Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine Magazine April 2018 | Page 64

DIRECTIONS BY
F/W ’18
TREND
ROUND-UP
As the concept of seasons becomes a thing of the past more than
ever before, season-less collections emerge as the latest buzzword for
designers and high fashion brands worldwide.
The Fall/Winter 2018 season is intrinsically based on the concept that
fashion is season-less and meant for all seasons…, a trend driven by the
booming markets in the Middle East and Southern Asia going hand-in-
hand with major climatic changes worldwide.
Springtime blazers featured alongside military coats just as effortlessly as
pastels dominated the runways set against moodier winter colourways.
The industry is waking up to the notion of ‘reduce and reuse’ as
consumers shift their psyche to purchase pieces that last longer in their
wardrobes than insensible fast fashion purchases.
Another prevalent theme, across fashion capitals and collections, is the
captivating effect of social media and the rampage for big likes. In an
attempt to tap into the increasingly online-obsessed and heavily-addicted
consumer generations whose motto seems to be ‘connected 24x7’,
designers went all out with their theatrical antics.
Dolce & Gabbana certainly takes the award for being the most ‘extra’ in
this category, wherein the brand unleased an army of drones flying out on
the runways sporting the latest handbags from the collection.
Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, known to wear his love for social media
engagement on his sleeve, went as far as to introduce an exclusively
created Snapchat filter for Balmain and cleverly encouraged the audience
to make use of it.
The collection, completely instagrammable on its own, owing to its hyper-
holographic and dazzling aesthetics, proved to be a digital hit across
social networks as soon as the show went live.
In another instance, designers such as Rei Kawakubo of Comme des
Garçons, who shy away from digital interaction, presented a collection
high on larger than life silhouettes boasting of cascading tiered
constructions and disproportionate shapes, which ironically proved to be
pro-social media.
To sum it all up, like it or not – there is no running away from the digital
era and its wide reach, and in order to make your business work, it is a
must.
Juxtaposing instagrammability with grit, glamour, unconventionality and
styles meant to last all season long, designers heavily introduced glossy
and holographic surfaces, wild print patterns, and boomerang worthy
fringes, amongst other avant-garde concepts.
AO & FFT analyze the recently concluded Women’s Ready-to-Wear Fall/
Winter 2018 and pull out the top 10 set to impact the future of fashion
globally.
64 Apparel Online Bangladesh | APRIL 2018 | www.apparelresources.com