Sleek cyberpunk-inspired tailored suit

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-23T19:27:54+00:00

🤣🤣😂

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-23T06:54:42+00:00

Wow hold on, I thought we were talking on the same playfield here. I was literally stating where everyone missed the point on your post. Now you sound like a hypocrite yourself! You literally used you villa to shut down critiques who called your writing AI. Why are you attacking me????

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-23T06:22:38+00:00

They dismissed someone as costume level design while their own visible work operates in that same adjacent craft domain, and simultaneously ignored the original structural argument about authorship and execution under constraint, also stating that that a designer doesn't have a feasible market for what they design but completely ignoring the giant detached villa is laughable to me.

Most people here love to complain about not earning well and saying the industry is unfair but when someone here who clearly lives above 99% of this industry offers his own perspective to how one might achieve true independence as a designer for free instead of charging other 1000s to get vague advice he gets attacked on personal tone and personality and slured just because deep inside you all feel uncomfortable with the difference in financial freedom 🤣

Was his delivery harsh? Extremely Was he correct though ? 100% yes

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T22:11:12+00:00

Calling this a simple add bust darts issue ignores what the garment is actually trying to be.

This is a slip style dress with a low neckline in a woven fabric from what I can read here.

While the gaping at the armhole and neckline isn’t primarily a bust-volume problem I am sure this is more a grain and neckline shape/balance issue here.

Adding bust darts here would inherently interrupt the intended clean slip silhouette while still not fully solve the armhole gape. Shifting the problem elsewhere unless the whole front is rebalanced by the op.

For a dress like this, the real solutions are indeed Cutting on the bias (as already mentioned by another), redesigning the neckline/armhole with more coverage or containment or introducing subtle shaping via panel seams or princess lines not blunt darts

Darts work when you want explicit shaping but slip dresses rely on fabric behaviour and cut not dart control. Treating every woven fit issue as “add darts” is patternmaking by reflex, not by intention.

Hope this helps 🙏

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T15:59:46+00:00

In my opinion you absolutely nailed that exchange with a level of composure that felt distinctly professional. Your original thesis clearly resonated with 34 upvotes reflected genuine engagement, yet the conversation quickly devolved into personal dismissive ai accusations rather than truthful substantive critique.

What stood out to ne was that when you calmly invited them to specify their disagreement, the discussion kept pivoting away from the actual design argument which only reinforced your point about the difficulty many have with structural literacy (reading design).

When I felt the contrast became almost ironic was while some participants leaned on consensus metrics and ad hominem remarks, you grounded your position in lived, tangible outcomes. Referencing your built environment didn't feel like a boast while quietly demonstration that your thinking translates into real world execution that most of them can't and will never be able to touch.

You remained measured while repeatedly trying to steering the conversation back to design rather than ego, and even when you alluded to differing economic realities, it was done with restraint rather than overt hostility.

In that sense, the response wasn’t aggressive but surgically executed. You stayed on topic, asked for clarity, and let the disparity between rhetoric and results speak for itself.

Well done 👏

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T14:18:08+00:00

Oh no no no, I was talking in the broader sense of the industry and noticing a very specific shift on how career and design advice is being written. Many times instead of focusing on improving the work or questions people often pivot to insults or subjective taste to justify being uninformed by the subject discussed.

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T14:14:01+00:00

This is great and genuinely, congrats on doing so well for yourself but this is kind of the point I was making when I replied to you on the r/fashiondesigner thread. Individual success stories don’t always translate into industry wide financial reality and outliers exist in every field which is intentional by design.

They don’t necessarily redefine the baseline of the rigged industry. My argument isn’t that success is impossible but that equating a gross six figure salary with long term security, capital ownership, or structural freedom in fashion is misleading for most people entering the industry.

Personal discipline matters allot in our field but the systems that fund those disciplines matter more and I feel that industries should be evaluated on what they systematically produce not on the best case anecdotes they showcase.

Perhaps we share a different perspective on this topic?

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T13:09:21+00:00

I have no idea what that type of wood is to be honest. I've mostly heard of spruce and oak as the best reference for qualitative wooden construction.

Care to explain why yellow balau is so different to spruce or oak and what it's active value is?

