Fashion set to surprise this season
THE FUTURE looks well, quite futuristic, given advances in various technologies within the textile industry.
This seemed to be the trend for the 2018 Spring Summer season at the Source Africa 2017 African Textile, Apparel and Footwear Trade Event in Cape Town this week.
UK WSGN director of retail and buying Sara Maggioni painted a bold, idealised, synthetic peep at what the future regarding clothes could look like in the coming year, with biotechnology and recycled goods making an appearance in an increasingly digitalised world.
“To reimagine the future, in 2018 people will take the time to look back at the archives of the past,”
Maggioni said. Essentially, given how suborbital space travel would inspire art and design, reframing our perceptions and experiences of the world around us, it will be, she said, “escapism at its best”. People will become more social, leaving the selfie craze behind; ancient trade routes will be retraced, opening up a whole new world of consumers and Eastern inspiration will enhance Western lines, and as virtual reality becomes part of our lives, the art of storytelling will become a crucial component of how brands and products tell their stories.
The future will be infused with a youthful energy as people take inspiration from the young as “youth is a state of mind,” she explained.
Data will become the new currency as people think about how to make a contribution with their data in various fields and discovery in terms of innovation would become a new way to express exclusivity. Key looks to keep an eye out for in 2018 for women, she said, will be the blurring of genres and categories; a transeasonal look, and versatility.
Women will express themselves in new, formal ways, the school look will be reinvented, becoming cool and glamorous.
A few key items for women will be the functional two-piece dress, blazer dresses, loose dresses inspired by the 1920s flapper era, robe dresses that are a cross between a kimono and a trench coat, beautifully structured pleated trousers, and clothes that have fine detailing such as ruches, buttons, textured florals, drawstrings, soft ruffles, and wrap around functionalities.
Colours to look out for are magenta, pale sage, rose teracotta, lilac, bold reds, orange and pinks in fabrics such as silk velvet, opaque silk, gingham, knits.
Men’s fashion for 2018 will feature limited editions and collaborations between designers, an evolution in sportswear, textured bomber jackets, voluminous shorts, boxy jackets, cropped trousers, relaxed suits and a modern take on the tracksuit pants and soccer T-shirts. – African News Agency
A bold, idealised, synthetic future lies ahead for clothing, with biotechnology and recycled goods making an appearance