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Trends Magazine Vol.

1 February 2011 India


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This magazine observes lifestyle trends and explains how current socio,cultural issues seem
to effect life, emotions, aspirations and consumer behavior. The idea is to give suggestions of
how trends are evolving and affecting areas of lifestyle and subsequently fashion. These pages
are to use at will, by professionals working in the lifestyle industry who are looking for trend or
fashion related interpretations.

Editors’ column
1
A personal reflection from the pens of the editors

Contributors
2
The gardeners behind the budding minds

Trend Watch
A study of a future lifestyle trend and scenario. 3
This issue deals with Interactivity as a key trend

Trend analysis
A report on how the studied trend is affecting other 7
areas of lifestyle and consumer behavior

Forecast
The impact of the aforesaid trend on fashion- Fabrics, Color, 8
Silhouettes and Retail Scenario

Conclusion
An essence of the study
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Drifteditors’ note

Ashima Gupta Tanvi Mogla


Editor Editor
I ,being in awe of the whole process
of trend forecasting, thought what The recent process of digitizing
better way to express this study information and extension of
than through a mini- magazine. The digitization to fashion, that caught
scenario of interactive technology my interest that people want
triggered of a spark in my mind and interactivity in their lives, which is
we embarked on the journey of their very own natural behavior.
watching this trend, analyzing it and What stopped me was family
predicting its impact on future interacting to the digital screens,
fashion. It was interesting to note which was Nintendo Wii. The
that many examples came up curiosity was why the crowd is
during our research which heading for it? And how is it
supported our vision, that is, people impacting different aspects of
are seeking more interaction and lifestyles? People are seeking more
spontaneity. The ‘DIY’ movement, and more liveliness, interactivity,
the online retail boom, the dynamic playfulness, participation. Which I
product design, all point in one took as my key aspects to reflect
direction: INTERACTIVITY. upon the future scenario.
And so will fashion.

Head Office
MA Studio, Pearl Academy of Fashion, A-36, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase II, New Delhi 110028

Contact Us:
tanvi.mogla@gmail.com
ashima.g21@gmail.com

1 Printed and Published at:


The PRINT BAZAAR, C-159, Naraina Ind. Area, Phase I, New Delhi-110028
Driftcontributors

Sarita Karandikar(Left) Cora Goetemann(Right)


Co-Tutor Module Leader
Who? Who?
Sarita Karandikar has been associated Ms Cora is a fashion designer from
with the industry for the past two decades. Germany. She has a practical experience
She transitioned from being a women in design, pattern,texography and cutting
wear designer to designing books and from Time Collection, Steilmann AG
subsequently designing costumes for Bochum, Germany. She did her
children’s theatre, after which she finally Jurisprudence & Industrial Management
entered into academics as course leader, course from Albertus Magnus University
‘Fashion Styling and Image Design’. of Cologne, Germany. She has worked as
Sarita also teaches elements of design head designer at West Fashion, GmBh,
and fashion aesthetics, Women’s Evening Germany and Designer(Menswear) at
wear and fundamentals of fashion styling. ITCC Textile Trading GmBh Germany.

What?
What? She, as a mentor, is the most comfortable
This was our first mentoring experience person to work with. She pokes you with
with Sarita ma’m. She's always different and new knowledge all the time
enlightened us with day to day examples and leaves you in a state of wonderment
which encouraged us to think differently. and innovation. She very often asks you
Her valuable guidance and suggestions to unpuzzle the ‘why’ factor in the
have always added value to our work. questions. She’s always infusing energy
and enthusiasm in us to sail our own ship.
2
Drifttrend watch

the world is
constant.
and the only
constant is
3 change
Images:www.shutterstock.com
We are beginning to see the dawn of a new phase where people
are seeking more interaction and participation in every aspect of
their ‘readymade’ lives. They wish to disconnect with the virtual
that is overpowering their being and reconnect with the tangible.
But since there is no looking back from the digital age we are in,
there emerges an integration between the virtual and the physical
where the middle path becomes the new territory for future
survival.
Drifttrend watch

4
Drifttrend watch

It is 2031. Everyone is glued in front of their pc screens


catching up with friends on facebook, shopping for clothes at
Burberry’s online store, attending business conferences on
the company website and feeding their virtual pet in their
virtual home in a virtual world.

