--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fledgling designers need investment - but…" description: "\"Fledgling designers need investment - but how much easier it is to put them in a dead man or woman's shoes, perhaps also backing the new designer's nam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/suzy-menkes-14279_also_fledgling-designers-need-investment-but_811299.jpg" --- # Fledgling designers need investment - but how much easier… ![“Fledgling designers need investment - but how much easier it is to put them in a dead man or woman's shoes, perhaps also backing the new designer's namesake line, but only as what the French call a 'danseuse,' a plaything.” quote by Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/suzy-menkes-14279_also_fledgling-designers-need-investment-but_811299.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/suzy-menkes-14279_also_fledgling-designers-need-investment-but_811299.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/suzy-menkes-14279_also_fledgling-designers-need-investment-but_811299.jpg) > “Fledgling designers need investment - but how much easier it is to put them in a dead man or woman's shoes, perhaps also backing the new designer's namesake line, but only as what the French call a 'danseuse,' a plaything.” [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She critiques that new designers are often forced into stereotypical roles, limiting authentic innovation. **In simple terms:** Stereotypes restrict new designers. Key Takeaway Avoid pigeonholing emerging talent. Themes fashion gender innovation Mood critical analytical Type commentary observational When to use this quote - fashion shows - brand launches - talent scouting Key Concepts stereotyping designer identity Questions to Reflect On - What barriers do emerging designers face? - How can industry support authentic creative voices? A Different Perspective Changing market trends may resist non‑traditional narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dead man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-man/) [Designers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Plaything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plaything/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think that design needs theory, but I think designers need theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-drucker/i-don-t-think-that-design-needs-theory-but-i-think-designers-need/) Johanna Drucker > [Designers need to be more than ambassadors, they need to be fully functioning and fully aware members of strategic decision-making teams in a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-shedroff/designers-need-to-be-more-than-ambassadors-they-need-to-be-fully/) [Nathan Shedroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-shedroff/) > [No matter how bleak the situation into which we have been thrown by the global economy, it does offer opportunities. Designers need only invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/no-matter-how-bleak-the-situation-into-which-we-have-been-thrown-by/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [“Tim Brown, the CEO of the international design and innovation firm IDEO, clearly acknowledges this affinity when he writes that designers need to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-gunn/tim-brown-the-ceo-of-the-international-design-and-innovation-firm/) Wendy Gunn > [I thought, If people are going to write about what I'm wearing, then I would wear young British designers who need the publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-thought-if-people-are-going-to-write-about-what-i-m-wearing-then-i/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [Fashion is about affordable luxury ... To succeed, designers need to be affordable, wearable, accessible, and aspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-hilfiger/fashion-is-about-affordable-luxury-to-succeed-designers-need-to-be/) [Tommy Hilfiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-hilfiger/) > [Designers need to be mavericks, because the best way to design a successful object is to pretend that either it never existed or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paola-antonelli/designers-need-to-be-mavericks-because-the-best-way-to-design-a/) [Paola Antonelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paola-antonelli/) > [Ultimately, auto designers need to overcome market challenges with innovative design solutions. The automotive industry is at a turning point with environmental and economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-pelly/ultimately-auto-designers-need-to-overcome-market-challenges-with/) [Charles Pelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-pelly/) > [My father was short for a man, with a child's plaything for a name - Spinner. He had flawless dark brown skin and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/my-father-was-short-for-a-man-with-a-child-s-plaything-for-a-name/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [“This is us together. I own it. This body is my plaything. Your ache is mine. Your orgasm is mine. Your hunger is mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/this-is-us-together-i-own-it-this-body-is-my-plaything-your-ache-is/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [God's most beloved plaything are Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/god-s-most-beloved-plaything-are-humans/) Mak\_786 > [Of all the toys available, none is better designed than the owner himself. A large multipurpose plaything, its parts can be made to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baker/of-all-the-toys-available-none-is-better-designed-than-the-owner/) [Stephen Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baker/) > [A book that furnishes no