OVERVIEW
Mudpie Trends identified this decade (2010 – 2020) as the age of conscious at their SS12 trend seminar last fortnight. A reaction to the previous decade ‘the age of consumption’, the rise of celeb culture and hedonism. The age of conscious will entail financially and political uncertainty and draw us to look at sustainability in our lives. They predict heritage and nostalgia will become more valued and we will see british heritage brands such as Burberry and Mulberry take the lead. Consumers will be buying for the long term and investing in quality luxury wether it be clothes, home wares or property. Social networking, becoming viewed more and more as an intrusive loss of privacy, will be challenged by the ‘offline’ trend.
TRENDS
MPD have broken down SS12 into three trends
Water Footprint
– Fathom
– Hydrocity
– Offshore
National Hybrids
– Relay
– Diversity
– Liberty
The Curator
– Maverick
– Restore
– Legacy
Within each trend there are three sub-trends which seem to offer the industry three slightly different packages of inspirational material for their design teams to work from.
WATER FOOTPRINT
You can’t pick up a glossy magazine at the moment without feeling like you can hear the sea lapping against the shore by the time you’ve finished reading it. All the big names have used the ocean as a backdrop for their spring campaigns. Paul & Joe, Isabelle Marant, Diesel and Kenzo, to name but a few, have all shot on beautiful beach side locations all over the world.
Big motion pictures such as Aquaman, Atlantis Rising and Avatar 2 are all aquatic based features due to be released over the next three years and are set to have an massive impact on design and the use of water.
Water is becoming and increasingly talked about issue, droughts, floods, hydroelectricity and how we can preserve it. Indonesia could potentially loose 2000 islands by 2030 due to water displacement and the glaciers in the Andes have shrunk by 30%. There is a laid back attitude to this trend that reflects the pull and ebb of the tide, a surfer spirit and sense of calm. But underneath these still waters lies a conscientious thinker aware of the impact of global changes.
What can we expect to see from this trend?
– Hues of vivid aqua and shell pinks
– Bruised mauves, moss greens, washed out blues and greys
– Water colour and ink bleed prints
– Drape and fall of fabric echoing water movement
– contrasting matt and opaque fabrics
– Coral and shell like textures in accessories
– Garments inspired by wet suits structure and fabrics
– Technical fastenings, multi-functional detailing (i.e. removable sleeves)
– Bouclé knitwear
WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR?
Kirsty Ward – Her sharp patterns echo the stiff scuba style but the intertwining layers and soft fabrics reflect the water theme perfectly.
Simone Rocha – Two pieces from her MA graduate collection, pictured here hanging in Selfridges shop window. The suspension of the garments and the lighting make them appear almost jelly fish like. Both Ward and Rocha have been tipped as ones to watch this year by Selfridges.
Lisa Marie Fernandez Body-con swimwear dresses and scuba inspired LBD’s. The wet-suit fabric molds “to the body whether creating curves or supporting them” and apparently “looks better when wet”. But at $200 and up for a basic bikini it’s not for everyones budget.
The David Koma range for Topshop – is sure to sell out before it hits the shop floor. The high street designer collaboration gives hard surf style a more glamourous edge and will be available later this month. Only 30 of each style have been made. 
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Essie’s ‘Matte About You’ Polish. A clear top coat to give a matte finish to glossy nails. Can be applied to the whole nail or used for details for a wet/dry look. But of course the whole essence is the deep rich tone with a matt appearance:
NATIONAL HYBRIDS
The Nation Hybrids is a step on from the Global Traveller trend we saw last year. It reflects multicultural Britain and feeds off the buzz of the 2012 Olympics to be held in London, one of the most culturally diverse city in world. It takes inspiration from traditional English activities, such as afternoon tea, picnics in city parks and croquet on the lawn, and reflects a quintessentially British aesthetic of vintage floral prints, refined tailoring and a touch of the eccentric.
What we can expect from this trend?
– Layered imagery and textures
– Global influences with contemporary twists
– Deep cherry, cinnamon, spicy pinks, acid pistachio
– Primrose yellow, sky blue and peach
– Decoupage and scrapbook style graphics and prints
– Oversized florals
– 70’s tailoring and shapes
– Palazzo pants
– Carpet bags and tapestry fabrics
– Straw boater hats to replace trilby
– Gentlemanly and dapper styling in pastel hues
– Embroidery and handcraft surface decoration
– Bauhaus inspired prints
– Bold colour blocking
– British fabrics
I think the Godfather of this trend is
Christopher Kane and his SS11 collection that was shown at Paris Fashion Week. The opening looks were modest twinsets made from perforated neon leather teamed with the odd argyle knit pulled around the models shoulders. The delicate finale pieces were cut from refined lace fabrics in bright pastels and weighted with hundreds of tiny glass beads in intricate ‘east meets west’ patterns.
It will definitely have a big impact on we can expect to see filtering down to the high street this spring/summer. Grazia has just shot an editorial using Kane’s pieces and described the shoot on Twitter as ‘Princess Anne on Acid‘. Think lady like demure but with the colour contrast turned way up and disheveled bed hair.
Hot on his heels is Meadham Kirchoff.
A spectrum of colours beached, dip dyed, frayed and topped off with a peter pan collar. The low platform shoes were adorned with sequins, embroidery and beading. But it’s the colour stripped and rainbow dyed hair that is the least expensive and most dramatic statement from the Meadham Kirchoff’s catwalk as you can easily achieve this at home.
ONES TO WATCH
Scott Wilson British headwear designer mixing English classics such as the Policeman’s helmut with a punk rock and pearly queen twist.
Jennifer Behr Delicate neon lace fascinators and headbands. Neon for the refined female.
Bleach London – The new east london hair salon located inside the infamous WAH Nails salon. The messy-chic bleach jobs and tie dye hair Alex Brownsell is best known for has attracted the likes of Grazia and Topshop as well as Shoreditch poster girl Pixie Geldof.
Ariel Pink A softer version of Kurt Cobain who has been making eccentric sounds from the age of fourteen. Using many recordings of himself playing each instrument and singing each part and only ever recorded himself onto individual cassette tapes. A taste worth acquiring.
If you like this and would like to know more about Jess get in touch at editor@socialtailor.com
Picture credits: are numerous, please contact editor@socialtailor.com for details