FASHION BUSINESS
Fabric Forecast
Spring 2019
Fabric is the bare-bones that can make or break any garment. Designers and product development teams go on legendary hunts to procure materials that can translate the season’ s concepts well into reality.
For Spring 2019, the trends focus on a sanguine fluidity. The consumer wants products that appear feathery light and enticing to touch. However, this does not mean that s / he is willing to sacrifice on quality.
Rather the move is towards materials that last longer, perform better and have a sense of natural protection embedded in them. As the conversation around sustainability gets louder each year, the product teams will have to devise ways of hybridising all the options available to them like regenerated, ethically produced, natural or man-made synthetics, to get the best results.
Going forward, designers are moving towards clothing that is transitional, can be worn across seasons. Gender-specificity has already been discarded by some of the big names in the luxury industry. While this may not be a trend for mass market yet, it is surely going to define the way people perceive clothing.
Brands and retailers have to cater to a wide range of demands as always and thus, crossbreed mishmash is a key theme. Adding a little adventure to city life, nature to synthetics or just a little glamour to day-to-day clothing for a‘ jack of all trades’ approach is non-negotiable.
From the more basic sportsloving performance wear, to how textile designers are reinventing minimalism, here are some of the most directional trends for fabrics and materials for Spring / Summer 2019.
SUMPTUOUS SIMPLICITY
It is no news to anyone that value addition has gone down in the last couple of years. Trends fixate more on basics, and similarly Spring 2019 is a season of visual simplicity that is still rich on a closer look. The focus is moving towards suave suppleness and quality, wherein the idea is to bring back the archives and add a modern twist.
Isha Jain, Senior Designer, ITX Services agrees with the theme, adding,“ Fashion has become much cleaner. You will not see a lot of embroideries; it is more about the crepe, textures and heavy jacquards that you usually see in upholstery. We are also into very fine Turkish and Moroccan fabrics that are doing well. Even the styling has changed to make silhouettes cleaner so that the fabric is in focus. Details like draped neckline, contrast pipelines or neckties are what we are focusing on …”
Everyday fabrics in tonal earthy shades with subtle slub or nepping to attain a bucolic textured noise quality will be the go-to way to achieve a hand-woven feel. According to Ariane Bigot, Deputy Fashion Director of Premiere Vision Paris,“ It is a season of noble plains and sophisticated mélanges, and density is a gauge of luxury.”
Surfaces with effects like dobby stitch for a folksy appeal, hazy powder-like to touch as well as dynamic patterns that channel a crafty mood, together finish this hybrid neo-vintage story.
Opaque silks with the roundness of organza, seersuckers with more
38 Apparel Online India | JUNE 1-15, 2018 | www. apparelresources. com