Design is a verb and it must function as a vehicle for which it is created. Both in fashion and all other forms - design has a primary designated job to do.
Everything that is layered on top of the design’s basic task becomes the beauty and originality of it. Fashion - is it a uniform or a costume/armor or lingerie? What are the politics of the wearer? A book - will it be on a shelf next to other books of the same genre or alone on a website? Will the customer have certain cultural biases? Do the colors symbolize the reader or the author? Is the design created for the masses or is it a one off? So many questions need to be answered before a design takes flight. This is design’s big paradox - how to be stunning and unique and also be buttoned down enough to do its business.