Creative Craft

"Crafts developed through the ages, expressing the needs and identity of people all over the globe, inventing new techniques at each step, and tackling all matter; lending endless variations to the expression of the individual artist within the common experience. " - [Trend Union, for Summer 2010.]

From observations I keep noticing the current craft trend, playing off the current economic situation fashion is becoming more and more hand-made and influenced by the world of arts and crafts. It's like we are turning our back on technology and relying on our knowledge and experience from the past.

Its just like in Paris I was seeing a lot of hand-written text and graffiti art, and after research I have found "scribbles" and "ink stains" to be big trends for next year. Scribbles are strong witness of intuitive ideas and outsider designs; dresses will be developed as if they were doodles. Floral patterns will be freely drawn; clothes are to be seen as a canvas, painted in saturated oil paint colours inspired by the rural world of Van Gogh and the fantasy of the Fauvist movement.

Again as I have previously mentioned I noticed embroidery in many forms in Paris; another form of craft, the embroidery mania of the last decades is evolving towards a more autonomous and crafted ideal taken from the world of art and design. Tender and full of attention the embroidery highlights the soul of a pattern, personalised, customised and embellished ordinary items acquire their own identity and beauty.

Next summer I predict we will be seeing a rise in the use of tie dye materials, and hand painted textiles - including watercolour floral prints and botanical bleeds, an eclectic eccentric ethnic elegance will be the result. Remnants of the past will conjure up spells and swirls to add romance and femininity. Also next year I think there will be a big influence from sculptures, we will be seeing stone hues and marble will offer its opulent and opalescent traits, lending delicate vein patterns and crystallised granites.

Confirmed from my visit to Premiere Vision we are seeing a "collage culture" movement - from a long period of sampling, collecting, assembling and recycling, results a movement in art, design and fashion towards the strong statement of collage. Adding up unusual elements brought together to form a new whole. Loosely assembled, randomly stitched, roughly taped together these expressive textiles resemble works of art and are meant to impress when walking in a crowd, trying to individualise the boring sameness of fashion.
Personally I find this movement thrilling, now we will see a new level of creativity in dress, no more of this "McFashion" business - we will be seeing a greater number of individual dressers. More people will be making and customising their own clothes - hand me my needle, thread and scissors, I am ready to get stuck in!