What does the future of fashion design look like?
Everyone knows that fashion is ever-changing. As Diana Vreeland, Harper’s Bazaar columnist and Vogue editor-in-chief, once said,
“Fashion is part of the daily air and it changes all the time, with all the events. You can even see the approaching of a revolution in clothes. You can see and feel everything in clothes.”
Whether it’s new trends and ideas cropping up everywhere, or re-vamped, age-old styles coming back into use, fashion will always have something fresh to offer. To keep up with this quick-paced industry and remain stylish, it is essential that we keep our finger on the pulse of fashion design. In our current day, this is proving even more difficult as the industry completely transforms itself, so read on as we dive into everything you need to know to stay current in today’s fashion world.
What are the latest trends shaping the future of the fashion industry?
Fashion trends are generally reflective of larger cultural trends – so not only must we keep an eye on the industry’s creative innovation and seasonal changes, but also consider things like the increase in environmental awareness as well as ongoing effects of the pandemic. These new surges mean that fashion is no longer just about creativity. It is also about comfort, practicality, sustainability and mindfulness. The pandemic has well and truly shifted traditional views of fashion, design and ultimately styling. You only have to look at the ways in which the fashion industry responded to COVID to prove that. Below are some of the key trends that emerged and are shaping the future of fashion.
Breaking Fashion Boundaries
During lockdowns, suddenly we were at home constantly, prioritising comfort and practicality. The rise of loungewear quickly cemented itself as a legitimate fashion trend to be worn outside of the home, turning the notion of acceptable dress codes on its head.
On a more impactful level, society has begun an important journey in accepting and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. As gender norms go out the window, androgynous dressing has never been more present and accepted. Dressing within the confines of your biological gender is no longer vital in today’s society.
Another boundary that has been waiting to break, is that of body shape. The body-positive movement has seen designers pushed to accommodate bodies of all shapes and sizes, and we have begun to see this reflected slowly but surely on the runways.
The Slow Fashion Movement
Our collective awareness of the environmental crisis has risen astronomically and so more and more people are thinking about the materials, production and background of their clothes and the companies they support. Fashion designers have responded to this by way of focusing on natural, sustainable fibers and materials, as well as supporting the push for staple pieces, as opposed to statement ones.
Supporting Local Creatives
A flow-on effect of the Slow Fashion movement is people using their money to support local creatives. Combined with COVID hitting small businesses the hardest, ‘support local’ became almost as common a phrase as ‘wash your hands’. With the pandemic forcibly slowing people down, a lot of us became more mindful of our fashion choices and started supporting smaller, local brands. While potentially not as altruistic at first look (the difficulties in international shipping might’ve provided a little push), the result was all the same. And after such a wholesome, personal buying experience not many people are in a hurry to return to the mass-produced labels.
Repurposing & Restyling
As we head more mindfully into the future, we’re minimising our wardrobe in order to maximise our pieces. This might mean giving the sewing machine a workout to repurpose older items, or getting creative with the many ways you can wear items that you already have in your possession (dad blazers are definitely having a moment). If you’re short on ideas, we’ve got all the upcycling inspo here.
What is the latest technology in garment manufacturing?
To keep up with consumer attitudes, garment manufacturing is constantly reinventing and utilising ground breaking technology. Currently, it’s all about being conscious of where garments have come from and who has made them. So, utilising ethical materials has been a logical focus for garment manufacturing.
We know there’s a lot of information out there, and while things like sustainable fabric guides are helpful, they can only go so far if you’re feeling overwhelmed. There has never been a time more important for Stylists who have the key to simplifying this process. There’s no one better to sift through the clutter and find the materials, cuts, and colours that suit you, and your ethics, best.
What challenges do fashion designers face?
Covid canned the traditional calendar of seasons, collections and shows, upending fashion designers’ outlooks completely. This being said, the short-term uprootings allowed space for long-term projects to be set in motion. Fashion designers have been given the time to reinvent fashion as we know it and not take just steps, but creative bounds forward. The pandemic has pushed us down an unexplored path to say the least, and designers had to keep up, showcasing their work via completely different mediums whether this be Instagram, Zoom, YouTube or TikTok. With the norm torn to shreds, designers must continue to stay on top of societal movements and what is important to the community. Whether this be sustainability, body positivity, queer inclusion or something completely unknown to us right now, the fashion industry will never cease to require reinvention and it now has the fluidity to do so in exciting new ways.
What is the future of fashion styling?
Here at ASI we know that design and styling go hand in hand. So if fashion design is changing daily, what do all these changes mean for styling? Well, just like the rest of the fashion world during the pandemic, we proved that styling could pivot to online with virtual styling and shopping sessions. ASI’s option to study styling 100% online also removed any potential roadblocks for those wanting to become Stylists and enter the industry. With plenty of fresh talent graduating as ASI Stylists during this time, their future in fashion styling is even broader now with the option to have clients from far and wide due to the ease of virtual styling. So we’d say the future of fashion styling is looking pretty bright!
How do I keep up with the latest trends in fashion?
Information overload? Don’t worry, we’re got your back. Subscribe to our newsletter and we’ll bring you the latest to ensure your finger stays on the pulse of the fashion world. You can also follow your favourite brands (and us!) on Instagram to keep the inspiration flowing.
And if you’re wanting something a little less changeable (we know the effort that goes into a wardrobe refresh so do not expect that to be done on the daily) here are some sustainable fashion stylists you can add to your feed, as well as fashion trends that will be around a lot longer than you think.
Want to be the one that helps everyone else stay up to date? Study our Certificate of Personal Styling online or in-person and launch your own styling business.
