Agreed. He designed something that, by comparison to cargo pants, trades a little usefulness for a little bit more of a certain kind of fashion. Sometimes that's what design is: re-evaluating an existing solution to address a different set of requirements, and making small changes. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

The following is not exactly relevant to the article, but it gives me a chance to add the most useful quote I know about fashion design:

>When cuffs disappeared from men’s trousers, fashion designers gave interviews explaining that the cuff was archaic and ill-suited to contemporary living. It collected dust, contributed nothing. When the trouser cuff returned, did it collect less dust and begin at last to make a contribution? Probably no fashion designer would argue the point; but the question never came up. Designers got rid of the cuff because there aren’t many options for making trousers different. They restored it for the same reason. (Ralph Caplan)