On Repeat: 10 Designers on What Helps Them Get Their Work Done

Humans, including those in the fashion world, are creatures of habit — with days punctuated by highly specific rituals. In our series On Repeat, creative people tell us about the one thing they rely on while making their work. From the “Sex and the City” episode that always motivates Ryan Lo to Marine Serre’s athlete-like hydration, to the playlist that Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss has been perfecting since 2006, here are the things that propel designers to their deadlines, with illustrations by Filipe Jardim.

Christelle Kocher of Koché

“I’m lucky enough to live next to one the most beautiful parks in Paris, Buttes-Chaumont. It’s quite big and labyrinthine. Each morning leading up to my show, very early when the park is almost empty, I go for a walk, with no precise directions — even if it’s dark, raining or cold. This is my necessary transition between night life, sleep, dreaming and the crazy working days that follow. During my walk, I’m able to slow down and put my ideas in order. I get a little lost, and then I find the right direction and an exit. In a way, it’s like repeating the creative process.”

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Ryan Lo

“If I have to pull an all-nighter, I play the ‘Sex and the City’ box set in the studio. My favorite episode is the one when Carrie falls on the catwalk. I just love her uplifting spirit — to accept failure in life and get right back up — because that’s just what real people do. It’s a very positive message when putting the collection together! Also the song ‘Got to Be Real’ by Cheryl Lynn is just too good. I used it in my spring 2014 show finale. Besides that, ‘Project Runway’ season finales are very good options, too, especially the early seasons with Michael Kors as a judge. Kelly Cutrone’s ‘Kell on Earth’ is also super great. I love her honesty and her famous quote: ‘If you have to cry, go outside!’”

Massimo Giorgetti of MSGM

“I take a short trip to London to do research with my creative team at the start of each season — that’s twice a year, once at the beginning of the spring and once in autumn. During those few days and, especially, nights, the inspiration for the new collection is born. At the end of our first day there, as part of our ritual, we always reserve a table at Dukes Bar in Mayfair, one of my favorite cocktail bars in the city. The atmosphere is quintessentially British, and the martini cocktails created by Alessandro Palazzi are incredible! After a couple of hours, slightly inebriated from the atmosphere and perhaps the alcohol, we move to Quo Vadis, a gorgeous restaurant in Soho where you can taste my favorite British food.”

Simone Rocha

“I tend to get into putting songs on repeat, especially in the studio around show time — and it can drive the team mad! Right now, it’s Billie Holiday over and over again, especially ‘I Loves You Porgy’ and ‘All of Me.’ I find her music very relaxing. I’ve been listening to her music since I was about 15 years old, so it’s so familiar now I don’t find it distracting. I used to listen to Hank Williams on repeat, but everyone knew all the words (and it was really making everyone insane).”

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Josep Font of Delpozo

“Because I love having natural light, I always show around midday — which makes for an early morning. Each season, I follow the same ritual: I like to eat my breakfast of avocado toast with my orange, lemon and ginger juice, but to have it calmly. Then I go to the venue. Even if I’m not staying close to the show, I like to walk there. It’s a moment of peace for me, before the craziness starts of models arriving, music rehearsals, last-minute changes and backstage interviews.”

Maryam Nassir Zadeh

“I carry prayer beads with me wherever I go. Sometimes, in the studio, I’ll walk around holding the beads with my hands under my chin, in prayer mode, mouthing the words from the Buddhist Lotus Sutra. But often I’ll just hold the prayer beads as I go about my day, feeling the energy. Both approaches give me peace under pressure and calms me down.”

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Matty Bovan

“I watch episodes of ‘Nighty Night’ by Julia Davis pretty much all the time, especially with a deadline or late at night when I work — I usually listen to it more than watch, as I’m always working on other things. It’s a very dark English sitcom, at times totally surreal and at other times it totally hits the nail on the head. The main character is a sociopathic heroine always dressed in a wardrobe of red, black and pink. The second season is said to have been not as popular as the first, but I sometimes find it even funnier; I always seem to pick up on other more subtle jokes the more and more I listen. It literally makes me LOL.”

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Joseph Altuzarra

“When I’m on deadline, I find myself listening to a lot of Robyn on repeat — songs like ‘Monument’ or, lately, ‘Missing U.’ (Also, the soundtrack of ‘In the Mood for Love.’) Listening to her songs always puts me in a relaxed and happy mood and helps me let go of what might be swirling in my mind, and gets me to focus on sketching what’s right in front of me. I like her music because it really connects on an emotional level and also on a physical level. I feel like it pushes me to work harder and dig deeper. Robyn’s ‘Show Me Love’ was actually the first single I ever bought with my pocket money! I distinctly remember buying it at the Virgin Megastore on Champs Élysées, so we go way back.”

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Marine Serre

“I always need a bottle of water with me. When I’m really stressed, I make sure to stay hydrated. I think this comes from doing a lot of sports when I was young (I played tennis for 15 years), and I was always told that when you run a lot, you should drink a lot — and the more stressed you are, the more you find yourself running everywhere. I prefer small bottles because I usually keep a bottle in my bag, but last season, I designed a jacket with a pocket made specifically to hold a water bottle when I go out.”

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Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss

“When it comes to physical things (like bringing something tangible to fruition), I listen to this playlist I’ve made called ‘Hype Me.’ It has Jadakiss and the Lox, DMX, Black Rob, G. Dep, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Project Pat on it — a lot of late ’90s, early 2000s gangsta rap — and that’s what I put on when I need to speed up my process. I love DMX, so that’s usually how I start. I’m very rhythmic, so if I’m playing Sade in the background, I’ll move slow, but if I’m playing DMX, I’ll move faster. I’ve had the same playlist since 2006, when I was in college and it was on my iPod, and I keep adding to it; now it’s 124 songs.”