There is a lot of fashion recall that we have been noticing. It’s not that it hasn’t ever happened; that’s been the mainstay when we run out of ways to reinvent the wheel. We look back to revitalize what we have had before, a kind of ecological form of repurposing imagination as we look for new ways to keep ourselves evolving in our personal costume of life.

It’s also how we come to terms with how we feel. The creative forces that are behind the garments we admire and discuss are artists in a commodity medium. Artists are what drive our inspiration and imagination as they interpret what is around them and find translation in materials though symbolic means. We tend to applaud those who do not patronize us with the obvious as they find a new way to say what we have yet to even be aware of.

Artists are also not immune to the evolution of technology. They are as equally inspired by its presence and role in our culture as they are by our reactions to it. The space race, once feasible, stoked imaginations in the public which resulted in an approach to modern shapes that we recall from the 50s and 60s. The jumpsuits, lame, peaked shoulders, loose cowls that imitated space suits, colour-blocked shifts al pay a nod to our excitement of technology and what it can promise for a brighter future and a better tomorrow.

We also tend to embrace this promise when our present leaves something to be desired. These leaning to the future are usually in tandem with a culture immersed in a present tension, such as the political one of those decades. We see technology more reflective in design post war because that is when technology made a leap into our lives with more impact. That was the era of processed foods, microwaves in the home and a television in every living room.

When computers looked to be more of a daily household item in the mid-90s, we saw collections take inspiration. Some came from items such as computer cards, some were computer graphics. The expansion of colour, demonstrated in the rise of Todd Oldham and his computer-generated colour block print explosion was looked at with awe.  It was our recognition that the future was upon us, and the thrill, amidst economic downturn, gave reason for excitement .

Now we fast forward to our age today, an age where screens are flat and either fill a wall or line our bags. Everyone has some form of smart technology and a touchscreen is more a mainstay. And more recently 3D technology has moved from the realm of commercial outlets such as theatres into our hands. Video cameras and TVs without the need of glasses join our obsession with everything 3D.

So how does fashion, already a 3D item in itself, reflect this? In the emphasis of the attribute.  The more experimental fascinations are with 3D printing of textiles by designers such as  Jiri Evenhuis, Janne Kyatten and Phillip Delamore. The fascination has reached the point of having an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art In New York City. Other designers such as Jungeun Lee work with a synthetic yarn to create seamless textiles that have dimensional, almost sculptural form in their silhouettes.

With pre-fall, we see this in the form of textural expression, such as the textural lace from Alexander McQueen. Maison Martin Margiela has some textural devore in a long lean dress.  Issey Miyake, long  label known for embracing everything that is high-tech, had some heavy-duty honeycomb textural detail in his coats. Kenzo had some wooly coats where the texture was distinct to the point of being hypertactile. Prabal Garung had one very dimensional pastel sheer with pailletes that emphasized 3D texture succinctly.  Other designers where texture was prominent included Carlos Miele, Tribune Standard, Chanel, Givenchy and Vera Wang.

One designer in particular, though, who nailed 3D expression in their designs were those by Alistair Carr of Pringle of Scotland. Her pre-fall collection encapsulated a brilliant expression in dimensional play in cut, use of layers with sheer panels and in other textural expressions such as beading. The interpretation was sophisticated and very forward-thinking (I can tell you this: I wanted to speak about them from the moment they presented their collection because this one is impactful).

It is the execution and interpretation of this cultural influence that tests the boundaries of creativity, for sometimes the most obvious theme of inspiration can fall too easily into a trap of being literally interpreted or not given the benefit of sophistication that is due.  But one thing is for sure in these collections: these designers don’t see the world at all ending, but leaving the past in favor of exploring what the future might hold or where it might lead. The future, barring any interference from superstition or hysterics of our spiritual beliefs, is large and it’s real and it’s, with all certainty, coming at you!