Perhaps we all have envisioned this scenario. Some of us like it, some of us don’t. But we
know that it is going to happen. And that is the reason we are soon going to want to distant
ourselves away from this automated life of button-press comfort to re-align ourselves with the
physical world. Although we can’t totally cut ourselves off from technology, we are constantly
making an effort to imbibe a sense of physicality into the digital to gratify our need for
interaction.

The constantly growing demand for interaction in every sphere of life has been fulfilled by
many a designers and innovators who have
moulded their products and services to
Integrate interactivity in technology. One such
big example is the Nintendo Wii, launched in
2006, which changed the face of gaming from
sit-on-the-couch-with-a-remote to move-around
-and-play-with-a-wiimote. We asked 10 Wii
users whether they would prefer (a) to revert
back to the traditional gaming method, (b) play
on Wii or (c) play outdoors. Out of these, none
of selected option (a), 7 selected option (b) and
3 selected option (c). This shows that while
people want to be more active, yet they do not A family playing on Nintendo Wii where their
want to leave their digital comfort zones. movements are being emulated on screen
www.technologygossip.com
Nicholas Carr’s controversial new book, The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our
brains, posits that the capacity for solitary, attentive thinking is being eroded by spending so
much time online. Carr suggests that our thought patterns are becoming distracted, hurried
and superficial, reflecting wavy read webpages. In other words, the internet is
reprogramming our brains and, says Carr, we need to re-engage with the physical world in
order to counter the effect (Viewpoint, Issue no. 27, 2011). Lack of activity, Boredom,
monotony and the absence of dynamism in the technology powered lives of people has
made them take steps to counteract the adversities of it.

And thus, technology is now increasingly being used to emulate real life gestures and make
digital media more participatory than ever. For example: a website,
www.responsibletraveller.in/amarprem, lets users keep historic structures graffiti- free by
offering users ‘virtual’ avatars of their favourite monuments to doodle on.(Hindustan Times
city, New Delhi, Tuesday, February 15, 2011). Even the Ipad, on which you are probably
reading this magazine, makes you flip the page by a flicking gesture rather than just pressing
the ’next’ button. Some mobile communication providers also allow you to update your
facebook status in voice over the phone rather than via text. From youtube videos to
showroom windows, from mobile applications to museum exhibits, everything is striving to
become more communicative and interactive.
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Drifttrend watch
(Top Left) Virtual potter’s wheel ( ‘l’ Artisa
Electronique’) by Unfold and Tim Knapen,
2010 . It is a virtual potter’s wheel and
ceramic printer which allows the user to
mould a pot through a laser and get a print
of the pot through 3-D prototyping.
(www.designboom.com)

(2nd from top) Interactive War & Peace


Tables at the National World War I
Museum, designed by Potion, encouraging
face-to-face encounters by having visitors
go to war or make peace across from each
other. Visitors explore archival photos,
propaganda, video footage and 3-D
reconstructions of military technology,
participate in challenges that mimic military
and political aspects of the war. Potion’s
light wand technology personalizes the
experience one step further, allowing visitors to make
selections on the tables with an interactive
pen.(www.potiondesign.com)

(3rd from top) Interactive Climbing Wall turns every


traditional climbing wall into an interactive climbing
experience. Thousands of boulders and routes can
now be saved on a single wall, and browsed and
played using a simple remote control. Climbers can
thus focus on their climbing experience, forgetting
numbered stickers and colored stripes.
(www.naturalinteraction.org)

(Below left) Ralph Lauren launched a 24-hour interactive


window in London , giving customers the opportunity to
shop by touching a wide screen monitor outside the company's
flagship London store. Boris Becker, Ralph Lauren's brand
ambassador and Wimbledon tennis champion, demonstrated the
"window shopping" screen, which guides shoppers through the
brand's Wimbledon line and shows video tennis
clips(www.trendhunter.com)

