A stable business foundation can also create room for experimentation. “Having some stability around the brand definitely helps,” says Kegels. “If you have a strong relationship with stockists, a loyal direct audience, or a category that performs consistently, it creates more freedom to experiment without feeling that every piece needs to carry immediate commercial pressure.”
Experimental doesn’t always mean hard to sell, emphasizes Martha Mosse, director of Paul Smith’s Foundation, which was set up by the namesake designer to help emerging talent improve their business acumen. “Many of the designers we’ve supported through Paul’s Foundation are simply hard-wired to experiment, and they do that regardless of business circumstance,” she says. “Financial stability, of course, enables you to take risks and experiment, but in my experience, those risks end as operative ones — hiring staff or upsizing studios, for example.”
Vaquera’s designers say their return to a more experimental approach is shaped by lessons learned during their more commercially focused phase. “We learned to be honest about desirability — would I really want to wear that? Is there a place to wear it?” says DiCaprio. Strong accessories can also help offset the risk: for instance, Vaquera’s oversized aviator sunglasses and wedge shoes are designed to feel dramatic but wearable — the kind of products that can support a more theatrical runway moment.
Prothmann, whose made-to-order collections are produced in his London studio and sold directly to customers, says having a consistent cohort of repeat clients has enabled him to pursue his distinctive aesthetic. He’s now hoping to develop wholesale partnerships for FW26 — which he sees as a “verification tick” — but says the aesthetic would remain unchanged. “We wouldn’t condense the design at all, because that’s what people are looking for in my work,” he says.
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Leo Prothmann FW26.Photo: Courtesy of Leo Prothmann
Mosse advises designers not to be afraid of having a wheelhouse that customers know and love them for. “Just because a piece is more ‘commercial’, that doesn’t make it less interesting, so try not to devalue the aspects of your business that afford you the freedom to create,” she says. “Don’t try to do everything at once, keep the focus and make sure you’re balancing that ‘awareness building’ activity with the more commercially impactful stuff.” Aside from developing a core commercial collection, she often advises designers to take on consultancy work to help stabilize their business.
Ultimately, Vaquera’s Taubensee believes audiences respond most strongly when designers trust their instincts. “We became quite well-known quite quickly because we always did exactly what we wanted — we weren’t thinking about sales, we were just like, ‘This is what I think is cool’,” she says. “Other people can recognize when you are doing something you genuinely believe in.”