March 2013 / Color & Material Evolutions


Located throughout the world, the Trendease Team continues to deliver our subscribers around the globe must-know market information and inspiration straight to their computer screens.

Advanced and natural materials, traditional craftsmanship, and innovative high-tech processes collide in this issue where the past, present, and future merge! It is about realization and adaptation, with a touch of fantasy and escapism. In a blend of genres flora and fauna meet imaginary beasts, mutant nature and hybrids are ever-present. Exploring the floors of Ambiente, Première Vision, Le Cuir à Paris, Indigo, Expofil, ModAmont, and other great exhibitions has allowed us to bring you insights into future design directions. Over 500 new product images and dozens of Pantone color stories await you here. Get inspired with the March edition!

We attend over 100 design events a year on your behalf to bring you trend insights and design movements to help you maintain cutting-edge knowledge of the lifestyle and design markets. Currently we keep readers within 171 countries/territories in the know! Are you reading Trendease.com?

Show us what you've got! For editorial consideration please email editorial@trendease.com with your latest original designs. Upcoming Trendease Market Edge PowWows and Trendease.TV scheduling can be found on the homepage.

REPORTING TO INSPIRE,
Jennifer Castoldi,
Chief Creative Director

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Features and Articles

Jennifer's March Musings

Worldwide — This issue is dominantly about color and materials pushing their way to the forefront. We are entering a time of material intensity. Materials, more than ever, weigh in with their importance. Material libraries, innovation platforms, sample banks, and the like are popping up at shows around the world. These ingredients can be the foundation of new creations, the catalyst for fresh ideas, or the cherry on top of the sundae.

Ambiente Trend: Blossom Field

Frankfurt — Depending on who you are, Guns-n-Roses may start raging in your head when we write this: Welcome to the Jungle! In the context of bora.herke.palmisano studio’s vision for 2013 at Ambiente, they were taking the phrase more literally. Fun and games aside, these forecasters have made the forest the backdrop for their guidance and trend definitions to help buyers with their purchasing decisions.

Ambiente Trend: Classic Ground

Frankfurt — For 2013 “the forest as a symbol of repose and well-being offers space for personal development and the joys of fashioning one’s own place in the world.” In Classic Ground this is done with high quality goods made from leather, chrome, and wood. More on the masculine side, smooth, polished surfaces with high-end finishes grace this consumer’s personalized interior.

Ambiente Trend: Eccentric Domain

Frankfurt — This gallery features the emerging consumer trend Eccentric Domain, demonstrated at Ambiente using exhibitor goods for illustration, selected by bora.herke.palmisano. Extravagance, decadence, glamour, unusual designs, extraordinary surfaces, extravagant accents, marbled finishes, and gem decorations are just a few details of this movement. Eccentric Domain is indulgent for those who like to collect.

Ambiente Trend: Contrasting Sphere

Frankfurt — The sun and the moon align in this reflection of the desert mirrored onto the interior of Contrasting Sphere. Desert hues, natural materials, traditional craftsmanship, and innovative high-tech processes are familiar yet futuristic. Ultra-lightweight, stone effects, veined structures, crackled looks, and wood-like finishes make up the collection designs merchandised here.

Chameleon leather (oil swirls?) Leather from NOVALPINA

Can Turbulence be Escaped in 2014

Paris — From snazzy wallcoverings and upholstery to shoes and handbags, the possibilities are endless! In this feature discover the trends from the 24th edition of Le Cuir à Paris for Spring-Summer 2014, including societal shifts, ten color stories with Pantone references, and many examples of the pieces launched at the event. This is where fashion and design professionals can find the latest novelties and collections of leathers, textiles for accessories, furs and components.

Colors for the stripesummer14 project

PV: Material Intensity

Paris — The Trendease Team recently attended PV Pluriel in Paris and we thoroughly enjoyed walking the floor of Première Vision to scope out the fabrics, materials, and fresh innovations for 2014. The sophisticated textiles for the coming seasons have been broken down into the trends Material Intensity, Voluptuous Mutations, and Energetic Constructions. Given the large number of photo samples, we have divided the directions into three galleries. See the first 104 images here.

PV: Voluptuous Mutations

Paris — Uncover what Première Vision exhibitors say are their buyers’ top selections. In this gallery see over 85 images featuring fabric directions for Spring/Summer 2014. Within this theme there are eight categories where subscribers can unearth energetic patterns, motifs from the wild, delicate flowers, stars and stripes, double-faced textiles, and subtle shine.

PV: Energetic Constructions

Paris — Architecture for the body and the home, these forward-looking materials give a feel for what’s to come. Subscribers can click through to discover nearly 90 examples of clearly defined directions within eight stories for Energetic Constructions. The intriguing surface interests will be turning heads, just ask the buyers who already choose these, making them the exhibitors’ top sellers.

Diaphanous, Iridescent, and Marbleized

Paris — In this feature we share with you the trend predictions shown at the international trim show, ModAmont. Despite the fact that the fair heavily weighs towards the apparel and accessory markets, the final application of the items on display can be utilized for the home and automobile industries as well. It only takes a trained eye to spot the possibilities.

NEWSLETTER #428 - Green Gropes & Hopes

Worldwide — The ideal tool against greenwashing is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). If you do not have such robust information at your fingertips, the best weapon you hold is curiosity—ask questions! That is exactly what the Trendease Team has been doing at the recent flurry of trade shows. Here are some of the gems we uncovered.

BIO APPEAL

NEWSLETTER #429 - Diminished Boundaries

Bangkok — While bouncing around Asia, we also popped into BIFF&BIL (Bangkok International Fashion Fair and Bangkok International Leather Fair), where among the latest apparel and accessories one can find textiles, some bedding, leather, leather upholstery, and suitcases. A lot to take in. At the center of it all are the Spring/Summer 2014 trends. Once logged in subscribers can read more, note the Pantone references, and peruse a collection of supporting images hot off of the trade floor.

NEWSLETTER #430 - More S/S 2014 Colors

Worldwide — We sincerely hope that you, and everyone else, reading this had an inspiring week. Cotton Incorporated has put together a forecast for S/S 2014 outlined here. Once logged in subscribers can read all five directions in full and see the supporting color story with Pantone references.