(Below right) At TechShop, in Menlo Park, California, members


can come in any day of the week to learn about using fabrication
tools like plasma cutters, laser etchers, 3D printers, computerized
sewing machines, and more. People may make anything ranging
from medical devices to socks, stuffed animals, electric
motorcycles or wooden benches. (Daniel Terdiman/ www.CNET
News.com)

6
Drifttrend analysis

The trend of interactivity is not isolated to technology alone. It has affected all areas of
fashion and consumer behaviour. The people’s need for interaction is leading to
communication and then to participation and ultimately personalisation of products,
services and experiences. The DIY (Do-It-Yourself) movement is hugely an outcome of
people wanting more activity and participation in their lives. They are becoming more and
more interested in participating in the process of making a product. They are making the
effort to get up and do things on their own rather than being served on a silver platter.

The space between the producer and the consumer and decreasing as people are
participating in the design process and designers are providing them with the means to
interact. For example, Sweat shop in
Paris has its customers making clothes;
the café-cum-juice bar is equipped with
10 singer sewing machines and hosts
weekly lessons in knitting and sewing
with guest lectures from local designers
(Viewpoint #27, Pg 144)

The trend of interactivity is alarming all


over the air now; be it vending machines,
customized shopping or online retail. People at work at the Sweatshop, Paris
E-retail is not just push a button to add-to sweatshopparis.blogspot.com
-cart but also virtually moving throughout the store picking up things on your own and
experiencing the real life experience virtually. The retail scenario nowadays is making your
own dish.

Fashion is not aloof from these trends and therefore, it will soon catch up to become more
playful, lively, spontaneous and participatory. Designers and brands will not be dictative
about what, how, where and when of a product, but are leaving it to the consumer to figure
out and have a sense of communication with the product or service.

The following pages give an insight on how fashion will evolve with the trend of interactivity
in terms of colour, fabrics, silhouettes and key styling details. The retail scenario will also
undergo a drastic change in terms of customisable products and interactive retail outlets,
which is also discussed in the pages ahead.

7
The fashion consumer will seek more vivacious colors that are
true- to-life and away from digital neons. In harmony with nature’s
fruity colors, the future sees a fascination for bright colors like
Chlorophyll green, caranitine red, Citrus orange, Lemon Yellow,
Raspberry, Blueberry indigo and Blackcurrant purple which instill
a feeling of freshness, fun and enthusiasm in the eyes of the
onlooker.
Driftcolours

Pantone Pantone Pantone


485 C 1585 C 661 C

Pantone
Pantone Pantone
7481 C
107 C 2592 C
8
Interactive. playful. texture.
spontaneous. tactile. lively. expressive.
color. enthusiasm. physical.
communication. spontaneous. tactile.
lively. expressive. Interactive. playful.
texture. participate. fun. color.
enthusiasm. communication. lively.
expressive. Interactive. playful. texture.
participate. expressive. color.
enthusiasm. tactile. lively. expressive.
communication. spontaneous. tactile.
fun. color. enthusiasm. communication.
lively. expressive. color. enthusiasm.
physical. communication. spontaneous.
tactile. lively. expressive. Interactive.
playful. texture. participate. fun. color.
enthusiasm. communication. lively.
expressive. Interactive. playful. texture.
participate. expressive. color.
enthusiasm. tactile. lively. expressive.
Fabrics that infuse a sense of touch in the beholder through
texture will be more popular as they take away the slick and
smooth feel of the virtual. Textiles that look hand done, hand-
knitted/hand-woven/hand-painted etc will be sought after.
Driftfabrics

