Telling Consistent Stories in New Ways

Unlike some other Creative Directors at Fossil, Inc., Amy Osburn comes from a photography background. Before she entered the Fossil headquarters in Texas, Osburn worked actively in the photojournalism industry in Los Angeles. Today, Osburn leads creative projects and teams in-house. Because Fossil has a distinct heritage, Osburn's job is to tell the brand's consistent story in new ways.

4 Questions with Amy Osburn

1. How do you motivate your team to come up with good ideas?

When kicking off a season, we generally have an "umbrella'd" direction of where the brand wants to go. We consider that umbrella, but also try to think a little off-center. When you box yourself in, your idea can turn out cliche or be something that's been done before. I like my team to look at things that may not even be relevant [to fashion] because it gets you feeling inspired and challenges you to incorporate that idea into what you're working on. It could simply be a thought-process or color palette, but I try to encourage big global thinking or off-centered.

2. Do you have specific rituals for re-setting your team to be creative?

Fossil brings in bands and speakers to foster the creative atmosphere. But on a personal level, re-setting is different for each individual. Managing in the creative industry is interesting, because you take into factor each member’s way of thinking. I manage stylists, and they’re at the studio a lot, and the studio is constantly busy. That’s why, one day a month, they spend the day outside, solely for inspiration. They might go to museums, bookstores or go trend-spotting on their own. It gives them a breather; it doesn't sound like much, but it's very important. We also meet together as groups. Inspiration can come from a meal out together, sitting around and talking about big ideas and encouraging each other. It all depends on the person. We do group meetings to keep them off-campus or have breakfast at my place, tear sheets, talk about things we've seen or done or feel inspired by. Creative can’t just be chained to desks; getting out there engaging all of your sense is so important.

3. How do you identify trends? What resources does your team use to spot trends and consumer insights?

I use resources that make the most sense to me, things that I can find relevant that I can then turn around and turn into images. Trendwatching.com, stylesight, WGSN for fashion. Some are more relevant, and it’s always interesting when they are a little more progressive, further into the future. For image libraries, you have to create and build images people would want to see before they knew they wanted them, so I appreciate the ones that are five to six years out.

4. In what ways are you actively investing to enhance innovation, or are you satisfied?

The stylists' group is a fairly new team that I am leading. I’m in the process of investing time with them to find out how and where I want to go with them, how to mentor them and lead them. For myself, I constantly feel this need to stay current to understand. Whether it's the new innovations in mobile tech or the web, I stay in the loop. I think it's important to understand the balance of art and commerce.