Minimalism is a field of design associated with lifestyle, be it architecture, interiors or fashion, which in its purest form should apply to all aspects of the practitioner's life. "To be unaffected by the unnecessary or the chaotic, or to be ' so disciplined and immerse yourself in a beautifully simplistic state is hard to execute in today's society," says Rob Phillips in Harriet Walker's interview. New Minimalists: a sect of young talent, who saw the impact of design purity during the late 1980s and early 1990s understood that the economic principles tightening our belts and purse-strings might also be the ones governing our wardrobes. "Minimalism is more relevant than ever," continues Rob Phillips, creative director of the school of design at London College of Fashion, "and on so many levels: environmentally and stylishly. A non-definable outfit has more longevity than a seasonal trend. If you define yourself as a minimalist in the fashion sense, you could go through decades wearing the same thing, looking great. Though," he adds cautiously, "if we all did that, well... bang goes the whole fashion business."
How does simple differ from minimalist? Are they totally two different concepts? When you simplify your life, you’re cutting back on the complexity of what you do and what you own. Minimalism is about the same things. Each concept is really a striking back against the growing complexity of the modern world, against consumerism, against the mindset that we need to buy to solve our problems, that we need more and bigger. So in the millennium era of complexity, how is minimalism different? It’s basically an extension of simplicity - not only do you take things from complex to simple, but you try to get rid of anything that’s unnecessary. All but the essential.
