Designers and tribes. A sociological research of creativity in the field of fashion

Abstract

In the world of contemporary design, the individual genius of the creator is less important than his skill for harnessing the trends that are generated in the street. This paper analyzes the way in which designers create and one of the most important protagonists of creativeness in the street: young urban tribes. In order to understand the link between both kinds of creator, it is not just cultural climates and atmospheres that are considered to be important. Beyond the fizzy metaphor, there is a suggestion that there is a pneuma (or spirit) that tribes help to create and which designers must know how to find their way through. The most important issues examined in this paper are how Aragonese designers navigate their way through this pneuma and how it is generated by the urban tribes of Zaragoza.