Trend forecasters are probably the oddest kind of persons. Not in a negative way, don't get me wrong. But who are these people who apparently know what is going to trend in like two years from now? I'll tell you - at least I know one person: Gudy Herder, my friend and fellow blogger at Eclectic Trends. She is a professional trend expert and works for the Global Color Research in London.
Two weeks ago I attended a trend seminar hosted by Gudy for 'Meet the Blogger'. Together with her we pushed the fast forward button and found ourselves in the autumn/winter 2016/17 season - yes, two years from now. Gudy presented four lifestyle trends that nourish themselves from creative vibes in arts, fashion, design. And today I want to share those lifestyle trends with you too. Let's roll!
Trend 01: WONDERLAND
'Wonderland' describes cold, rough nordic landscapes. It evokes escapism and the desire to discover the inaccessible, the undiscovered. It is etherial, sometimes intangible. It draws major inspiration from the nordic nature and brings the feeling of nature into our lives and homes. It is the desire to liberate ourselves from the conventions and limits, it refers to our inner urge to cut off the strings that make us function in our mundane life. Elusive, frosty colors define this trend - think of cold whites, icy blues, dark greens but also opposing lava reds and other volcanic hues, soft sunset colors.
Trend 02: SCANNED
This trend reveals what lies beneath. It triggers our explorative nature to peek under the surface, to see what lies beneath and thus to better understand life. It is a sort of creative Darwinism, an urge to understand, observe and control. It focuses on transparency and X-ray looks, it integrates technology in the human body and life. Even though it has a technological dimension, it is still airy, delicate. It is the poetic dimension of technology if you want so. Color wise think of charcoal, transparent greys, mauve, dusky blues and pale pink.
Trend 03: COLLAGE
Who knew - in two years the 80s will be back, in full force! This trend refers to the so-called 'Memphis Design', an Italian design and architecture group from 1981. It is a non-conformist approach and leverages our creative drive. Vivid colors, geometric shapes, modular concepts - it is a sort of cut & past style with lots of optimism and dynamics. It is all about customization and a modular understanding of design. Think of painterly effects, brush strokes, black & white with blush and peach hues, light blues, greys. Playful is a keyword here!
Trend 04: COSMIC
This trend evokes distant feelings, it is a technological, mechanical concept, rooting in the 80s. Imagine exploding stars, northern lights and a robot feeling. It is acid, vivid, full of drama, it melts, floats, it shimmers, it's metallic, it's crystalline. Color wise think of acid greens, vibrant pinks and purples, midnight blues, turquoise and black. Also think of shimmering gold and silver effects. With this trend we are bound to set off and explore the universe!
After her presentation Gudy asked for feedback from the attending 25 lifestyle bloggers and the two favorite trend forecasts were 'Wonderland' and 'Scanned'. I think this was mostly because we can already see those in the creative world - their colors and landscape designs and X-ray looks are already being applied by forward thinking brands and most of it comes from Scandinavia.
I would like to pick up Gudy's question and pass it on to you, my dear readers: Which trend is your favorite and which one do you think will be really big?
P.S. I am in Amsterdam until Sunday so I will see you back on Monday here on the blog. For an instant glimpse into what I am up to in Amsterdam (lots of design) follow me on Instagram @igorjosif
Photography by Igor Josifovic, collages by Gudy Herder
Oh that's so interesting igor! I wish I could have been there with you all.
ReplyDeleteMy fav Trend is the first one wonderland. Really my kind of colours and atmosphere. I can imagine it really working well in interior design. Have fun in Amsterdam!
Elodie
my fav one is "collage" - guess I am not courageous enough for the other ones... but without my subjective preference I like "scanned" too - it represents uniqueness, is fancy and some kind of weird in one.... - julia
ReplyDeleteOh, that's so interesting! Love all the styles, but, as you put it, the wonderland has to be my fave.
ReplyDeleteLove the ethereal feeling and the subtle mix of hues in all of them however!
xoxo
Igor this looks really good! I love the Wonderland part, but I think it's based on feelings and the love for all that is blue. Although I'm not a huge fan of the Cosmic collage, I thinks that one will be really big due to the mix and the popping colours.
ReplyDeleteIgor, you have made here a brilliant sum up and captured all the trends perfectly.
ReplyDeleteJust one note on your kind introduction: I consider myself as a trend observer. The little difference between an observer and forecaster lies in the fact I pay attention, look at trends, feel them and then report whereas a forecaster dictates trends. They tell brands upon consulting what exactly to do. Think Li Edelkoort! :-) May be one day though...thanks for the wonderful post and enjoy Amsterdam all you can! xo to the gang!
this is really interesting!
ReplyDeleteThink my favourite would be Wonderland and then Collage. I guess I find it hard to say which one I think would be popular, i guess there are aspects of all these in today's life, but I would say wonderland, collage and cosmic are the most clearest. I'm not sure if collage would actually be a little outdated in two years time as I kind of feel they are already trending ..but I still really like it!
https://esrscreatives.wordpress.com/
I'm always amazed at how the forecasters come up with these trends...and they are usually right on. How do they do that? I'd love to know. I guess they often lead the rest of us by the hand... I identify most with the Scanned and Collage trends, because they are closest to my design aesthetic. Great post Igor.
ReplyDeleteLovely! It's interesting how it also looks very NOW! I don't have a real favorite, there's something in every lifestyle trend for me. I know there were some greens in your beautiful bloggers moodboard, but surprisingly there's hardly any green in here! I have a feeling that plants will still be very trendy in 2 years from now ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are right Judith - but that is because the plants or more generally spoken the 'green trend' is a sort of super trend and these four here are so-called microtrends:-) Yes, plants are super trendy :-)
DeleteUAU thanks for this great resume really inspiring :)
ReplyDeleteAt first sight I can say that third one, Collage, it's my favourite, maybe this is the one that fits best my colour and material preferences, or maybe just because it's something we already see around so my taste are already accostumed to this? I'm sure petrol will be a trend very soon, together with all the blues shades you have selected in Wonderland.
Cosmic is the more intriguing for me instead...I bet on this!
Thank you for all the interesting feedbacks!! Keep them coming - I am intrigued to see which trend will win!
ReplyDeleteooooh! This kind of trend talk I really like :) Scanned is my favourite. The pinky calm translucence reminds me of the ballet classes of my youth, and the X-ray vibe reminds me of the time I worked in a lab - both wonderful experiences for me.
ReplyDeleteCosmic is not really my taste, but it is the one I find most intriguing. I think in small does it could be really fun. I look forward to see how that one plays out.
Thank you Gudy and Igor!
what a wonderful insight to have! I'm most drawn to wonderland & collage, but I think there's something in all of them x
ReplyDelete