Last week our analysts were in Paris for Première Vision Pluriel where 1,772 exhibitors gathered to showcase their SS15 offerings. On display were the wares of spinners, weavers, trim manufacturers and design studios from 30 countries around the world. With visitor attendance up 5.5% compared to last February, there was a positive atmosphere and the newness on display reflected the forward-looking mood. Here we summarise some of the biggest trends – EDITD customers can log in now to see our full analysis.
Prints
Three print stories spoke out at PV, firstly, a continued fascination with plaids which were given an overhaul thanks to their neatly blurred or deliberately spontaneous forms. This update will be good news for retailers who have been well served by the plaid trend: currently in womenswear red checked dresses and shirts are performing well, whilst in menswear blue and red checked shirts are winning.
The next print story is an update of the ethnic and tribal prints which sold so well for SS13. These were given a contemporary lift, focusing on pastel or acidic paleness rather than the monochromes and neons we’ve seen until recently. Geometrics were brought up to date with digital printing and micro-patterning, which is an interesting new direction for this story. Retailers should be aware that for SS13, ethnic or tribal prints on dresses outperformed those on tops.
The third print story takes its lead from the SS14 catwalks of Céline and Chanel: the arty daubing that we are seeing revisited in the current Fall 2014 shows too. At PV, the prints included hand-drawn squiggles and scribbled scrawls with a haphazard and carefree spirit. Even florals were given a looser hand, presented as if drawn at pace. Thanks to the luxury interest around this print style, we see big commercial promise here for SS15 on the mass market.
Texture
Texture has been the defining trend on the Fall 2014 runways over the last few weeks, so it’s great to see the industry readying itself for the demand onslaught with experimental techniques. For SS15, there was innovation in sheers, both in fabrics which incorporated clean stripes, irregular patterning and large scale openwork. Knit fabrics were given sheer stripes when openworked in lines by mixing yarns or using transparent nylon yarns. Super lightweight fabrics played into the sheer trend, with polyester and polyamides creating transparency, whilst jacquards used a mix of solid and sheer patterning to give an expensive feel. Dresses currently represent 42% of sheers on the market.
Mesh fabrics were another textural trend seen at PV. Having seen huge success from the sports luxe trend of recent years, the update here isn’t so sporty and meshes instead focus on cut outs, guipure, laser-cutting and perforations. Laser-cutting is of particular interest having recently been adopted by the mass market. Since Christopher Kane launched his neon laser-cut dresses two years ago, the median price point of a laser cut garment has fallen by 71% .
The third textural theme was inspired by all things aquatic, which translated into super-realistic liquid-looking fabrics as well as some whose handle had a crunchy feel and resembled waves in structure. Open and wavy weaves were more subtle nods to the theme, as were embroideries and lace inspired by foam and bubbles. The stellar commercial success of wet look leggings gives this trend a reason for being.
Garments
It’s not just fabrics, knit and trims on show at PV, there are also garment manufacturers exhibiting their SS15 wares. If the Fall 2014 runways at the moment weren’t reassurance enough that sweaters are staying on the consumer radar, then take faith from PV’s SS15 backing. Sweaters here took on a feminine style, with glints of shine, reversed fleece that was printed with floral or printed piques. Diamond quilting, bouclé and embroidery over print will also invigorate this category.
Tweed jackets are a popular arrival within the luxury market for SS14 right now, and the number of tweeds on show at PV hinted there may be continued life beyond the current summer as the trend spreads across other markets. SS15 sees tweeds take on a hint of shimmer or an end of Lurex, and Italian company Tessilgodi had even plastic coated their tweeds, opening up further outerwear possibilities.
The final story given precedence by our analysts was the ‘Going Wide’ theme which ran as a style focus for the event. Again, this reflects what is happening on the runway as looser fit trousers and suiting gain increased visibility and generate increased consumer demand. We can fully expect amplified proportions to take grip in the coming seasons.
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Katie Smith
