Menu

Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

Follow  on Twitter:         @FashionObserved
              on Instagram:   @fashion_observed_ 
              on Facebook:      /FashionObserved
              on Pinterest:      /FashionObserved

Commentary outside of this blog that I encouraged suggested that it was hard to see where the connections lie between current events and, say, the colour of your soon to be favorite t-shirt. However, although connections may not seem apparent, they have been and will continue to be integral to aspects of design.

Past articles have illustrated how such events have impacted fashion. Anyone in the industry can attest that the creative forces behind the things one buys have the sensitivity that all artists do. The successful ones translate these impressions in ways that the public can relate, be it obviously (such as when Armani did a tribute to the Japanese post disaster even, which subsequently influenced other collections that followed suit) or more demurely (see previous articles).

Of all ways to illustrate the path of how this influence touches so many levels within the industry, the dialogue in “The Devil Wears Prada” spells it out beautifully. Here, quoted from IMDb, is the scene:

Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same]Something funny?

Andy Sachs: No. No, no. Nothing's... You know, it's just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. You know, I'm still learning about all this stuff and, uh...

Miranda Priestly: 'This... stuff'? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select... I don't know... that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent... wasn't it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.

There is a lot more to this picture. Events witnessed in our culture are meticulously studied for impact and correlation, drawing past public reaction from teams of sociologists, futurists and psychologists that every industry relies upon for guidance. Companies such as BrainReserve and Li Edelkoort  (and more style-centric companies such as WGSN, Mudpie and Stylesight) are part of a mega-multimillion dollar industry that wields huge influence; WGSN was reported to make over $63.6 million US 2010 alone. These companies forecast years or even a decade in advance, producing materials that are found in the design rooms of every relevant design company possible. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to not find this material in a design room in any creative industry.

For designers to be relevant they can trust their instinct, but it also helps to be on the same page as their peers in the industry. Only when one reaches a relative level of attention and success does one get the opportunity to stray and bring forth new inspiration (as long as it’s in harmony with the greater consciousness of the public). Get too innovative and one risks alienating themselves from their consumer base or worse, being irrelevant to the trends that are happening within the industry. Lesser known players in the international game who fail to make an impact in the international arena are a fine example of this. Only those who have cultivated a longer history of being on trend can afford to take that risk. Those that are successful become part of the evolution and shape trends that affect every industry as a result.

Trending organizations also face influence from organizations such as the ISCC Inter-Society Color Council, Pantone, The Colour Marketing Group, International Colour Authority as well as a myriad of well-heeled specialists who have studied the psychological impact of colour. These people and organizations meet to discuss and determine colours years in advance, with this information eventually making it into the trending materials that designers inevitably use.

The collaboration of these industries  produce the information that works its way into every design room in the world in every aspect, be it furniture and interiors, car and product design and, of course, fashion. That fashion takes the lead of setting trends is due to its accessibility. We all wear and need clothes and have access to those above every other product save for food. Its symbiotic relationship with art puts in front and center of cultural aspects that have importance.

It, in conjunction with these forecasting companies, finds its influence down to the more mundane areas of consumer product as “The Devil Wears Prada” illustrates. We are integral to the system, as much a component of its evolution as we are the consumer of its results. 

So, next time someone has doubt over whether, say, a hurricane might have any impact on what we’re wearing next year, there should be measured pause before declaring this as impossible. As Armani showed with Japan, something as seemingly disconnected can have profound influence in our personal cultural expression. And that is a lot to think of next time someone fishes a sale item out of a bargain bin thinking they are not following fashion. Fashion, in every way, is actually following us all.

Go Back

Post a Comment


Post a Comment
Created using the new Bravenet Siteblocks builder. (Report Abuse)