Crash Burn Rise Innovate DOWNLOAD PDF

The dramatic shake-up of brands, the deceleration of the Chinese and Russian fashion market (with the latter’s Fashion Council being forced to cancel its ‘guest nation’ project at Pitti Uomo this January) and crash and burn among designers and brands in 2014 (leading well into 2015) was largely unprecedented, but it’s what defined the year for the global fashion industry, recaps Neha Ganeriwal.

The year 2014 saw womenswear revolving seamlessly around finding an elegant, feminine yet practical and masterly tailored wardrobe for the working woman, with flat shoes (sandals or even sneakers) making a boardroom entry, while menswear got tougher (or more ‘male’ if you please), discarding the mushy metrosexuality and sharpening it with a strut of masculinity and bold swagger.

The eccentric historian: This extremely decorative ‘folkloric mix’ trend featured strong design mixed with history and culture to create a new look that was instantly recognisable and yet a little edgy, making it relevant to contemporary fashion.

The geologist: As crop shortages and natural disasters continue to dominate the news, a new appreciation of natural resources influenced design. A pious approach to nature this trend was about keeping things simple, functional and sustainable and creating stunning patterns and irregular textures. It was about making the very most of what our earth and nature has to offer and interpreting this into textiles to create a range of surreal and innovative fabrics.

The romantic artist: A romantic vision of nature and flowers in an English country garden symbolised this artsy trend. While floral prints are nothing new, they were mostly highlighted in spring/summer collections, but such was their popularity in 2014 that they were scattered through fall winter collections too.

The innovator: Accepting the modifications brought about by globalisation and moving forward with it to improve and create unique and exciting new fashion, was what this trend was all about. Ignoring the negative challenges of the economy on one hand and bringing out the positives in textile and fashion design, this trend brought a breath of fresh air to the collections in 2014.

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