TRENDS // TRENDSTOP - WOMEN'S KEY DENIM TREND . 70'S CHIC . F/W 2016-17

A great resource for fashion and creative professionals is Trendstop.com an online fashion and trend forecasting agency based in London. They have an extensive data for forecasts and trends in all areas of clothing, accessories and beauty for Mens and Womens. You can shop for all of their trend reports in our Trendstop shop here.

To get your complimentary of Trendstop’s complete Spring/Summer 2015 Women’s Denim Forecast, containing 11 essential denim themes to help with your denim range planning, go here.

    Women's Key Denim Trend F/W 2016-17    

Denim undergoes a transformation for Fall/Winter 2016-17, as shapes are updated with a fresh range of fashion-forward themes. This week, WeConnectFashion readers are presented with 70’s Chic Denim, a womenswear trend that breathes new life into retro denim styles to create 70’s-inspired pieces with a clean, contemporary appeal.

       70’s CHIC DENIM            

Essential new season styles offer directional additions for the winter wardrobe, influenced by the worlds of sport, workwear, DIY culture and beyond. Pinpointed by Trendstop’s denim trend experts, discover how these F/W 2016-17 theme trends bring a wealth of innovative developments to Women’s denim collections, revamping everything from color, wash and surface to silhouette and detailing.

image courtesy Trendstop: Alexander McQueen Resort 2014, Txema Yeste, Valentino Pre-Fall 2015, Paris Street Style 2015.

    TONAL PATCHWORK    

Women’s denim introduces a 70’s mood with striking patchwork prints, executed in tonal denim blue shades. Clean lines enhance simple cuts, as seen in the form of cropped culottes and flared jeans. Meanwhile, more casual DIY looks can be created with pieced-together materials and raw edgings. Double-denim coordinations make a contemporary statement when formal jackets are styled with jeans.

image courtesy Trendstop: Milan Street Style 2015, Karen Walker Fall/Winter 2015-16, London Street Style 2015, Paris Street Style 2015.

    FLAT FINISH    

In the Flat Finish trend, Fall/Winter denim emerges with anti-treatment finishes and clean-cut designs. Purist shapes lend a chic appeal, from A-line mini dresses to longline coats. Wide-leg dungarees can be layered over a tactile roll-neck knit for a cozy winter 70’s look, as high-waist silhouettes and shirt collar details emphasize the modern-retro feel.

DESIGN COMPETITION // THE ECOCHIC DESIGN AWARD 2015/2016

The EcoChic Design Award is a sustainable fashion design competition inspiring emerging fashion designers to create mainstream clothing with minimal textile waste. Designers are educated with the theory and techniques to enable them to create desirable sustainable clothing via zero-waste, up-cycling and reconstruction sustainable design techniques.

The 2015/16 competition cycle is open to fashion designers with less than three years’ professional experience and fashion design students living in any Asian or European country*. A total of ten finalists from across the regions will be selected to come to Hong Kong in January 2016 to showcase their minimal waste collections at HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week where career-changing prizes will be awarded.

To learn more and to apply go to their website: The EcoChic Design Award

Location: living in any Asian or European country at the time of the application (valid ID/passport/visa/resident permit).

Experience/age: fashion designer with less than three years’ professional fashion design experience or a fashion design student studying in any year at an educational institute in any Asian or European country at the time of the application.

Entry: Free

Deadline: August 15 2015

Prizes: 10 finalists from across the regions will be selected to come to Hong Kong in January 2016 to showcase their minimal waste collections at HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week where career-changing prizes will be awarded.

What is the competition design brief?

You are challenged to design a sustainable womenswear collection that will redress the way contemporary, fashion-loving women see their outer and inner reflection. You designs must inspire your muse to step out into the world confidently wearing her sustainability values stylishly on her sleeve.

You are designing for…

• A dynamic, contemporary woman aged 25-40 with a sophisticated appreciation of style and modern Chinese aesthetics.
• She enjoys considered and conscious luxury, where focus is given to quality, tailoring and craftsmanship.
• She is conscientious about wastefulness in modern living and wishes to be clothed in ways that reflect her style as much as her sentiments about sustainability.

Your sustainable designs must…

• Cut waste out of fashion by using one or more of the sustainable design techniques of zero-waste, up-cycling and reconstruction.
• Take the deeper cut by using textile waste for the up-cycling and reconstruction outfits.
• Show wider opportunities through being reproducible and scalable.

