During the first days of 2017, Attire Club released its predictions for the upcoming fashion trends. The forecast was made for the year 2017, meaning for the collections which would be presented this year. These collections consisted mostly of clothes for the autumn-winter 2017-18 season and the 2018 spring-summer season. Trend forecasting is an important aspect of culture, especially for creators, who are always interested in seeing what people will do next, what they will think of and how they will shape the world.
In this report, we will take a look at how many of our predictions came true and how they were incorporated by designers and brands in their collections.
The forecast
The initial AC forecast was divided into four categories: Concepts, Colors and Prints, Fabrics and Pieces.
In terms of concepts, we mentioned that we believed that many designers would showcase a lot of athletic clothes and many basic pieces such as t-shirts. We also mentioned that there will be a spike in the so-called “slow fashion” and that we will see differences between affordable luxury and exclusive luxury.
As far as colors and prints are concerned, we mentioned that we will see many “dark and muted colors” and that neutrals such as brown, black, dark blue, beige, etc. will be the main colors of 2017. Simple patterns and abstract prints were also on our list. Not many neons, pastels or bright colors.
In the fabrics category, we mentioned that corduroy, knits, stretchy neoprene, cashmere and wool would be the main fabrics designers and brands will use in their collections – basically anything with depth and vintage vibe. Moreover, we said that “there will be a look back at the 1970s with many handmade-looking pieces in sight, which goes hand in hand with the colors we mentioned, which will be very earth-based.”
As far as exact pieces go, we said that “big items, but that will be curvy and soft. In this sense, while a few seasons ago there were a lot of oversized jackets sent down the runways of the world, this season we are expecting to see many items that resemble ponchos or interpretations of overalls. Basically, many blanket-style items in sight. In terms of accessories, we’re expecting many bulky shoes (not many sandals or slippers), sunglasses and our magic globe is showing some hats down the horizon.”
What happened
Concepts
In terms of concepts, we did see indeed a growth of the athleisure trend and slow fashion, as many brands in 2017 focused on creating lasting clothes with a sporty twist. A good example is Tom Ford dropping the see now, buy now approach to fashion. In the case of luxury, while reports are still to come, recent articles have shown that the luxury market has grown (as we predicted) more than analysts assumed, even compared to their estimates in mid-2017. According to Bain and Company, “the overall luxury market – encompassing both goods and luxury experiences – grew by 5 percent to an estimated €1.2 trillion globally in 2017.”
While concepts can sometimes be rather hard to quantify, other parameters can be better measured.
Colors and prints
Dark shades and earth tones
Many collections presented this year featured dark shades and earth tones, as we predicted. To mention a few, we can look at the N°21 autumn-winter 17-18 collection, the autumn-winter 17-18 Berluti collection, the Kolor collection for the aw17-18 season, the Cerruti autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the E. Tautz autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Landlord autumn-winter 2017 collection, the Fendi spring-summer 2018 collection, the Dries van Noten spring-summer 2018 collection, the Junya Watanabe spring-summer 2018 collection, but also Berluti’s spring 2018 collection and Danshan’s spring 2018 collection, which was presented in Shanghai.
There were many more collections that featured dark shades (especially of neutrals) and earth tones, but these were the main ones, as they have a lot of influence over other brands and designers.
Moreover, we could see some influent brands lean towards burgundy, as in the Hermes spring 2018 collection. We wrote an article on Attire Club back in March on how burgundy is a new neutral and a color to look out for in the seasons to come.
1970s
One of our predictions was that a big influence in terms of colors and general aesthetic would probably be the 1970s. And, indeed, most collections that looked at the past for their inspiration, looked at this decade. Some collections where we could see this influence were: the Prada autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Gucci spring-summer 2017 campaign, the Marni spring-summer 2018 collection, the CMMN SWDN spring-summer 2018 collection and the Gucci spring-summer 2018 collection.