quotations is no book - it is a plaything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-love-peacock/a-book-that-furnishes-no-quotations-is-no-book-it-is-a-plaything/) [Thomas Love Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-love-peacock/) > [No matter how valuable you are and your ideas, fools will certainly play both of you down, so exclude yourselves from the inflammatory environs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/no-matter-how-valuable-you-are-and-your-ideas-fools-will-certainly/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [In the Tea Party era, it is the restless conservative Republican who has become passion's plaything, the toy of impetuous romance, an erotomania only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/in-the-tea-party-era-it-is-the-restless-conservative-republican-who/) [James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/) ## More by Suzy Menkes > [The clothes most worn by people are the clothes least commented on by the press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/the-clothes-most-worn-by-people-are-the-clothes-least-commented-on-by/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [I am not really sure that Diana Vreeland did Yves Saint Laurent a favor, as opposed to the world, by putting that exhibition at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/i-am-not-really-sure-that-diana-vreeland-did-yves-saint-laurent-a/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [I don't really believe in elegance. Ever since I first came to France many years ago to do the Chambre Syndicale course, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/i-don-t-really-believe-in-elegance-ever-since-i-first-came-to-france/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [In the mid-1990s, when I stopped having to run from the shows to the film developing lab and first saw digital images, I blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/in-the-mid-1990s-when-i-stopped-having-to-run-from-the-shows-to-the/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [I do believe fashion should work as hard as a woman does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/i-do-believe-fashion-should-work-as-hard-as-a-woman-does/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [I am not a hoarder, but my wardrobe is the antithesis of fast fashion. I buy clothes - beautiful in looks and make -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/i-am-not-a-hoarder-but-my-wardrobe-is-the-antithesis-of-fast-fashion/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [My style has always been to choose the charming and quirky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/my-style-has-always-been-to-choose-the-charming-and-quirky/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [Change is good; it's what fashion is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/change-is-good-it-s-what-fashion-is-all-about/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [Nan Kempner wore one of the first Saint Laurent trouser suits to one of those fancy Madison Avenue restaurants and was denied access. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/nan-kempner-wore-one-of-the-first-saint-laurent-trouser-suits-to-one/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [The clothes that fire up my emotions are colorful and 'different' pieces. My eye still picks out gilded-cloque glamour from among Burberry's streamlined trench…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/the-clothes-that-fire-up-my-emotions-are-colorful-and-different/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [Only the fat-cat corporations can really afford to put on two mega-ready-to-wear shows a year, or four if you add two haute couture shows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/only-the-fat-cat-corporations-can-really-afford-to-put-on-two-mega/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [I am thrilled to become International Vogue Editor at Condé Nast International, which has a real commitment to journalistic excellence, and to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/i-am-thrilled-to-become-international-vogue-editor-at-cond-nast/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [With the traditional six-month lead time on the delivery of international show content, designer collections can be outpaced by the so-called fast fashion chains.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/with-the-traditional-six-month-lead-time-on-the-delivery-of/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [The Romanovs are overtaken by the Indian Maharajahs as American heiresses pick over the carcasses of fallen Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/the-romanovs-are-overtaken-by-the-indian-maharajahs-as-american/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [Who needs to graduate from Central Saint Martins in London or New York's Fashion Institute of Technology when a homemade outfit can go viral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/who-needs-to-graduate-from-central-saint-martins-in-london-or-new/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) [Explore all 47 Suzy Menkes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) ## More Also quotes > [I'm a workaholic, but I also like to vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karrueche-tran/i-m-a-workaholic-but-i-also-like-to-vacation/) [Karrueche Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karrueche-tran/) > [I've also directed, shot, and edited several music videos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-king/i-ve-also-directed-shot-and-edited-several-music-videos/) [Richard King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-king/) > [Movies have power. 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