If you want to redress women in style and sustainability, you must…

• Design to win. Create three ready-to-wear outfit sketches (not complete outfits) for the open application. If you make the cut to become one of the ten finalists, you must make these three ready-to-wear sketches into complete outfits. To test you further, you must then create two additional complete ready-to-wear outfits and one couture outfit in order to make your mark on the runway.
• Impress the judges. Your designs will be scored in three categories based on the creative design brief (in the open application and semi-final) and four categories (in the Grand Final) each with equal weighting according to creativity and originality, sustainability, marketability and workmanship (final only).

[ INSPIRATION + ILLUSTRATION ] series by MELANIE BOYCHUK

Here is the latest Inspiration + Illustration series #5 for 2015 by Melanie Boychuk, illustrator contributor for FV. Here, she shows you her source of inspirations to create her illustration, source is Dress to Kill magazine Winter 2014.

You can also check out her website, missmel.com to view more of her work and to contact her if you need an illustrator for any projects. To also view her past illustration posts on FV, go here.

©MELANIE BOYCHUK illustration and Fashion Vignette layout. All rights reserved. No part of these images may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the illustrator.

DESIGN COMPETITION // SDBI.DE FASHION 2016

The European Fashion Award FASH is an annual competition by the not-for-profit Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation), in short SDBI. Klaus Steilmann, at the time Europe’s largest manufacturer of women’s fashion, founded SDBI in 1978. 

     European Fashion Award FASH 2016 “Change”     

Prize of the Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation)

We are on the eve of a new era. The European Fashion Award FASH 2016 with the subject “Change” is searching for visions of a new era.

Wars, conflicts and catastrophes are not the only issues that change the way we view our world. There is no question: Digitalisation and globalisation enhance and facilitate our life, yet they also have a fundamental impact on the world. Smartphones make every networking attempt of the past look like a simple prelude. The start-up culture, shareconomy, co- creation, crowdsourcing and swapping, as well as the disruptive business models of international investors have created a completely new kind of economy. Hardly any industry remains unaffected by this change.

How can fashion react to all these changes? Should there be more adaptation, subversive strategies, or should we dream completely new dreams? Who will ride the wave of change and claim the future?

The contest is open to participants from all over the world especially talented design students of all disciplines, but especially from the fashion and textile design areas. Students of full age, currently enrolled in their fourth semester or higher are entitled to participate as well as Master/PhD students in their first semester. In a second category, final projects, theses and dissertations, as well as bachelor and masters projects can be submitted.

TIMELINE

Registrations is open from now until August 31st, 2015. The submission deadline is September, 25th, 2015. Find the detailed call on our website www.sdbi.de.

PRIZES

The award purse totals 80,000 Euro. Apart from financial awards of 10,000 Euro the prizewinners participate from the network of SDBI and in the mentoring program founded in

2014. In addition, their works will be presented professionally. The winning work will be photographed by the renowned fashion and portrait photographer Franco P. Tettamanti who is working for clients such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Akris, Vivienne Westwood.


JURY
A jury consisting of international design, industry, and media experts will select the award winners according to set criteria. The jury members are Franco P. Tettamanti (Paris), Margareta van den Bosch (Stockholm), who is as Creative Advisor responsible for the H&M Guest Collections,

Antonio Cristaudo (Florence), Global Marketing Development Manager of the world’s most important men’s fashion fair Pitti Uomo, and one of the world’s most knowledgeable Expert of young designers, Jutta Kraus (Paris/Los Angeles) who founded the brand Bernhard Willhelm alongside its namesake, the designers Michael Sontag and Joel S. Horwitz as well as Joachim Schirrmacher (all Berlin).

Platform for Young Designers

The European Fashion Award FASH is an annual competition by the not-for-profit Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation), in short SDBI. Klaus Steilmann, at the time Europe’s largest manufacturer of women’s fashion, founded SDBI in 1978. Today the work of SDBI is based on Messe München and the SDBI Circle of Friends: Allude, Bueronardin, Closed and Freitag.

