“Following the death of fashion is the emancipation of everything – not
just in fashion, but in all disciplines of life as we free ourselves from
the past and finally move into the 21st century, and begin to ask ourselves
why we do things the way we do,” said renowned trend forecaster and
futurist Lidewij Edelkoort during her opening speech of her much awaited
follow up to her , which spurred endless
debate over the past few months.
Named “The Emancipation of Everything,” Edelkoort proclaims the coming of a
second movement, not only within the fashion industry, but also within
society itself as drastic changes begin to take place across the globe. “My
reading of this presentation has changed since the ,” explained the newly
appointed Dean of Hybrid .
“These events have put my presentation in a new, different light and shows
how fashion is influenced by the world’s events.”
Edelkoort admits that is was not easy to come up with a follow up to her
manifesto from before, which she still stands firmly behind. “After
presenting it, I received so many comments and compliments from people
around the world who said they felt the same. Creative directors and
designers are being squeezed out like lemons in the fashion system,” she
adds, highlighting recent departure from Dior and exit from Lanvin as two examples of
the broken fashion system, as well as John Galliano’s nervous breakdown
whilst working at Dior. “He was so busy when he was at Dior, he didn’t even
have time to light his own cigarette – his assistant did it for him.”
“Especially those in the luxury end of the industry suffer, as they are
under tremendous pressure to create as there is not enough talent in the
industry to carry out such a job – creating 18 collections a year, plus
accessories and perfumes. It’s very extreme and only a few like Karl
Lagerfeld and Tom Ford enjoy it working under such pressure and can handle
it. The rest burn out. Designers want another move in the fashion system,
but marketing does not want that – they are stuck in the last century
chasing the next ‘it’ item…The time for derailing in the industry is
coming.”
“The death of fashion lead to appetite for something new, rather than just
survival – at a certain point you have seen it all.” So what will this
emancipation, this second movement mean for the fashion industry? One of
the biggest changes Edelkoort foresees is the feminisation of man. “For the
first time in history, men are fathering and looking after their own
children.” This more sensitive notion of fathering is reflected within the
industry, with the menswear market expected to grow 65 percent over the
next few years and the womenswear market share set to shrink. “This shift
has lead to men of today moving away from their fixed ‘man’ codes, no war
and ready for the new world” added the trend forecaster, which means that
men are becoming more soft and sensitive. “I am very excited for the
merging of gender.” The loss of former ideal of ‘monster’ is translated
into a new era for menswear, with more colours, lace, bijou’s, and floral,
but still masculine at the same time.
So what happens to the women then, if men are becoming more feminine? “She
is man and woman, she needs to compensate for the newfound femininity in
man.” The rise of the matriarchal society “is on the horizon” according to
Edelkoort, and “needs to happen soon, otherwise we’ll end up with Donald
Trump as President in the US,” she quipped. This movement will lead to the
arrival of new patterns and prints, which can be seen as both feminine and
masculine. Women will no longer dress for men, but dress from themselves,
favouring “soft, rounded but strong” forms. This shift is also linked to
the return of the ‘granny panties’ – “Don’t ask me why, but it’s coming.”
Speaking of grannies, another monumental shift Edelkoort predicts is the
‘Ageless Generation,’ the inevitable decline of boundaries between
generations leading to a reversal of dress codes. Bridging the gap between
old and young, this movement will see young and old consumers sharing the
same clothes and designs without a qualm. Think ‘granny-chic’, similar to
Alessandro Michele’s new direction for Gucci, but then with more pattern,
jacquards and interchangeable looks. “The pussy-bow blouse will finally
make its return and mesh with the high waisted pants as low waisted pants
will be forgotten for good.” Although Edelkoort is unsure how long this
trend will last, the industry inclusion of older women can only be
indication of the new to come.
A common link within the emancipation of everything is simplicity and
modesty. Edelkoort believes that consumers will yearn for a strong
collection of basics, a capsule collection of simple clothes, which are
high-quality, sustainable and beautiful. “People will stop buying for the
sake of buying and live through more ethical principles.” The focus will be
on small, capsule wardrobes with limited options such as trouser, shirts
and dresses, in a neutral palette of colours. “It will be seen as very luxe
to be able to function/live with so little.” In order to elevate the appeal
of the basics, they will contain fancy detailing and accents such a piping,
tie silk fabrics and embroidery.
“Every article of clothing is to be seen as a work of art,” added the
futurist, who sees a return in importance as to how clothes are made.
“Which leads us to making our own clothes or having them custom made.” She
predicts a future of open source platforms existing online where people can
download dress pattern makers and make their own Dior gown. With more
consumers moving to cities yet yearning for the rural lifestyle, Edelkoort
also foresee the urbanisation of rural. This movement, seen in the rise of
slow-cooking will translate into fashion and designs, as people invest in
better quality clothes, made in a sustainable and fair way. “Think farmer
or pioneer styled garment, such as a long pleated skirt with a blue blouse
and oxfords. It is so beautiful on one hand, but also so common it’s almost
banal.”
One unexpected trend to emerge is the rise of workwear. “It’s still quite
early to be looking into the rise of worker, but it will become an
important trend.” So important in fact, that Edelkoort has dedicated her
next book to workwear. “But where does this interest in workwear come
from?” she asked. Linking it to the rise of young entrepreneurs looking
into production and buying factories, and coming into direct contact with
workers has lead to a revival for manual labourers, believes the trend
forecaster. This will be reflected in their workwear, which will pay much
more attention to detail, include colour blocking as well as new
technologically enhanced materials.
The emancipation of colour is also a key part of the second movement and
Edelkoort believes that colour white will take on a new form and come to
reflect a more peaceful and serenity time. “White will become
representative of unification and unity in society, although not
necessarily religious as god will not be present and people will have self
reason to come together and pray.” She predicts the dress shirt, in thick
fabrics such as poplin and oxford, will become a very important garment in
white, noting that she felt compelled to include fabrics in her predictions
to fully explain the shift in colour understanding within the second
movement.
“After being banned from the industry for 25 odd years, brown is back
wanting attention,” stated Edelkoort, who is pleased with the colour
return, complaining that for a long time she was unable to even find a pair
of brown shoes or bag. “It will become the new winter colour for the next
10-15 years, together with midnight hues and tones.” She added that brown
will gradually return within the fashion industry’s colour scope after
being shunned in a “racist manner.” It will be made beautiful again through
small geometric patterns, business prints such as pinstripes as well as
african and tribal patterns. “The combination of white shirt and brown
pants will be suddenly seen as very new, even if it’s not.”
Finally, she predicts the retreat of her favourite colour: Black. “How dare
I say it, I always wear black and I am sorry to say it but it’s going to
happen.” The trend forecaster was dressed in her usual uniform of a black
dress when giving her presentation, which highlighted her fondness of the
colour. But the retreat could be good for business she noted. “Think of all
the black clothing they have to replace.” Where does this retreat stem
from? “I believe that IS will become one of the main reasons why we can’t
wear black and the natural system is to adapt colour in defence to
negativity. IS took over our own subculture urban dance with their uniform
and I fear the retreat of black will be a repercussion.” She does not
expect to see the retreat of black to happen over night, but predicts the
colour will be limited to evening and formal wear once more, leading to the
emancipation of the previous fixed notions of the colour black.
“Emancipation is thinking how we can reverse these fixed notions and roles
in society – it is a moment to look at how society is functioning and
changing in silent revolutions,” she concluded. “It is time, after 15 years
of trying to adapt in this century, to renew after seeing the light. It is
time that the century reflects our age and not the old age we came from. So
enjoy and emancipate.”