After the seasonal trade fair appointments with the presentation of the 23/24 fabric collections, we textile designers are committed to starting the reflection on what will be the strong themes that will lead us to the development of the following campaign. In this impetuous succession of seasons, the goal is to arrive prepared for the "Summer 24" presentation for a Milano Unica already scheduled for the end of January 2023.
How to anticipate and predict the trend expected for such a distant future?
In addition to all the alchemy of archives and inventions that designers must be able to use, a good source of information can arise from the hypothetical evolution that the trends present in the previous season may undergo.
Singularity in transversality. One of the strong ideas of the trend presented in the just concluded edition of "Milano Unica" was Seasonless. In my opinion, more than a trend it will be a business model that will remain in place for many years. This does not mean having a collection with a bit of everything inside, from linen to carded shetland, where quality types are thrown on the table and the buyer chooses what he wants. Designing an A-seasonal collection, as written on the leaflet of "La Spola" presented at the fairs, should mean presenting numerous "Capsules" with very specific themes to evolve season after season with a precise address and high customization.
Stories of fabric that combine the company mission, elements available in the factory and the target identified on the market.
For an existential and minimal fashion. Another trend strongly emphasized in the forums of recent seasons has been the concept of Opulence. In the latest fall/winter 23/24, the stylistic features of a lavish aesthetic were underlined which drew its origins from a redundant world and materially reflected in a jumble of puffy yarns, rich in sequins, gold and silver effects, feathers and fakes colored fours. The inspirations came from the world of the Baroque which, in addition to representing the corresponding aesthetic moment, carry with them the most hidden meaning of the word which alludes to something overloaded with accessories, showiness and pomp which is connoted as "excessive".
This trend had already been defined when the "Social Passions of Christmas" were discussed in the Milano Unica forums (see La Spola, The Technical Paper - The "Magnificent Passions" of Milano Unica - July 2021) All this combined with 70s, in which the concept of "personal taste" and "free aesthetic choice" had characterized a decade full of exaggerated mixes and extravagant style. The future evolution of all of the above should be more similar to what was seen in the men's collections at "Fortezza da Basso", the temple of great Italian masculine style, in a total look that appears seemingly nonchalant but which actually implies sartorial skill, sophisticated fabrics and scrupulous taste.
Perform naturally. Other concepts very present in the forecasts of the last few seasons were represented by the mixture of foreign elements, the real with the virtual, urban life with life in the open air and the encounter between opposites. The very concept of "Natural" had been highly vitaminized with the risk of never finding its authentic matrix. These admixtures are fully represented in the transmedia trend known as "Korean Wave" or "Hallyu": the k-pop wave protagonist of world music that has come to us through the popularity of the boyband BTS, from the affirmation at the Oscars by the film "Parasite ”, from the cult series “Squid Game”.
In this concept of oriental import, fashion is contaminated by indigenous elements and major European brands, in which each object needs to be as instagrammable as possible, so much so that the members of the Blackpink pop group have become testimonials for as many maisons: Lisa for Celine, Jisoo for Dior, Rosé for Saint Laurent and Jennie for Chanel.
It is hoped that, led by the philosopher and stylist Brunello Cucinelli, the "wear" of the near future should be light, monochromatic, clean with an apparently simple and visually discreet structure, a classy aesthetic that needs a lot of thought to achieve it , and which (apparently) puts decorations, frivolities, stylistic effervescence in the background.
Rossano Bisio
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