--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Which comes first, the customer or the…" description: "\"“Which comes first, the customer or the designer? Do we make fashion, or does fashion make us? The more we think about the question, the more the answe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/sheena-iyengar-2596_fashion_which-comes-first-the-customer-or-the-de_1134557.png" --- # Which comes first, the customer or the designer? Do we… ![“Which comes first, the customer or the designer? Do we make fashion, or does fashion make us? The more we think about the question, the more the answer slips through our fingers.” quote by Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/sheena-iyengar-2596_fashion_which-comes-first-the-customer-or-the-de_1134557.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/sheena-iyengar-2596_fashion_which-comes-first-the-customer-or-the-de_1134557.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/sheena-iyengar-2596_fashion_which-comes-first-the-customer-or-the-de_1134557.png) > ““Which comes first, the customer or the designer? Do we make fashion, or does fashion make us? The more we think about the question, the more the answer slips through our fingers.”” [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It questions whether consumer preferences shape design or design shapes preferences, highlighting the reciprocal influence between creators and users. **In simple terms:** Design and consumer influence each other. Key Takeaway Recognize the mutual impact of creators and audiences. Themes design consumer behavior influence culture creativity Mood curious analytical reflective Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - fashion development - product design - marketing strategy - user research - trend forecasting Key Concepts reciprocity market dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your work respond to consumer trends? - Can designers lead cultural change? A Different Perspective The relationship is complex and varies across industries and contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) ## Related quotes > [History repeats itself, and so does fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hill/history-repeats-itself-and-so-does-fashion/) [Taylor Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hill/) > [Does fashion matter? Always - though not quite as much after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/does-fashion-matter-always-though-not-quite-as-much-after-death/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [There are a bunch of different ways to look at the fashion industry. Is it shallow to work in fashion? Yes, it can be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-cutrone/there-are-a-bunch-of-different-ways-to-look-at-the-fashion-industry/) [Kelly Cutrone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-cutrone/) > [Even though I love fashion, I prefer people to fashion. Fashion is to make the person comfortable in her body, it’s not something very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/even-though-i-love-fashion-i-prefer-people-to-fashion-fashion-is-to/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [You shouldn't have to follow fashion to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waite/you-shouldn-t-have-to-follow-fashion-to-make-music/) [John Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waite/) > [Although a life-long fashion dropout, I have absorbed enough by reading Harper's Bazaar while waiting at the dentist's to have grasped that the purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/although-a-life-long-fashion-dropout-i-have-absorbed-enough-by/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [There is something about fashion that can make people really nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/there-is-something-about-fashion-that-can-make-people-really-nervous/) [Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/) > [Everyone has something unique to bring to this world. And if you understand that, if you cherish that, if you embrace who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-czuchry/everyone-has-something-unique-to-bring-to-this-world-and-if-you/) [Matt Czuchry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-czuchry/) > [It's ok to make mistakes in fashion because that is what it is all about. One should make mistakes and learn from the same,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athiya-shetty/it-s-ok-to-make-mistakes-in-fashion-because-that-is-what-it-is-all/) [Athiya Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athiya-shetty/) > [Ultimately I think I learned a lot from my mother - the way she used fashion to make herself feel better; it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-williamson/ultimately-i-think-i-learned-a-lot-from-my-mother-the-way-she-used/) [Matthew Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-williamson/) > [Fashion is where I make my living. I'm not knocking it; it's a pleasure to make a living that way. Then there's the deeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/fashion-is-where-i-make-my-living-i-m-not-knocking-it-it-s-a-pleasure/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [“No amount of high fashion can make up for a lifetime of poor posture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-ann-peterson/no-amount-of-high-fashion-can-make-up-for-a-lifetime-of-poor-posture/) [Cindy Ann Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-ann-peterson/) > [Fashion does seem to have a '20s comeback every few seasons, and I completely see why. It's a very feminine look: the fabrics and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-froggatt/fashion-does-seem-to-have-a-20s-comeback-every-few-seasons-and-i/) [Joanne Froggatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-froggatt/) > [For interiors, if you have a basic sofa, you can add fun throw pillows, and cool lighting to make the space more interesting. