You’ve got to wonder how designers get their ideas, what makes them complete whole collections based on architecture, a movie, a skyline or a color from deep within a forest.

What makes one stick out more than another? How can one be so inspired to create?

I caught up with four designers.

Where Do You Draw Inspiration From?

Nature Vs. Future/Designer Nina Valenti:

I just love to draw. I love playing with line, balance & texture. I get inspired by fabric, shapes and form. I love architecture, interior and furniture design. Living in New York City, there are so many buildings around me and I always love to look up and notice the way the shapes cut into the sky and  look so different from every angle. I get inspired on my Brooklyn bike rides under the Verrazano bridge. I just absorb my surroundings, then sit down and draw most of my collections on the subway.

Allison Parris:

Because my mom is an interior designer, I have so much exposure to old architecture and interior details that I do tend to take from that (even when it’s subconsciously!). Having an eco-friendly brand, however, a lot of what I like to do is play up the great textures that you can find in some of these raw materials. I think it gives another dimension to the clothing and really gives the garment a life of its own.

Moda Spia/Designer Ursula Dean:

My inspiration comes from film, travel, the playground. I love the billowy clothes of children in old fairy tale illustrations as much as Brigit Bardot’s care-free glamour.

Jackson, Johnston & Roe:

We draw inspiration from where we’ve grown up, the cities and surroundings we live in currently and from the endless archive of fashion of the past… both in history and within our families. Lately we have been inspired by traveling – not just the destination, but what you take for your trip. We think of our collections as everything you’ll need to have with you on your travels, and we consider packaging and versatility as well as the longevity and wear of the clothes. We are inspired by the quality of construction in garments from the past and we strive to bring that quality to our line.\

Image: Digital Sophia Photography

Vintage Kimono From Kimono Lily

With kimonos, we have freedom from binding elastics, cuffs and buttons. We are interesting, commanding and ready to sweep through rooms and poolsides flowing like a high priestess.

Here’s to the famed kimonos of both old and modern silhouettes that have stolen so quietly into design we don’t even notice the influence anymore. Having been around since Japan’s Heian heyday in 794″“1192, a typical kimono wardrobe symbolized the wearer’s age and marital status, indicated through sleeve length (young, unmarried women wore the longest sleeves).

Today, we wear them to be different and glorious in short- or long-sleeved, floor-length or tunic, without or without an Obi – and we rarely worry if they’re a turn-off to men (they are). We didn’t let the muumuus get us down, so why should kimonos?

Here are a few kimono-inspired pieces that are stylish, green and ready for speed, unless of course, you’re trying to cook and have sweeping sleeves stylishly catching on fire”¦

The Obi inspired Whitney and Rose Dress by Mr. Larkin


Aoi Repurposed Kimono Jacket

Nature Vs. Future Mock Tunic Dress With Obi Belt

Wildberry Organic Cotton Kimono by VivaTerra