Author: Sam Shi

I really admire Eileen Fisher’s story. She has done what all fashion companies could and should do: take ownership. She seems to be an almost perfect example of a passionate, dedicated, and ambitious leader. Not only does she concern herself with environmental, ethical, and social concerns, but she also encourages the designers to express themselves and to embrace creative freedom. Fisher actively helps the consumer make better choices when they shop her products so that the consumer does not have to feel guilty. Regardless of this, though, I personally do not have a lot of experience with the Eileen Fisher brand, and I have never felt compelled to explore her NYC SoHo store several times. Perhaps I looked at her clothes once and didn’t identify with the brand? Perhaps it was a bit too pricey? I am not sure.

I am actually not surprised by the fact that, in 2009, the company was struggling to gain traction with younger customers. Even today, when I think of the brand Eileen Fisher, the first person who comes to mind is my friend’s mother who is in her 60s. Her style is simple, elegant, and professional. And funnily enough, sometimes I realize that we are wearing very similar things. Reflecting upon this reading and my experience with the Eileen Fisher brand, I am not sure why my gut instinct is “that’s not my type of brand” because, well, it seems like it totally is!  It is interesting to me that even after IDEO came in and helped deliver surprising results within just 2 weeks, I still have this kind of perception. On top of that, I cannot think of a single one of my friends around my age who shops at Eileen Fisher, but then again, perhaps they do and I just don’t know.  I like that IDEO made the EF employees have one on one interviews with customers, conduct field research visiting customer’s houses, and collect data on consumer shopping habits out in the wild. There is something uniquely special about witnessing your end-user interact with your product (or a similar product) in a relevant context that I believe will almost always inspire new and innovative ideas. 

I like that Hethorn applied design thinking to the fashion industry. This is a methodology that we passionately practice at Intent (as I am sure many other companies also do). Though it might seem obvious, it actually hadn’t occurred to me that the Fashion industry is quite the opposite of user-friendly. As Hethorn touches upon, it is tough to find pieces that are both comfortable and stylish, and on top of that, it is hard to find clothes that actually fit!

On page 67, Hethorn discusses how we might use body scanning and 3D visualization to “provide designers with a new approach for creating the shapes necessary for real bodies. This made me think of how cool it would be to walk into a store, have your body scanned, and get clothes that are custom tailored to you. You might say, “but I can already do that offline at the fabric market”? This is true, however, imagine being able to visualize the clothes on your body in a detailed, precise 3d visualization?!  That removes the ambiguity that we are faced with today when buying clothes from the fabric market. You might see some of the vendor’s samples lying around, but you have no idea what your piece is going to look like until you pick it up.   So, once you have had your body scanned, then–imagine–you can go to that brand’s website, create an account, and browse other products with your 3d model as the model. Perhaps you can even alter your dimensions as your body changes. This way, less fabric is waster and, hopefully, consumers have a deeper connection to their clothes because they are especially made for them.

I also agree with Hethorn’s suggestion that manufacturers could set “a system of direct feedback from the consumer” (73).  As a UX researcher who brings users into the building on a weekly basis for feedback on our products as we design and iterate upon — come to think of it — it is actually insane that most fashion brands do not do this. As Hethorn mentions, “people who use your designs have intimate knowledge of fit, feel, sizing, and performance. This is useful. Tap into it. A sustainable fashion process requires open communication” (73).