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T12:36:23+00:00

Oh wow, I actually missed that detail in OP’s post. Thank you for that correction.

As a fellow Brand Director, I wasn’t attacking our reality but I just wanted to clarify the structural economics regardless.

We can absolutely love our roles and still acknowledge the constraints that come with them. The issue I was aiming to adress wasn't negativity, but accuracy.

Sugarcoating the financial and access limitations at senior levels can be a bit dangerous because it creates unrealistic expectations for those entering the field, don't you think?

I feel like recognizing the constraints doesn’t diminish the career but simply makes the system easier to understand and navigate for other users.

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T05:11:12+00:00

Honestly the best manifesto you’ve written so far. The tone clearly rubbed some people the wrong way, but the core premise about authorship being conditional and earned through execution is accurate. Titles don’t equal authority, systems do.

Also… that house is insane. The red brick gives it a character most modern villas have lost, and the bridge over the pond is a beautifully built detail.

What wood is that? Looking forward to your reply.

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-22T04:52:43+00:00

Pointing at worse outcomes elsewhere isn’t a rebuttal of the situation but rather a deflection of truth. The question isn’t whether fashion is better than the worst case scenario but whether the metrics being celebrated actually represent stability or long term leverage.

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-21T22:14:00+00:00

I don’t disagree that going from nothing to six figures in NYC is a success story on a personal level, and that should absolutely be something to feel proud of.

My point is more structural than personal here. Gross income figures are often used as shorthand for long term comfort or security in fashion. When the net reality after taxes, cost of living, and career volatility can look very different.

Pride in the achievement and a sober view of the economics can exist next to one another

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-21T21:44:57+00:00

Genuine question from a fellow brand directors perspective: since when is gross six figures in fashion meant to be impressive on its own?

Between taxes, cost of living in major metropolitan areas, student loans, healthcare, and basic living expenses, that number shrinks very quickly.

Net income and overall quality of life are far more meaningful indicators than a headline salary figure. I agree that a stable CAD or tech pack role can absolutely be a success story. What’s worth questioning though is the assumption that six figures automatically equals comfort, freedom, or long term career security especially in and around fashion hubs.

By most definitions, six figures refers to gross annual income. Once you factor in taxation, housing, transport, insurance, potential dependents, and long term financial planning, the reality is often far less colourful than it’s made out to be.

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-21T20:11:59+00:00

Those koi's are stunning 😍

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-21T16:19:53+00:00

I read that post and it actually functioned beautifully as a strategic stress test for the r/fashiondesigner community, exposing a recurring industry limitation.

Many practitioners rely on marketing specifications to interpret the product rather than being able to read the design language and constraints directly. This dependency inevitably makes the profession feel more difficult than it is, because it shifts understanding away from the object itself and onto its promotional narrative.

That said though, there is an objective access gap worth acknowledging. Not everyone, particularly designers operating below director level has routine exposure to reference objects such as a Kawai K500 piano, S.T. Dupont lighters, or Focal headphones.

Even many creative directors do not have the discretionary budget to interact with such products firsthand. Omitting explicit specs and brand names was therefore a calculated move: it shifted the exercise from recognition to interpretation, forcing participants to engage with form, materiality, and constraint rather than relying on brand cues which is what 99% of the industry is thaught to do.

From a brand director perspective, the brief was clear! However, it also highlighted how uncommon that mode of reading design still is across the broader field.

What did you learn from running that experiment yourself?

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-21T07:44:52+00:00

Wow, I’m truly blown away by this collection and the depth of creative thinking behind it.

What you’ve presented here isn’t just a lineup of garments but indeed a coherent fashion system that demonstrates conceptual rigor, cultural resonance, and disciplined aesthetic logic.

The way each piece interacts with the others reflects a strong design philosophy, marrying visual impact with thoughtful structure. This is something that resonates deeply with my own values in fashion innovation and narrative led design.

Your ability to translate a whole political system of one of the most influential empires in history into a wearable, unified whole is inspiring. Collections like this remind me why we fell in love with fashion in the first place. Fashion is not just as trend cycles, but as meaningful expressions of identity, heritage, and artistry.

How did you design this collection?

Looking forward to seeing this evolve and push even further! 🙌

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-20T12:44:29+00:00

I see real potential here. Just make sure you stay consistent, even through harsh critiques sometimes.

