Fashion always takes us to new and exciting spaces, and this year, experts predict three key concepts that will be driving the industry in 2021—Gamescape, Homespun and Transform.
Throughout the years, fashion has taken inspiration from every part of of our lives—from history, politics and pop culture, just to name a few. Last year was quite the pivotal one, and this year is equally critical. Alongside many changes in the world, fashion is adapting to the new normal brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Herworld.com first reported, senior womenswear strategist Laura Yiannakou of London-based trend forecasting company World Global Style Network (WGSN) noted that 2020 has changed fashion’s future, allowing it to readjust its focus primarily to answer customers’ specific needs.
Top fashion trends
For 2021, Ms Yiannakou listed three trends that will serve as inspiration for the fashion landscape—Homespun, Gamescape and Transform.
After spending most of 2020 confined to our homes, fashion has evolved, with simplicity and comfort at its axes. The WGSN defines the Homespun trend as “good design [that] grows better with age”. Focusing on quality, sustainability and longevity, the Homespun look combines a homey, minimalist design with rustic touches. With the help of natural fabrics, Homespun encompasses comfort and a timeless appeal that will grow and evolve with you.
Inspired by virtual and real fashion, Gamescape looks at ever-evolving the relationship between the physical and digital worlds and how they intersect in our lives. Focusing on bold colours and patterns that mirror themes and designs in the gaming world, the Gamescape fashion trend allows people to express their digital fantasies in through their fashion sense, bridging the gap between dreams and reality.
The Transform trend is nothing new, but in 2021, it takes on a new meaning—the juxtaposition of technology and nature. Hard and soft, digital and organic, this fashion trend looks at sustainability practices and innovative designs that focus on solutions to the problems we are facing today. Focusing on the sea and taking climate change into consideration, the theme of Transform focuses on adaptability and sustainability.
What people want
When it comes to fashion, preferences are relative and personal. With a world in crisis, what people want from fashion has changed drastically. Thanks to the pandemic, customers are continuing to look for wellness, comfort and protection in their fashion choices.
What people need
Fashion is about beauty, but fashion in 2021 is moving away from simply being about aesthetics. Fuss and frivolity are out the window, and utility and durability are of utmost importance. Products need to be able to serve multiple purposes, and they should be able to be reused and resold, as fashion follows the world’s sustainability trend.
With the advent of the pandemic, people have come to regard health, safety and hygiene as critical factors. Experts predict advances in “anti-microbial, anti-pollution, self-cleaning and self-healing properties” in the fashion industry.
How brands need to adjust
Fashion houses and brands, including luxury labels, will have adjust their strategies and products in order to answer consumers’ wants and needs, all while respecting the trajectory and themes of the industry today.
If this year’s trends tell us anything, feeling good and doing good are just as important as looking good. It seems fashion has a conscience after all. /TISG