How are trends created ? What are the inspirations that frame them? What fabrics, materials, prints and colours define them? As she has done every season Ursula Uria, head of the prestigious Spanish trends research agency Nelly Rodi Lab unveiled these questions in a further day’s programme entitled “Book of Trends” organised this past 12th December and which took place in Gratacós ‘s training hall. It was an enlightening experience directed at design students and professionals.
On this occasion trends were revealed as to what will be worn next winter 2017, taking into account a new sociological panorama which is affecting the consumption of fashion. In this context the following factors are of influence:
⦁ Consumers are increasingly divided into two categories, which occasionally merge with each other: Binge consumers who buy products on impulse, in quantity and primarily through the internet. Or Sober consumers with more rational consumer- habits, choosing quality products and personalised experiences.
⦁ The Generation Post Age or Generation Z (those born after 1992) is beginning to have an acquisitive power which marks out new consumer-habits. These consumers spend their money on technology, music and travel.
⦁ Triumph of individuality, differentiation and personalisation. There is a global macro-trend which consists of distancing oneself from other consumers. This is applied in the designs, in the models chosen on the cat-walks – they don’t follow the traditional canons of beauty – and in the products, where care is lavished right down to the final detail. In this wave of fashion what counts is to maintain one’s identity. In this context musicians are the new icons of fashion.
Taking these premises into account, in the next Autumn-Winter season 2017 / 2018 four trends will therefore be of influence in fashion: Soul, Blurred, East Side and Austerity.
⦁ Soul
A trend based on excess and given its mongrel quality, inspired by disco music, funk, hip hop and soul of the seventies.
Icons: Influence of singers like Diana Ross, The Jackson Five, Bruno Mars, the series Empire, exotic models such as Lineisy Montero, the districts of Brooklyn or Harlem in New York and the continent of Africa.
Silhouettes : Triumph of contrasts, excesses and mixtures. Wearing of mix and match and bling bling.
Colours: Browns, Oranges, Lemons, glaring Blues and Violets. Vibrant and very contrasting colours which are also applied by cosmetics.
Prints:Return of graphic motifs with a retro aesthetic, exotic prints, brightly coloured jacquards and impossible mixtures.
Fabrics: Wearing of glitter, patent leather, velvet and lurex with shiny weaving.
http://www.gratacos.com/shoponline/51109-002.html
⦁ Blurred
A minimalist trend inspired by melancholy and closely linked to the emotions.
Icons: The film The Danish Girl, the actress Diane Keaton, the painter Egon Schiele, the figure of the British dandy, the entrepreneur Ben Gorham or the series Life in Squares.
Silhouettes: Garments that are a fusion of male and female codes. Clothes are worn loose-fitting and relaxed. Wearing of suits and a special emphasis on complements where care is given right down to the last detail.
Colours: Greys, cold Pinks, Violets and pale Blues.
Prints: The diplomatic line, tweed, pictures or prints of birds.
Fabrics: Wearing of velvet, silk, wool or flannel.
http://www.gratacos.com/shoponline/280-003.html
⦁ East Side
A popular, young trend inspired by the working- classes, ring-road suburbs and large Soviet cities. It is the evolution of sports fashion.
Icons: Communism, the films Billy Eliot, Trainspotting or The Full Monty, beer, fast food, muesli, homewear clothing or the brand Vetements.
Silhouettes: Warm colours such as Oranges and Reds that are reminiscent of beer and ketchup.
Prints: The Soviet stamp and geometric motifs.
Fabrics: Textures in patent leather, cotton, wool and plush fabric.
http://www.gratacos.com/shoponline/61079-006.html
⦁ Austerity
A minimalist trend inspired by the Amberes School and by Japanese design.
Icons: The company Muji, sculpture, theatre, Belgian fashion, the designers Yohji Yamamoto and Ise Miyake, tea, water-colours, handmade, the Amish and natural cosmetics.
Silhouettes:Wearing of straight and loose garments, deconstructed silhouettes, superimpositions, architectural patterns and strategic volumes. Search for essence and detail is transferred to collars and cuffs.
Colours: False dark colours such as shadows, inks, dark denim, Wasabi green, neutrals, black and white.