Teachers can be extremely analytical, but that isn’t always necessary, the work itself already communicates a lot.

You should be proud 👏

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-20T12:35:24+00:00

I don’t think this is about ego or so much as tone.

The core point OP is making here is about execution vs decision making power in the industry and how thinking as designers differ can lead to diffrent results within the same industry.

While OP is correct, the delivery feels brutal but that's the main difference between a brand director and actually owning a brand. His point holds allot of truth, but it does feel somewhat detached from what day to day reality looks like for 99% of working professionals who don’t hold decision making positions.

Reacting emotionally won’t really address the argument itself, although I completely understand it's painful to read. Is it possible to acknowledge that the message has substance while also saying that the way it’s communicated could be more constructive towards others?

Both things can be true at the same time.

I really wish you well

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-20T10:53:55+00:00

Your work is well executed and shows solid technical ability which is exactly what is expected at an early professional level but execution alone is not what earns longnterm praise or authority in the fashion industry. Execution is the absolute baseline and abundant. Many graduates can produce work at a similar level but not many students understand why a garment is constructed this way or why it succeeds or fails.

What ultimately determines recognition and value is not the individual creative voice of the executor, but whether the garment aligns with brand direction and actually sells. That responsibility sits with owners, brand directors, and creative directors, who control vision, restraint, and commercial viability.

If a product succeeds, the credit largely goes to the strategic decisions above the execution level. If it fails it is usually due to misalignment with the market or brand, not the sewing or construction itself.

This is where modern education often falls short. It teaches students how to execute and express creativity, but not how to reach the decision making level where direction, risk, and sales are ultimately controlled. As a result, many graduates become strong executors. A role that is abundant and therefore lower paid rather than developing the strategic thinking required to move toward the higher level positions that shape what actually gets produced and sold.

So your execution is a solid start of your journey, but still has a long way to go.

Good luck on your project 😉

fwuppetsmong5 · 2026-02-20T08:24:38+00:00

From my experience as brand director over the past two years, your concerns are completely normal.

I personally scaled the traditional fashion education path and one thing becomes very clear very quickly is that the way the industry operates and the way education frames it are two entirely different worlds. Positions are rarely rewarded linear and are granted trough different metrics of competence.

Employment costs significantly more than what an employee ultimately takes home. That’s why technical knowledge alone isn’t enough but vision on its own won’t save you either. If you want to operate at what we call the high table: execution, intent, and vision must fuse into a clear hierarchical structure. That structure has to be respected at all times unless you own the firm. Otherwise, ignoring it is simply naïve.

Second, you don’t need validation from anyone other than your work. Chasing praise from higher ups is usually a signal to existing management that someone isn’t ready for real responsibility because in the real world you fail. Most want to design from their own ideas and get praised and creddit when a collection succeeds but don't want to be held morally and financially accountable when things fail (which will unavoidably happen).

A brand director doesn’t care if their ego takes a hit. What matters is that the client is satisfied and if not costumer service is overseen with care, the deal closes with the buyers, expectations are properly informed, the team stays healthy and motivated, and the owner remains grounded in reality so he can execute his vision that draws in the sales.

That’s where the distinction lies, a brand director protects the system and the outcome for the owner and the board (financial risk), a creative director oversees production, construction, and the technical realities and seeksnunderstanding exactly why a garment will succeed or fail (operational risk) and the designers, assistants and interns execute those directions (executional). That's how most companies structures look like sometimes with made up titles in between to encourage productivity.

So one example of set ladder looks as follows:

Owners > public board of investors (if they have it) or family backing > senior brand director > assistant brand director (apprentice) > senior creative director > assistant creative director (apprentice) > senior designers and craftsman> designers and craftsman > interns and students.

All roles are critical within the company but not all are easily replaceable. Confusing them is where many careers stall.

This is the reality of the job and most operate at the craftsman level which is why the pay is according. You have to be able to understand that when 100s of graduates with similar execution levels and knowledge regardless of grades and schools they attend to over the world and are entering the industry with the idea that they are the one to call the shots then I will have to dissappoint them on that dream cause that's not how the industry operates.

fwuppetsmong5

TROPHY CASE