H  appy New Year, dear readers. There is so much to look forward to for 2017: VR, AR, AI, the technical explosion in textiles as smart tech moves forward....solar textiles coupled with improvements in battery storage length meet designer challenges to take the tech and find its place in aesthetics and practicality. Texture and tactility come to the fore, for real and in illusion via sophisticated weaves and print techniques. We are settled in all we see, now we want to touch.We now ask what it does with expectation as we cut out the labels and focus on the intelligence behind the design. The V & A will support this through inspiration via Balenciaga archival presentation (Balenciaga even influencing Dior while centering on perfection of cut and exploration of modern form, something we are finding now). Colour will be vivid and rich, energetic and bold: La la Land rich. Clean and clear colours, even earth tones with a freshness to match our optimism as emotional survival instinct (or denial).

So ponder what will come and enjoy the start of your year. It will be something to behold.