Changing Your Life
There are many that think the current credit crunch is not only touching
people’s bank accounts, but also the way they see life as a whole. That the
current economic crisis, painful though it is, could have a happy outcome by
getting consumers to take a more responsible view of life that will benefit the
planet as a whole.
People are already driving less. In France gasoline and diesel sales fell 10% in
June. According to a random survey of 1,000 drivers in Japan, more than 50% have
cut down on eating-out while around 30% reduced their weekend trips to suburban
shopping malls and outlets. Many countries are reporting that a very large
number of shoppers have started to shop again at local stores and markets – even
if products are slightly more expensive.
Meanwhile, people are hanging on to their cars longer, so sales in accessories
are booming. So is the bicycle business. In Japan, for example, Marui department
store in Yurakucho is opening a lifestyle shop based around bikes this autumn
for the style-conscious cyclists. In the hip Aoyama area, Shimano’s new shop,
Ove, has become one of the Tokyo destinations, promoting the environmental and
social benefits of cycling and organizing weekly, group road cycling events.
Consumers are rediscovering the joys of picnics and sandwiches rather than
gourmet restaurants. They are turning away from bottled water to tap water.
Danone, which bottles Evian water, shut down production at its plant in the
village of Amphion for five days in August.
As consumers tighten their belts, the business argument is that they will “buy
less but buy better”. They won’t spend fortunes on strato-brands, but they will
look for and will pay for perceived quality and difference. Hence, more
retailers are looking for fresh ideas in visual merchandising and/or to
introduce higher priced collections. Hennes & Mauritz started this with its Cos
concept. Many are following - J. Crew, Ann Taylor, Coach, Banana Republic with
its BR Monogram, Lee Cooper’s Red Diamond premium collection, Diesel’s Black
Gold etc.
There is also a growing interest by knowledgeable consumers in designers and
boutiques that prefer a low profile and carefully managed budgets (eg, Theory,
Philip Lim, Elie Tahari, Tara Jarmon, Maje, Manouse and BASH).
What’s more, this line of thought goes beyond just quality issues. There are
those who believe that, as inflation bites in and wages increase in the low-cost
clothing countries of the Far East, the big discounters and budget retailers
will not be able to offer the same kind of cheap merchandise they have thrived
on. Existing customers will drift away, not just to higher quality suppliers,
but those with truly ethical and Fair trade credentials (see the article on page
54)
Moreover, as customers buy less, they will automatically buy more sustainably
saving on waste and landfill. As Jeremy Rifkin argued 10 years ago, we could
finally move into “the age of access”, away from an economy, in which it was
good to own stuff, into one in which people prefer to rent it. Second-hand,
sharing costs, partial ownership, renting will get bigger and bigger. In the
end, retailers might end up earning more from servicing and renting rather than
producing and selling.
And beyond all this, there are the life-changing or rather life-affirming
factors that the current economic crisis will shed light on. If you haven’t got
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the money, then you cannot consume. Thus, this credit crunch might be the cure
for ‘Affluenza’, the consumer society disease where people are slaves to media,
marketing and bling and spend and spend to compensate the long hours they work,
the lonely lives they lead…
You must make your own mind up on all this. We cannot lead you. There are the
cynics, that believe that: ‘boom and bust’ are just part of an ever-turning
economic cycle; that the clothing industry will just move on and develop
production in ever cheaper countries; that big discounters will grow and grow
because no one can resist ‘a bargain’; and that human beings are born
capitalists with ostentation ingrained in their DNA. But, there are also the
idealists, who say, questioning consumption and the way we do things, will not
just change the system, but herald the beginning of a new cycle on earth. We
will turn towards a simpler life on the outside and a richer life on the inside.
We will not want more possessions, but to experience nature, to be grounded and
to connect with others.
So pragmatic, but also optimistic, at View2, we have decided to dedicate our new
issue to a winter of ‘cocooning’ and recognition of the new importance in our
lives of ‘good old friends’ whether they be of the human or material variety!
WINTER 08/09
EXPRESS
Express fashion is all about taking what we know and changing it this winter. In
men’s we combine the natural with the technical and look back to past hard times
in a sturdy worker story. Womenswear stands loud and proud with a bold, rock
influenced story.
SUMMER 2009
MEN’S DESIGNERS
As the days get longer and hotter, menswear is planning to get cooler. The new
breed of man can be an urban athlete, a nerd, an office hero or even on safari,
but one thing is certain – he knows his style and precisely how to wear it.
Whether it is beautifully bright blocks or the return of great ginghams,
fantastic new fabric finishes or a plethora of pastels, we can look forward with
confidence to a Summer 2009 that will be anything but a washout.
TRADE FAIR VIEW
With so many brands offering a little bit of everything and very little clarity
found at the shows, Summer 2009 looks set to be a buyer’s wonderland. But, will
the commercial and safe win, or, as we at View2 hope, will it be all about
drawing new attention to design innovation and extreme attention to the detail?
Be brave! Plus, again, we bring you a selection of our favourite outfits being
worn in and around the shows by the people in the know.