Copyright Image FASH 2016: © Christof Nardin/SDBI

FEATURE // HOLLY DOWNES - ACTIVEWEAR DESIGNER

Our feature today is a skilled Activewear Designer,  Holly Downes, who has had over 14 years expert experience designing for the activewear and lifestyle apparel industry.  Her specialty is fusing fashion and fitness.  She has designed for and collaborated with top brands including: Adidas, Splits 59, Off Duty by Joes Jeans, Quiksilver, Love Surf, Asics, Element, and Nike Swim to name a few.  She has also launched several active collections including: Roxy Athletic, O'Neill 365, and a celebrity wellness line that is set to launch in Spring 2016.

She loves the design process from the moment the thought of a new season arises, to the development process and beyond.  She finds it refreshing knowing her creative process evolves along with the seasonal trends.  She also loves building creative direction and telling the story through visual and tangible elements.  

Because she is emerged in the active industry, she also loves to stay active herself.  She practices yoga, loves a great sculpting class and enjoy outdoor runs.  While staying active she also loves wear testing her own designs to ensure performance, comfort, and functionality.  She works out of her home office in Orange County CA.  She has found her creativity to blossom as she balances her active lifestyle with piscina creative society.  She also dedicates time to volunteer at the local animal shelter weekly.  

You can view her work on her website http://www.piscinacreativesociety.com. 

© Holly Downes - all rights reserved

TRENDS // PROMOSTYL - SS 2016

Promostyl is a trend service providing a global view of trends, fashion and design.  To learn more, go to their website Promostyl.com.  Here is a preview of their SS16 trends:




ANTIK, a fusion of ancient cultures and modern street art:

BLISS, bright print mixes and asymmetrical lines:

FLUX, mystical sea hues and shimmering textiles:

STUFF, with eye catching colors and textures:

TRENDS // NEXT LOOK FASHION STYLING + ACCESSORIES . SS 2016

Next Look Fashion Trends Styles & Accessories for professionals provides a selective analysis of the just finished Designer Shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris, compiled according to future minded design criteria. Based on the knowledge about the trends of tomorrow, distinctive fashion features are summarized in significant picture sequences serving as reservoir of ideas for new collections in the upcoming seasons. The focus is on a complex appreciation of fashion. Not only colors, materials, surfaces, patterns, silhouettes and styling are covered but also all the other components which make up a fashionable expression: All clothing ranges as well as accessories like bags, shoes, belts, scarves, hats, caps and much more. The extensive survey of design ideas leads into a summary of the most important fashion aspects, the Must Haves of the upcoming seasons.  

Here is a preview of their SS 2016 publication, to order your copy, go to our Trendshop here.

DESIGN COMPETITION // FRONT ROW SOCIETY - PATCHWORK

CREATIVE BRIEF

Submission Deadline: 15 June, 2015, 6pm CET
Voting Starts: 16 June, 2015, 6pm CET

They say the grass is always greener on the other side, which might be why as experts in perfectly produced digital prints, we tend to lust after artisanal, handcrafted pieces, where each individual flaw or variation only adds to the object’s unique charm. That’s why we’ve chosen to focus our latest challenge on one of the ultimate expressions of homespun craftsmanship: patchwork. 

No longer just a practical means of using up scraps of old fabric, we want you to celebrate the fantastic variety of patterns and prints patchworking can offer up. Imagine the cosy bohemian atmosphere created by old quilted blankets and throws, as paisleys and florals collide in a delightfully eclectic assembly; or the excitement of going through a treasure trove of vintage prints as you browse through old fabric swatches. It’s time to pick up your sewing needle and show us what you can patch together.

What can you win?

Each winner receives a one-off prize of 200€ once the collection launches on the website plus a sample of their products when it arrives in stock. But that is not all – if your design receives 500 orders on wholesale, you will receive an additional €200. This means that FRS can continue to embody the spirit of fashion democracy, rewarding our top designs again...and again...and again! We will also conduct an interview with the winner, publicizing their design across the fashion community in Berlin and worldwide.

To learn more and to submit your designs, go here. 

TRENDS // TEXTILE REPORT . SPRING 2016 - REDISCOVERING LINES

The International Textile Report is an extensive trend information for the whole textile and fashion market, published in the run-up to the fabric and yarn fairs, with special focus on young women's wear, street fashion, designer collections, trade fair reports, color and styling trends including fabrics and print designs. Here is a preview of their Spring 2016 Volume 1 Trend Report,  Rediscovering Lines.  To order your copy, go to our Trendshop here.

DESIGN COMPETITION // SAINT LOUIS FASHION FUND - EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD

Saint Louis Fashion Fund, a new non-profit that includes leaders in the culture, fashion, higher education, law and business fields, the organization is continuing their mission to discover and support emerging designer talent through their second annual Emerging Designer Award.

