WGSN is an online trend forecasting company in the creative industry of textiles, fashion, interior etc. founded in 1998 in West London by brothers Julian and Marc Worth. They give analysis and research service to retailers and the industry. As they say ‘We define what’s next so you can make smarter decisions today’. For a designer it is very important to know the market and future trends, not necessarily to follow them but to be aware of them in order to make conscious business choices because in the end monetizing our work is equally important.
In my work related to the Urban Beat theme I considered two of the future trends of WGSN’s S/S 2018:
1.Mix ’n’ match graphics go back-to-basics, with simple geometrics and hand-drawn motifs coming together for a playful textile collection. Drop shadows and over-printing create a three-dimensional feel, ideal for rugs and throws. Stripes can be worked in multicolors or broken up with diagonal lines for a contrasting look.
I took inspiration from the Mix’ n’ mach trend in my illustrator designs in a combination of simple geometrics of manholes and bricks in a playful collection, I also reworked a classic zig zag pattern adapting it to the others design and used the drop shadow in a mechanism pattern to give a dynamic and three dimensional feel.
2.Urban Surfaces: Fabrics take inspiration from urban surfaces, from graffiti spray-paint to rough concrete, layered graphics to painterly brush marks. Digital photographic prints mix with hand-drawn doodles for cushions, while hand-woven rugs present textured deconstructed stripes in chalky electric pastels.
I used this trend in my Photoshop designs taking inspiration mostly from the graffiti spray-paint using the black brush tool in contrast with a yellow background, a brick construction and a layered colored photograph partially eased, for a dynamic effect.
Here’s the full trend report:
Anda Avramescu 