Simon Doonan on Creativity

Simon Doonan offered an interesting perspective on design and creativity at his Roski Talk on October 14th. Doonan is well-known for his elaborate department store window displays as he always challenged what was considered "conventional". For instance, if a department store was showing clothing that was pretty and polished, Doonan would dress the window to be dark and dingy. He said that he liked to "do the opposite on an extreme level". Doonan recognized how today it is becoming harder to do so as the line between conventional and unconventional is getting less clear. With so many creative outlets, including social media platforms, it's becoming harder to stand out as a creative. Doonan also questioned whether there is a such thing as good taste and bad taste. In terms of fashion, Doonan likes to take an anthropological look at clothing and believes that taste is completely subjective. As the Creative Ambassador-at-Large for Barney's New York, Doonan continues to influence the luxury department store's aesthetic from one season to the next.

Some of his most famous window displays include his 2006 "Happy Andy Warhol-idays"display and his 2009 SNL-themed display, both for Barney's New York.  (Shown below)