9
Interactive. playful. texture.
spontaneous. tactile. lively. expressive.
color. enthusiasm. physical.
communication. spontaneous. tactile.
lively. expressive. Interactive. playful.
texture. participate. fun. color.
enthusiasm. communication. lively.
expressive. Interactive. playful. texture.
participate. expressive. color.
enthusiasm. tactile. lively. expressive.
communication. spontaneous. tactile.
fun. color. enthusiasm. communication.
lively. expressive. color. enthusiasm.
physical. communication. spontaneous.
tactile. lively. expressive. Interactive.
playful. texture. participate. fun. color.
enthusiasm. communication. lively.
expressive. Interactive. playful. texture.
participate. expressive. color.
enthusiasm. tactile. lively. expressive.
Silhouettes will call for interaction and spontaneity. Wraps, anti-
fits, asymmetrics and drapes allow people to depict their self by
allowing scope for personalization and expression. The garment
details would include more buttons, drawstrings, tie-ons, layers
and pockets which indicate that the wearer would have to
actively participate in wearing the garment.
Driftsilhouettes

10
Driftstyling

www.myvirtualookbook.com
Personalise Style Share Sign Out

11
Driftstyling

www.myvirtualookbook.com
Personalise Style Share Sign Out

12
Driftstyling

www.myvirtualookbook.com
Personalise Style Share Sign Out

13
The retail scenario will undergo a revolution in terms of fashion
being created instead of just being bought. Retail outlets will
serve not only as points-of-sale but also as design hubs for the
end consumer to participate in the process of creation and create
bespoke garments by choosing form, fit, features and fabric.
Fashion will no longer be dictated by the designers; rather a
plethora of options will be opened to the consumer to select,
design and wear fashion on their own terms. Interactive display
windows, touch screen interfaces, virtual try-rooms etc will be a
common sight in the future showrooms which will double as DIY
arenas for the creative consumer.
Driftretail scenario

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Driftretail scenario

Virtual mirror which senses your body


movements and projects your avatar A cabin that scans your body for exact
wearing your self-customized jeans measurements for a pair of jeans

Different touch-screens enlisting various


options to customize you jeans including
color, wash, fit, rips, pockets, details etc.

A hypothetical jeans’ showroom of the future which allows you to customize your own pair of jeans

To depict how future retailing would be like, we have created a hypothetical showroom wherein
you can customize your own jeans, choose the washes, pocket details, mark the ripped areas
and also select a color, give your measurements in a capsule and get your jeans within a day.
This kind of retailing would be popular across all fashion brands and stores where customizable
fashion would be the key to attract customers. Rather than just readymade garments, designers
would offer an array of new silhouettes, prints, fabrics and colors which will allow the consumer to
mix and match and choose the exact details of the garment.

Digital 3-D printers, interactive touch screen interfaces, body scanners and a whole plethora of
advanced digital tools will allow mass customization of products and fashion in particular. Online
retail is also undergoing a change. Companies like puma and nike are already allowing
consumers to customize their own show online. Fashion clothing companies will also soon move
into the arena and offer similar online portals as well as technology equipped brick-and-mortar
stores to cater to the interaction seeking consumer.

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Driftconclusion

Interactivity is the aspect of


every small or big particle in
the future lifestyle scenario
affecting areas like consumer
behavior, fashion, media,
food, retail. Everything has a
hint of playfulness in it,
people are seeking more and
more customized touch in
their lives and fashion is no
exception. We are on the
threshold of the fashion
revolution where trends
would be dictated by the
individual instead of the
masses.

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Driftbibliography

WEBSITES

•www.wgsn.com
•www.wikipedia.com
•www.google.com
•www.texsite.info
•www.handmaiden.com
•www.shutterstock.com
•www.potiondesign.com
•www.practicalsanskrit.blogspot.com
•www.istockphoto.com
•www.fashiontech.wordpress,com
•www.trendhunter.com
•www.flickr.com

MAGAZINES

•Fashion Trends Styling Spring/Summer 2011


•Fashion Trends Forecast Spring/Summer 2011
•Collezioni Trends
•Veiw2
•Viewpoint # 25, 26,27
•Domus la nuova utopia, October 2010
•Wallpaper August 2010
•Icon October 2010
•M December 2010

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