NATURAL TEXTURES

Inspirations
The accent in this trend theme is on the textures and looks of fabrics, that seem to move into several other directions. The consumer may be a bit tired of all the luxury, all the loud colors, the opulence and the glitter and glamour trends of the last few seasons. In general, we will prefer more ‘reduced’ and discreet looks in 2007, more ‘natural’ colors and more nature inspired ideas. There will be a few main directions, which are linked with nature, naturalness, movement or a break, a moment of stillness…. they tickle our fantasy to create exciting new surfaces for fashion textiles.

Dry, rough, granular
The dry, ‘rougher’ looking fabrics, inspired by or made in combination with natural fibres such as linen and jute, straw and raffia. Often livened up with crafted ideas, here and there with decorative African ethnics and sometimes even with sparkling shine or glitter. Fabrics may look rough, feel dry and sound, even crispy sometimes, for bodyfashion they have to remain soft and they need to have ‘skin’ friendly qualities; they also must be styled with high refined elegance and sophistication.
The roughness of the bark of a tree, the irregularity of its structures, the ripplings and wavy patterns in sand, the granular structures of earth and her sources.

Wet, fluid, frozen
On the other hand we have the fluid, fresh, cool and smooth textiles, that seem to slip and slither around our body like a shower, or make us feel like a fish in the ocean.
Or the movement of water, how it can be stilled, captured in an icy, frozen surface; the frosty images and still movements. 

Animal, Cellular, Mineral
Camouflage and animal skins have always inspired us and they often come in cliché ideas…. the classics. It is a great and nice challenge to find new inspiration in the unending uncountable possibilities the insect world, the micro-cosmos, its micro biological, cellular life, and other non cliché creatures offer us.
Nature above the ground and nature in the soil or under water are great sources of eternal inspiration. Here we find the real treasures of our earth.
Minerals, stones, pebbles, the raw diamonds, gold and silver crystals; what we find in the geological layers underneath, the color nuances and tones, the play with light, the natural sparkles, it is all inspiration for the new ‘natural’ wave in fashion!

Colors and Fabrics
Sandy light and dark, warm and cool neutrals, naturals and skin tones; humid blue ocean and frosty colors.
Dry: weavings, knits and laces in dryer, rougher looks, skin-soft; decorative openwork, rougher handcraft and embroideries; loose threads integrated; basket weaves; crinkled, wrinkled, rippled irregular surfaces. Sometimes geometric, figurative and decorative patterned motives with ethnic echoes; macramé’s; African masks and other ethnic inspiration; torn and worn ideas, styled with refined elegance.
Wet: fluid, thin and liquid feeling materials; fine plissé’s; sleek, thin transparencies; smooth satins; crinkled, rippled, water wave surfaces; cool, icy crystals; slippery transparent looks and fine prints that seem to move like water, by combination of layering and fluidness of materials.Watery, wavy motives.
Animal, cellular mineral: new inspirations for prints and structures in lace and knits.
Irregular spidery ideas; sparkles, spots; (char)coal darks with sparkles and shiny spots; scribbly fine and circular, cellular movement.

Invisible high-tech innovation
Especially now that the trends move towards more natural looks again, with less opulence and less loud prints, we should focus on consumers’ demands for innovative, cosmetic and health stimulating body-care qualities.

Silhouettes
Forms will be quite natural: wrap and fold around the body and enveloping moulage techniques; details like knotted, tangled, twisted, braided textile, to be formed by ‘hand’. Water nymph: sleek, long slim silhouettes; fluidness and movement in layers.
Animal skins often body-conscious.