In periods just before impending austerity there is always a hyper-explosion of detail, and just as creativity exploded in the late 80s, as it did in streamlined cut and geometric pattern the 20s, unusual modern materials and optics the 60s and in overabundance of clashing colour and print in the 70s, we are seeing it again today. You can count on a streamlining to occur; history is, after all cyclic. Although we still see a sustained appearance of texture and print in SS2012 (the intention in already-released textile and colour indicators from forecasting companies), we will also see more business-savvy manufacturers bringing more attention to incorporating minimalism in separates. Based on current FW2011 collection presentations many of the collections are tapping into or dabbling in this direction already, and to do so is a matter of economic common sense.
In the late 80s the overabundance of designers supersaturated the market, and clothes that were too detailed became obsolete regarding dollar-for-wear. If an item is too specialized, it won’t get worn often as it becomes too recognizable to be reworked into one’s functional wardrobe. That was the problem regarding many creative pieces in the 80s; they were too memorable, too specialized, and also were too expensive to be throwaways. It is very difficult to keep the consumer market excited about shopping and participating in the ever-changing world of fashion when trend changes bankrupt them down the road. Also, in times of austerity the consumer looks for clothes that offer more function by offering more dollar-per-wear in the ability to mix and match more often within their existing purchases. So when minimalism was starting to appear, collections that moved towards this shift first profited the most and had a better chance of weathering asceticism. Any houses that jumped onto that trend after minimalism was firmly entrenched were too late as customers already acquired the bulk of their essentials from the houses that proved ahead of the curve.
Designs that were considered too highbrow and experimental when such creative techniques of expressive individuality were implemented the first time around in the 80s are more incorporated in to mainstream design since the turn of the 21st century. As consumers are more plugged in to technology and have had more detailed affordable options appear in our stores, they are more sophisticated in their tastes, resulting in collections more intricate in detail and workmanship. The affordable labour in developing countries helped this along, providing consumers with better versions of knock-offs that are within a very competitive price range to sustain this demand. Such possibilities allow more of the masses to enjoy participating in fashion trends, which in turn only fuels more detail in higher-end collections to justify the price structure and retain confidence in their customer base that the pieces they purchase keep their exclusivity.
However, as once-emerging economies that provided cheap labour mature, they demand a better wage to keep up with their increased standard of living their prosperity now provides. As this becomes more commonplace, sources of affordable labour to produce affordably-priced detailed garments decrease.
Disposable fashion is heavily reliant on affordable labour markets, and requires high tech facilities that can produce a high volume of output at a high level of quality. China, once a main source of discount labour, is raising manufacturing prices while nearby Asian countries with more competitive wages do not have the technologically sophisticated facilities to output the volume that sustains the kind of supply required.
If there are fewer of those sources available, the general public no longer has access to garments that are at a comparable level of detail that are made desirable by more expensive collections present in fashion media. And the swing of influence goes from the designer to the public and from the public to the designer. If the public cannot afford detail, then detail will fall out of favor, much of what happened in the late 80s/early 90s.
Also in the equation is the rising cost of materials that will contribute to this shift in design. The current cotton shortage has brought a higher price for this material in 1973 (the same manner that weather affected production for this year) and 1939-46, and the price of poly-fibers is expected to rise in a similar fashion mirroring circumstances that created a similar price increase when the 1973 oil embargo affected polyester prices. Together, with austerity and supersaturation of garments that cannot meet utilitarian function, you have a recipe that looks more so to a return of the minimalism as it had once before.
Should the prices continue to climb and economic measures fail to reinvigorate consumer confidence with effective economic stimulation then even a more sparse design esthetic that the war years of the 40s had when rationing was in effect may be a coming trend. This will depend on fashion’s priority in our culture while keeping in mind our potential to exploit current textile supply with eco-consciousness. Of course, that's another article.