Trends for Summer 2009

In Paris I had the opportunity to hear Philip Fimanno of Trend Union speak about upcoming trends. Trend Union is one of the world’s most sought-after trend forecasters.

2009’s trends are grouped into 16 forms of expression, apparently a decade ago, there would have only been about 6, which shows the range of diversity we are now seeing each season.

The focus this summer is on folklore, stemming from the fear of loss; Loss of ethnicity and what made each group distinctive; Loss of handmade skills and craftsmanship. Loss of the rural and the earth itself.

Songs for the most part express the 16 groups:
1.Nordic Song – Lace and unpolished textiles in juvenile floral prints or cool, washed-out geometric Scandinavian colour wovens.

2.Garden Song – Green hovering between blue and gold, eccentric and elfish, vintage arts and crafts.

3.Russia Song – Beet, radish and berry red with cross-stitch influenced by Romania, Matisse and Saint Laurent.

4.Travel Song – Blue, navy, indigo, cerulean and ocean with white accessories influenced by Asian and Delft paintings.

5.Trance – Saffron, nutmeg, dove, earth, blood, roots, minerals, animal prints, elaborate ethnic jewellery.

6.American Dream Needs Repair – Buffalo brown and sand, deep red and tarnish influenced by rural west and native american.
7.Incantation – Easy care, uncluttered tapestry patterns from the Bedouin caravan ancestral cultures: Tunics, jellabas, caftans.

8.Island Song – Cut out, phosphorescent luscious fabrics in madras, stylized florals and two-tone botanicals.

9.Love Song – Pinks, violets,white gossamer fabrics with surface yarns with images of roses, petite florals and romantic antique textiles.

10.Picasso Song – Yellow, narcissus, mimosa, mustard, sunflower with white in linen, cotton, silk floralinfluenced by southern Europe, Spain, the Moors and India.

11.Work Song – Dust, dough, grey, bread with splattered white on hardworking, heavier robust, sustainable fabrics such as haversack.

12.India Song – White, off-white and sustainable grey in diaphanous naturals and rustic silks.

13.Gospel – White, the color of peace, as baptizing lace and embroideries, Sunday best bride with handmade details.

14.Psalm – Comes clean in rustic plain wovens in fundamentalist colors of Puritan prudishness: dark, off black and off-white.

15.Protest – An alternate, altruistic, long-time-no-see, live-local look in radical green and alternative patterns in bamboo, algae and hemp.

16.Hymn – Embellished greens and perfect white in lightweight, psychedelic prints and exotic jungle jewelry.