I’ve been obsessed with making mood boards for upcoming months. Using apps like Landing to make these vision boards, I think another part of my love for it is that it gives me justification to scroll on Pinterest for hours.

Mostly, though, it gets me in an optimistic mindset for the upcoming month. Especially as the academic weeks pick up, it’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting for it to end. Then, in between late-night cram sessions and wishing for the week to end, it’s suddenly winter break and you’re wondering where all of the fall went. Taking this time gives me an opportunity to reflect on all of my areas of life the past month and see where I want to focus my energy on for this month.

It also lets me see how far I’ve come: what my goals and priorities used to be, what trends I used to be infatuated with, who and what were important in my life and what I can still work on. It’s an opportunity to use a growth mindset all at once — but I wasn’t always this way, mostly because I was afraid of change, especially when it was unpredictable.

It’s ironic how I fell in love with fashion then, when the industry’s so unpredictable. Of course, as you spend more time trust falling into wormholes of history, archives and interviews and begin to pay attention to origins of trends when shopping, predicting trends turns into a more manageable pill to swallow.

I recently saw an Instagram Reel comparing Christian Dior’s evolution of designs from the founding collection under Dior himself to the current creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. One commenter remarked “If I were MARIA, I would be ashamed in front of these designers in those years,” expressing their unhappiness with the current Dior. It reminds me of a question I’ve seen endlessly about brands losing their identity with each new creative director.

To some extent, I can see where this sentiment stems from. When houses or ateliers are named after the founding designer, it’s crucial that the next creative directors follow suit in emulating or paying homage to the designer, the brand’s history and the precious creative director themselves. However, there has to be a delicate balance between the past and the future of the brand.

Looking at major brands, I would argue only a few have been able to remain as true to the original designers themselves, with brands immediately coming to mind being Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli and Jeremy Scott for Moschino. Maybe it’s because these brands have such a niche and contemporary artistic approach to fashion compared to trend giants like Balenciaga, but sometimes a brand needs a complete revival to stay afloat, like Diesel’s revival in 2022.

However, just because a brand has changed doesn’t mean that the history and culture of it has been erased. I think when fashion is discussed as art and luxury, we tend to forget that seeing it available for purchase means having to operate as a business. Their concern is not maintaining iconic techniques like artists and painters do, but keeping up with industry demands, production, trends, consumer health, loyalty and investors.

If Gucci didn’t hire Tom Ford in 1994 or Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel in 1983, then Gucci and Chanel might not exist today. Be honest: We’ve seen silhouettes and clothing in the same style as 1950s couture — we don’t buy it now, so why are we so upset that Dior has moved on from accentuated peplums to hardware, leather and stomp boots?

Part of growth is change, whether it’s physically noticeable or not. But what doesn’t change — in us as people and in these designs as a brand — is the core values of the entity. What is important? What must be prioritized? What must be thrown in your face and what must be hinted at instead?

To change is to have an opportunity to realize how far and how capable you’ve become. Why would you want to pass on that opportunity even if it means someone had to leave your life, your brand and your values?

I strongly believe everything happens for a reason in an odd mix of predetermined fate and a butterfly effect path for life. With that comes trust and loyalty even if you don’t quite understand it. So even if Miu Miu, who recently was named the hottest brand for Q3 for the first time on Lyst, shows something I don’t like, it doesn’t mean that they as a brand are over in our relationship or in the fashion world. Brands have to change just as people eventually do.

I take what my dear advisor and choir teacher from high school, Sheila, taught me and practice radical (self) acceptance. Maybe by stepping back to observe for a while, I’ll learn something and develop, too. It’s key to keep a fresh look at life in order to snap yourself out of lulls, so one thing is certain: I can’t grow if I won’t let myself.

Hadyn Phillips is a junior writing about fashion in the 21st century, specifically spotlighting new trends and popular controversy. Her column, “That’s Fashion, Sweetie,” runs every Wednesday.