Not all designs were created equal!

       As humans we have learned to be critical and judge. We judge and compare everything we see. We also give into what is popular or “cool.”  However, this idea of “cool” is deceptive. It builds upon human weakness – our need to fit in and be accepted. “Coolness” was created in the mind and is only in the mind. Sometimes we even believe we are being original – we’re probably not.  Originality stems from archetypes of primitive models, which were the first models of all things.

     Designs are indeed solutions to our problems, but sometimes we take design too far. We have solved our basic problem or need and now use design as a means of classifying people. Sometimes we even use design as a hierarchical status symbolizer. Jeans are an example of this. These jeans all serve a functional purpose and the only real difference between them is the design on the back pockets of the jeans. Perhaps some of these jeans have nicer quality fabric, but that is not always the case. But one thing is, if your jeans don’t have one of these iconic little symbols stitched onto the back pocket of your jeans – who are you? To some, you’re a ‘nobody.’ So why are these jeans better? Well because they’re ‘in.’ At one point in time these jeans were new and no one heard of them. Someone, the innovator, began to wear them and that was the beginning. When society tells you what jeans are in, you don’t tell society they’re wrong – to them you’re wrong. It accept the fact that these jeans are popular, weather you wear them or not – they are. But what about all the failed designs?  For every design that becomes popular or in style there are about 500 others that are forgotten. Maybe one day, they’ll be rediscovered, but for the most part the will go unnoticed for the entirety they are in existence.

        Jeans are not the only things as you can imagine that was not created equal. Cars, furniture, dresses, shoes, etc. There is a hierarchy or popularity rating for all these things. Going back to our original question – why do we accept some things over others? Because it is our human nature yes, but I believe it also has to do with money. Money or objects as a sign of wealth or social status is something the human culture will never give up. We all try to outdo each other in some way or another and in this day in age it is what you have that is important. We don’t really know ‘who’ controls what is popular, what stays popular, what is accepted and what isn’t. But in some small way we can help to decide what is in or not. As consumers in this day in age we drive the business, we tell the designers what we want we pull the designs we want out of them – they don’t push their designs on us (it used to be this way back in the 1800s).

      So when I say not all designs were created equal I meant in terms of popularity among the masses. In the case of the individual or the personal heart some things are priceless. As expensive as your designer jeans might be or some other popular symbolic status indicator, a lot of the time it is the sentimental value of things that make them special to us – and nothing can buy the design of affection.

Pictures in order from start to end from: (paige jeans) http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/, (true religion jeans) http://dionsdailydeal.wordpress.co, (citizens of humanity) http://www.chrisabraham.com/COHKellyStretchJeans.jpg