Saint Louis Fashion Fund’s Emerging Designer Award was created in 2014 to support fashion designers throughout the United States. Each year, the winning designer receives a cash prize, one look produced by the Fund to sell in boutiques and on an e-commerce site, and mentoring by nationally recognized retail, PR/Marketing and professionals leaders – those who can help them take their careers to the next level.

The competition will give six finalists the opportunity to present their collection at Saint Louis Fashion Week and compete for the $25,000 grand prize. They will also receive editorial coverage, business mentoring from the Saint Louis Fashion Fund jury panel which includes Gary Wassner, designer Lisa Perry along with many other notables such as Fern Mallis and Stan Herman.

The winner will receive:

• $25,000 award to pursue his/her fashion design business plan
• Financial support, guidance and exposure from the St. Louis Fashion Fund to produce one look with 100% of the proceeds going to the St. Louis Fashion Fund
• A designer collaboration with an accessories brand negotiated by the Saint Louis Fashion Fund
• A pop-up shop/trunk show in a private home or retailer in Saint Louis
• A one-year long mentorship with industry professionals from the Saint Louis Fashion Fund jury panel

The deadline to apply Thursday, June 4, 2015 and to learn more and apply at the Saint Louis Fashion Fund Emerging Designer Award.

TRENDS // PATTERN CURATOR - PATTERN + COLOR . SS 2016

FV contributor, Pattern Curator curates an insightful forecast of mood boards & color stories and we are thrilled to have them on board as our newest FV contributor. They are collectors of images and photos to offer print, pattern and color trends. Each of the boards curated is visually directional, relevant and trend-right. An amazing site for inspirations, check out their site here.

Our picks for this week are Candy Stripe, Jagged Geo and Color Moves.

     CANDY STRIPER    

sources: visualoptimism.blogspot.com, designspiration.net, style.com, lifeofpolarnper.blogspot.com, designerhk.com, pinterest.com, hideelee.tumblr.com, flickr.com

     JAGGED GEO    

sources: harpersbazaar.com, dhallfineart.com, pinterest.com, style.com, aventure-digitale.tumblr.com, thepinkpartydress.blogspot.com, johnphillipabbott.com

     COLOR MOVES    

sources: design-milk.com, culturebox.francetvinfo.fr, etiffe.com, patternprintsjournal.com, en.amorosart.com, culturebox.francetvinfo.fr, iheartprintsandpatterns.blogspot.com

TRENDS + MOOD BOARD // ECLECTIC TRENDS - GUDY HERDER AW 2016

From our FV contributor addition, Gudy Herder of Eclectic Trends who is based in Barcelona working as an Interior Stylist, Trend Observer and Trainer. Her website Eclectic Trends is full of interior and trend inspirations, http://eclectictrends.com.

Dear Fashion Vignette readers,

I am glad to be back and love to present you today a slightly different trend post created through a mood board. You see, I am teaching How To Create A Moodboard in on-site workshops and on-line (very soon) too, so it was a pretty normal process to come up with a different approach.

But the idea really came from a magazine (http://www.sister-mag.com) who had commissioned that work for their current issue. SCANNED! had already been developed last year when presenting my trends again on the anual trend panel Global Color Research celebrates in London every summer. To my surprise, it has been received very well ever since (who knew?) and I hope you enjoy the take today!

Warmest, Gudy

I had a double feature in this month issue of the fab online magazine sisterMAG. Have you seen the table I styled with my ceramics collection? Loved to do both articles, they have been wonderful assignments.

Today I wanted to show you the moodboard that had been commissioned and fits very nicely into their current topic where it’s all about insects and fragility. Thea had come up with the idea since she attended last year my trend conference I gave in Barcelona, and Scanned! was one of the four trends I was talking about.

It’s been great fun to work on the moodboard and getting commissions is just absolutely wonderful. I am currently working on another series of four, I’ll show you once they are published.

Initially, the trend Scanned! has been developed for British consultancy Global Color Research and while the idea and text are similar to the ones I had presented, I have changed the colour pattern looking for a stronger and at the same time more interesting contrast.

The origin of this trend stems from a highly tech ruled world where we feel increasingly scanned. In today’ s life we face a constant correlation of security and surveillance with the human body being scanned at an airport when we travel, while interacting on the internet or tracked by hidden street cameras.