Also, Gucci’s pre-fall 2017 campaign was titled “Soul Scene” and was inspired by 60s youth movements, but to us it looked more like the 70s.
Fabrics
In the fabrics department, we mentioned that we were expecting to see a lot of knits, velvets and other fabrics with dimension. Many collections featured such fabrics. Here are a few examples: The Prada autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Missioni autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the 3.1 Phillip Lim autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Vivienne Westwood autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Kenzo autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Topman Design autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Bobby Abley autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Craig Green autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the J.W. Anderson autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Sibling autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Billy Reid autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Orley autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Han Kjøbenhavn autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, but also the MSGM spring-summer 2018 collection, which was all about knits in the summer. Other brands such as Kent & Curwen and J.W. Anderson, used knits and other heavy fabrics for many of their spring-summer looks.
Pieces
Our forecast mentioned that we would see a lot of big, oversize, poncho-like pieces on the runways. Many designers did use this aesthetic and featured lots of baggy throw-overs in the shapes of ponchos, tent-coats and more. Here are some examples: the Dries van Noten autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Yohji Yamamoto autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Balenciaga autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Alexander McQueen autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Rick Owens autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Tiger of Sweden autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Chalayan autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Maison Mihara Yasuhiro autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the KTZ autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Jahnkoy autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Lucio Vanotti autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Nehanne Mihara Yasuhiro spring-summer 2018 collection, the Tourne de Transmission spring-summer 2018 collection, the Liam Hodges spring-summer 2018 collection, the Topman Design spring-summer 2018 collection, the Pronounce spring-summer 2018 collection, the Yohji Yamamoto spring-summer 2018 collection, the Acne Studios spring-summer 2018 collection, the Ten Pieces cruise 2018 collection, the Todd Snyder spring-summer 2018 collection and the N. Hoolywood spring-summer 2018 collection.
To push the boundaries of flowy, body-covering pieces, Palomo Spain even featured a dress in their spring-summer 2018 men’s collection.
This year, almost every collection we’ve seen featured at least one flowy or oversized body-covering item.
Hats
In the forecast for 2017, Attire Club also mentioned that we will see lots of hats. This prediction also came to be, as many brands featured many hats, including in haute couture collections (for example Chanel or Giorgio Armani), or alternative head coverings such as hoods.
In fact, many collections featured looks where every model had his head covered. Examples of such collections are: the Moschino autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Daks autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Moncler Gamme Bleu autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Palm Angels autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Billionaire autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Valentino autumn-winter 2017-18 collection and the Palm Angels spring-summer 2018 collection.
Among collections that featured many hats are: the Marcelo Burlon County of Milan autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Dsquared² autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Fendi autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the Junya Watanabe MAN autumn-winter 2017-18 collection, the KTZ spring-summer 2017-18 collection and the Louis Vuitton spring-summer 2017-18 collection.
Crossings
Many of the collections we’ve seen this year on the runways featured two or more of the trends we mentioned in the Attire Club forecast. For example, the N Hoolywood autumn-winter 2017-18 collection featured the colors we mentioned, the silhouettes and the hats alike. The Sansovino 6 autumn-winter 2017-18 collection featured both poncho-like silhouettes and knit fabrics. The Craig Green spring-summer 2018 collection even had a look that combined 1970s colors, a poncho and a head piece and the Ermenegildo Zegna spring-summer 2018 collection featured both thick fabrics and earth tones. The spring-summer 2018 collection by Raf Simons featured flowy pieces, earth tones and the occasional knit fabric.
The collections in this report are not only a proof of the rather big accuracy of the trend forecast, but also a great reflection of the fashion world at large. They are the collections that influence many smaller brands and designers and that give the overall tone of the fashion world.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
Trend forecasting: Fashion Weeks ahead (2017/2018)
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you make of this year’s Fashion Week trends? What do you think will be the next big thing in menswear? Which of these trends will become a classic? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!