade and consumer magazines, and even advertisements are all excellent guides to draw inspiration from, both visually and contextually.

Stay Inspired and Informed

Our Miami design school is dedicated to helping fashion students embrace their creativity. In addition to providing access to creative resources—including webinars, conferences, and courses—we also offer dedicated degrees that help emerging fashion careerists stay updated on trends, movements, and the industry as a whole. All of this is essential for fostering inspiration and helping you discover your personal style point of view.

Join one of the best fashion design schools and kickstart your dream career. At Istituto Marangoni, we offer multiple degree options and short courses, from undergraduate and master’s degrees to short-form executive courses and youth programs. We also host a once a month webinar.

The more that you start actively seeking out fashion inspiration, the more of it you’ll find in the world around you. So look at the world with a more creative eye, because you never know where your next big idea will come from.