As an interesting contrast to observe, Scanned! sees its translation in wonderful x-ray photography where beauty lies in transparency and fragility. Revealing the inside becomes art.

By exposing an object to x-rays, one discovers new and sometimes surprisingly delicate structures and hidden beauty. It is a technique that invites to strip back the layers and discover what it is that lies under the obvious surface.

Stephen N Meyers captivates with his giclée prints (flowers, plants and see creatures) using a sophisticated and patented printing process where a fine stream of ink is applied on watercolor paper. As a result, the transparency of his natural objects is just stunning.

Meyers carries on a tradition begun over seventy years ago called radiographic art. Unlike traditional radiographic art, Meyers actually prints these x-ray photographs, a difficult process since x-ray doesn’t react to paper in the same ways that standard photographs do. He began selling his radiographic flower photographs via street vendors in New York, but now shows several exhibitions a year.

On the other side and with a more mechanical approach, British photographer Nick Veasey holding several International awards, works at a x-ray lab combining the art of photography and the science of radiology. His studio is equipped with a medical scanner 60 times as powerful as medical ones.

You can read more about other artists on my first post and see other color variations and a corresponding palette there. Texts and images go much more into detail on the sisterMAG article and I recommend if you have not so far, download their current issue (it’s free) and get a good reading time over the weekend. G, x

DESIGN COMPETITION // FASHION SCOUT - SS 2016 LONDON + PARIS

FASHION SCOUT SS16 LONDON & PARIS SHOWCASING

Designers are be able to apply for Catwalk Shows, Presentations, Installations, London Exhibition, Paris Showroom alongside Fashion Scout’s coveted sponsored Merit Award and Ones to Watch.

With 10 years experience Fashion Scout are renowned for their professionalism and scouting abilities, managing and producing hundreds of highly acclaimed events.


Designers are selected by a panel of industry experts. The panel features leading buyers, media and business advisors, including Sara Maino, Hilary Alexander and Jessica Bumpus. Their decision is based in the creative vision of the brand and collections, quality of work and business potential / success.

To request more information about types of showcasing and an application pack, email your brand name and interest to press@fashionscoutevents.com


FASHION SCOUT MERIT AWARD 

The Fashion Scout Merit Award is internationally recognized as a prestigious launch pad for the next generation of innovative design talent.

 
The new talent initiative is worth £25,000 over three seasons and has been created to support and develop new designer business on a global level.

Since its inception in 2009, the Merit Award’s role call includes William Tempest, David Koma, Hermione de Paula, Eudon Choi, Georgia Hardinge and more recently, Leutton Postle, Phoebe English, Heohwan Simualtion, Yifang Wan and Xiao Li.


The Merit Award is a highlight event and acts as a key draw for UK and international press and buyers each season.

Applications close on Thursday 7th May, go to their website here.

To request information or to apply please contact:
press@fashionscoutevents.com

TRENDS // PATTERNBANK - AW 2016-17 PRINT TREND REPORT - PART 1

Patternbank is an exceptionally great resource with over 20 years in the print, graphics and fashion industry. Their global research brings you essential inspiration ideas for graphics, prints and patterns, making Patternbank a valuable resource and intelligence tool for any business, designer or buyer.  To stay informed of their reports, sign up for the Patternbank Weekly Digest here.  

Below is a preview of their Autumn/Winter 2016-17 Print Trend Report- Part 1 and also their - You can also view and order many of their other reports here. 

Prepare to be inspired for Autumn/Winter 2016/17 with our new print and pattern trend report. This comprehensive report has all the ingredients to help you plan your new print developments with the most progressive trend themes and creative direction for Autumn/Winter 2016/17 brought to you by our specialist trend forecasters. These eight print trends are divided into mood boards, print direction and inspirational colour palette pages with TCX Pantone references. All images are credited so you are able to investigate the stories further.

• 8 key print trends for Autumn/Winter 2016/17
• Over 50 pages of inspirational print forecast intelligence
• Over 150 on trend hand-picked colour images
• Seasonal print mood and print direction pages for each trend
• Colour breakdowns for each print trend with TCX Pantone references

You can purchase the report here.

We also offer a version of this report bundled with 64 exclusive prints from the Patternbank Studio, each print is hand picked to perfectly compliment each trend story.  You can purchase the report here.