We all love when an idea is creative and original. Whether it’s the plot of a movie, an idea for a collection, a style of photography, or a political movement that many can get behind, creativity is valued and essential. Does that mean it is always original? Not necessarily. But it does mean that a thought was conceived and developed in a manner that filled a void in the universe of ideas that it existed in. What makes an idea original, though? Is an original idea one that is completely new? One that completely belonged to no one but the originator? Because if so, finding originality is as easy as finding a four-leaf clover. That isn’t to dismiss that version of originality because it is completely valid. However, the year is currently 2025; ideas are shared instantaneously through social media and the internet in general. What if I told you that other original ideas are simply ideas that belong to the best thieves of creativity? I came to that conclusion not too long ago, and I’d like to elaborate on it further.
If you have ever heard of a mood board, you probably know what I’m getting at for the most part. For those who are unaware, a mood board is a collage or combination of images, colors, thoughts, words, and pretty much anything that contributes to the conceptualization of an upcoming project. For example, if the color yellow, a diamond, and a ladybug were on it, a painter could probably paint a yellow ladybug with diamonds on it instead of spots. (That’s just my interpretation, though, of course, which is why they are so fun.) Now, although nature is probably one of the most original places you can draw information from, everything in that mood board already existed; nothing was necessarily invented. Well, not completely. One might say that ladybugs are God’s creation, the universe’s creation (or whatever faith you believe in), and you simply created a variant. Now, in my opinion, a yellow ladybug with diamond spots on it would look pretty cool, so sure, I’d say, “Wow, such an original and creative painting.” But the concepts that made that painting exist were referenced and/or “stolen.” Pretty good thief if you ask me, though—don’t you agree?
In fashion houses, this form of originality is oftentimes celebrated as well. Creative directors are frequently encouraged to look back in time to learn more about the label’s history, to reference a look or even a whole collection. Before his departure, Kim Jones frequently looked into Dior's archives. He blended the past and the present a copious amount of times and revitalized each look he came across during his time at Dior. You see this a lot at Louis Vuitton as well. Louis Vuitton, the label, was founded during the mid-nineteenth [century] and started out by designing trunks. Now that we live in the twenty-first century, duffle bags are something a fanatic would see more often in their collections. However, whenever you see a trunk in modern-day collections, they're taking a historical approach to design. Now, would I call this stealing? Not necessarily. But it does parallel my point of how the most genius creatives reference things that have already existed and turn them into something that came from their own vision.
Where do we draw the line, though? When is a creative a "bad thief"? It's simple: if a body of work is too similar to another or if it's simply not warranted, bad things can happen. Unfortunately, the first company I can think of that does this frequently is SHEIN. SHEIN is a fast fashion company that sells cheap clothing to their vast amount of consumers. The good part: who doesn't want cheap and stylish clothing? The bad part (of many): in many cases, their designs originate from the clothing that smaller designers have made. To me, it's painfully obvious, and it makes me feel for those designers who put in the work to conceptualize their ideas. (If you want to look into this a bit more, click this link.) It's sadly also happened within the high fashion space many times, but it'd be hard to pinpoint down if it really happened due to the controversy.
It was easiest for me to show examples of "thievery" happening within the fashion industry because it's where I live, but I'm sure you'd be able to find examples of it within your creative interest, industry, or field. The point isn't to knock every creative down and say, "You stole!" because then it'd seem like a crime. I just wanted to comment on the fact that most of the time, creative, original ideas don't come from thin air. There is more than likely a source of inspiration that people who create draw from. The best ones do it and hide it so well that they appear to be pioneers... and the truth is that they are. If you have the ability to take inspiration and make something completely new out of it, then you deserve to be celebrated as much as you potentially are. Again, this isn't to say no idea is one hundred percent new, because many people are born with weird minds and imaginations that pull ideas out of nowhere. But the ones who do take ideas, concepts, or thoughts from somewhere else and make something creative out of it are some of the best thieves in the world.
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