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-brent/for-interiors-if-you-have-a-basic-sofa-you-can-add-fun-throw-pillows/) [Jeremiah Brent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-brent/) > [Fashion only seems to make sense if it's rooted in some dimension of history or if it feels like a continuation of an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/fashion-only-seems-to-make-sense-if-it-s-rooted-in-some-dimension-of/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## More by Sheena Iyengar > [“Personal happiness is always a very serious matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/personal-happiness-is-always-a-very-serious-matter/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Then, the other thing that affected my interest in choices growing up was the fact that I was going blind and that meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/then-the-other-thing-that-affected-my-interest-in-choices-growing-up/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [“move. For one thing, you’re going to start paying more attention. Yes, perhaps you’ll sometimes have a crazed, wild-eyed look, but that’s a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/move-for-one-thing-you-re-going-to-start-paying-more-attention-yes/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [What we share with animals is a desire for choice. It's a desire to have control over our life and a desire to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/what-we-share-with-animals-is-a-desire-for-choice-it-s-a-desire-to/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [You know, you take a little infant and you turn on the music mobile on their crib and you find that if you give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/you-know-you-take-a-little-infant-and-you-turn-on-the-music-mobile-on/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I went home and they seemed... my parents seemed normal. They didn't seem to feel like somehow they had been victims of some Nazi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-went-home-and-they-seemed-my-parents-seemed-normal-they-didn-t-seem/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The less control people had over their work, the higher their blood pressure during work hours. Moreover, blood pressure at home was unrelated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-less-control-people-had-over-their-work-the-higher-their-blood/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Consumers presented with six choices on an item were twice as likely to buy as consumers overwhelmed with 24 varieties of the same item.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/consumers-presented-with-six-choices-on-an-item-were-twice-as-likely/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The quality of health care continues to improve, and people are living longer, but these developments mean that we're likely to eventually find ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-quality-of-health-care-continues-to-improve-and-people-are-living/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The key to getting the most from choice is to be choosy about choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-key-to-getting-the-most-from-choice-is-to-be-choosy-about-choosing/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I used to go to this store called Draeger's and you had a little bit of that same feeling because this was a store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-used-to-go-to-this-store-called-draeger-s-and-you-had-a-little-bit/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Balancing hopes, desires and an appreciating of the possibilities with a clear-eyed assessment of the limitations: that is the art of choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/balancing-hopes-desires-and-an-appreciating-of-the-possibilities-with/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [So gut tells you "How do I feel about this right now?" It doesn't tell me how I feel about it tomorrow or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/so-gut-tells-you-how-do-i-feel-about-this-right-now-it-doesn-t-tell/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I put out a good 10 different types of drinks for them and they just said, "Oh, okay, so it's just one choice." One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-put-out-a-good-10-different-types-of-drinks-for-them-and-they-just/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Like, people are less likely to invest in their retirement when they have more options in their 401K plans than when they have fewer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/like-people-are-less-likely-to-invest-in-their-retirement-when-they/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) [Explore all 158 Sheena Iyengar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## More Fashion quotes > [“I can either be a victim—or a winner. Fuck victimhood. I don’t wear it well; it clashes with my wardrobe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-can-either-be-a-victim-or-a-winner-fuck-victimhood-i-don-t-wear-it/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/) [Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Never in a million years would I imagine Calvin Klein flying me out to my first men's fashion show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-dallas/never-in-a-million-years-would-i-imagine-calvin-klein-flying-me-out/) [Cameron Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-dallas/) > [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [No one knows whom the shoe pinches - no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholom-aleichem/no-one-knows-whom-the-shoe-pinches-no-one/) [Sholom Aleichem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholom-aleichem/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [I have always been too round to do fashion shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-klum/i-have-always-been-too-round-to-do-fashion-shows/) [Heidi Klum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-klum/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [I've retired my sneakers for stilettos, baby!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivica-a-fox/i-ve-retired-my-sneakers-for-stilettos-baby/) [Vivica A. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivica-a-fox/) [Browse all 19,830 Fashion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Which comes first, the customer or the designer? Do we make fashion, or does fashion make us? 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