For the bulk of the century that preceded this one, the future has oscillated between one of gloss and shine and dystopian disaster, a reflection of the extremes we allow our perspectives to habituate. That our simplified outlook has historically been on black and white terms, of good and evil, has been our ingrained source. The most fundamental approach has been almost binary, with the ease of polarization allowing us to choose and react faster in the most efficient manner. Yet life is anything but this simple and we know that.

We are becoming very aware that the sophistication of our information accumulation and exchange is revealing to all (or all who have access) a range of scenarios that add to the complication of why things are the way they are, and that moral stances aren’t always as clear cut. The maturity that results serves to further enlighten us on such complexities as we grow in our cultural sophistication.

Some creative minds see our future as one that needs to come from breaking from convention. For those with artistic platforms, this comes for the way materials are expressed and through finding new appreciation in how that expression manifests itself.

While many designers work within what is familiar or traditionally aesthetically acceptable, some are exploring textile play while pushing boundaries of what we are willing to include within our cultural costume. For example, the deconstructive concept that showed itself in the latter half of the 20^th century and how it continues to find a presence in our modern dress. In the poorer aspects of expression the technique can fall flat. But when the technique is properly executed in points when our culture is more open to new stimuli, the techniques involved have a higher chance of appreciation.

One technique seen reflects the finer approach of recombinant ideals as we search for a new voice for the coming century. Previous collections inspired by Michael van der Ham demonstrated a hybridization of qualities and details  from various decades mashed together to create new forms and silhouettes, an approach that widely impacted other collections and producing many imitators along the way (fashion does that). Taking disassembly and recombination to a smaller or finer degree within the framework of texture and dimension, shape and textural exploration can find itself played with at a smaller scale.

In collections from Sacai and Barbara Bui, shredding was incorporated, and the use of materials in a harsh, almost violent approach to innovate new texture worked well with the order out of chaos that our modern world contains. From Fashion East, Ryan Lo utilized clumps of shredded material to create dimensional distortion while, in a broader perspective, maintained the essential form that would be expected in a garment. On a more organized front, Hussein Chalayan played with pieces and tabs to bring colour and texture in a more unified approach while still retaining a randomness that our collective contains.

The order out of chaos is a fitting theme for how we are approaching our expectations of the future. We have an image that is compiled from various sources bringing details together the way pixels in perspective art generate an image. On its own, the pieces tell a limited story. Collectively, we get a clearer overall image. And thus fashion is reflecting this awareness.

There were other collections that played with the bringing together of various components to open the door towards new forms, reflecting an astute awareness of how our cultures are honoring its individual contribution as we weave a more modern collective consciousness that is mankind. But rather than piece that into this article, let’s save that for another.