WINTER 09/10
COLOUR DIRECTION
Winter is a time when nature rests, so it follows that it should also herald a
period of contemplation. Three of our six themes, ‘Totem’, ‘Fragment’, and
‘Transient’ all explore the notion of being with others to focus on a common
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goal. The remaining themes, ‘Alpine’, ‘Escape’ and ‘Cloister’, all reflect the
idea of being solitary, and using a particular space in which to think, to
exercise, to be inspired. Which colours do you want to escape in?
FABRIC LABORATORY
A look at the latest developments in denim weaving, casualwear fabrics, washing
and finishing technology plus our special R&D section given over, this season,
to dimensions in surface play.
FABRIC DIRECTION
It’s time to relive your childhood with our soft and cuddly versions of classic
children’s poems and stories. Don’t think back too hard though, because we’ve
given them a View2 twist for today, whilst highlighting some key fabric stories
for the season ahead.
TRIM DIRECTION
This season is fuelled by mixed inspirations: different cultures and ecosensitivity; old-world frivolities and little girl needlework; ballads and folk
songs; country crafts and art; school uniforms and the sports club spirit;
creating out of synch vintage; militants and adversaries; and the soft and
playful.
WOMEN’S TREND DIRECTION
As a reaction to current market trends with throw-away consumerism and inexpensive fast
fashion, we are finally seeing a turn around. The design revolution has begun! It is time
to embrace this ‘anti-trend’, which asks us to have a conscience, but also to be
inventive and have fun with fashion again.
WOMEN’S KEY ITEMS
With a real focus on interesting necklines, a wealth of cocooning shapes and an
important shorter sharper sleeve length, it looks set to be an interesting
season ahead. Predominantly, this is about tweaking and refreshing old
favourites and embracing new fabric developments in a way that functions for
today’s needs.
WOMEN’S GRAPHIC DIRECTION
This season brings quite contrasting graphical directions to the forefront and a
more intensive mixed-use of applications. On the one hand, we turn to the dark
side, taking inspiration from raw industrial energy and twisted childhood
fantasies. On the other, we re-explore old favourites, placing them in brave new
ways and in bold new dimensions.
MEN’S TREND DIRECTION
Futuristic innovation and artistic experimentation prevail, but with a psychotic
stare back to our ‘comfort zone’, the past. Silhouette, proportion, and detail
continue to evolve through contemporary futuristic landscapes and
environmentalism, whilst taking in redefined traditional values of method and
construction.
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MEN’S KEY ITEMS
From the preppy to the skinhead, we see a host of key shirt shapes, a move to
the extreme in trouser fits, and a new focus on tailoring in men’s silhouettes.
Proportions retain a mix-and-match flavour and style codes are reinvented by
twisting the new with the old.
MEN’S GRAPHIC DIRECTION
Menswear graphics veer sharply from one mood to another. We see bubbling-under
aggression and physical brutality, captured through psychotic eyes. In stark
contrast, we visit a serene nature inspired story, and, finally, it’s time to
let out the clown inside, with a fantastical fairground of colour and pattern,
destined to bring a smile.
KID’S TREND DIRECTION
We embrace the tapestry of life’s experiences, finding long lost, yet faithful,
or new best friends along this multi-influenced journey of discovery. Young
girls mix folklore from different shores, whilst older girls look back to home
comforts. For young boys, new means stylish knitwear shapes and textural
patterns. Older boys find a new best friend in tailoring, customising their new
finds with past references.
FOOTWEAR DIRECTION
As of next winter, more designers will finally start looking beyond the surface
of colour and decoration. Rather than just restyling existing shoes, they are
redefining material, shape, proportion and construction, both from a pessimistic
and a positive angle. Yes, all this will require new investments, but let’s hope
that more companies start to realise that this is what is needed to grow towards
building a better future.
SUMMER 2010
CASUALWEAR FORECAST
Summer 2010 preaches elegance and difference. We will dress casual and choose
sports garments with a real taste for the unusual. Fancy silhouettes herald new
creative processes and new materials. Textiles are trimmed with jewels. Wardrobe
accessories reveal a casual mood in search of innovation.
SPORTSWEAR FORECAST
For us, looking into what we feel will be valid thought lines and execution in
the coming years is not so much a question of buzzwords as it is motivating
factors. “What themes will inspire regardless of fashion”, “what developments
are here to stay” and “what aspects need a bit of work”, are taken as the
premises upon which our forecast is based.
DESIGN DETAILS
It’s not the first, and it won’t be the last time you read in this issue that
detail is everything. So, this time we’ve broken our detail pages down into
casual, denim and sports segments. But, as we all know, there is a fine line
between the three nowadays, so feel free to mix and match your way forward, in
your quest to stand apart from the rest.
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Adress / Showroom: Klippan 1c, SE-414 51 Göteborg Tel: +46 31 12 44 55 Fax: +46 31 12 35 45
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THE OUTSIDE VIEW
We go Stateside to find out what beats and grooves the sunny West Coast party
people are getting down with and dressed up for. From the semi-rockers and
reggae-boppers at Jimmy’s Lounge, to the underground trendsetters strutting
their stuff at the Grand Star Jazz Club, get set for another fun-packed fashion
fest American style.
ColourHouse AB
Adress / Showroom: Klippan 1c, SE-414 51 Göteborg Tel: +46 31 12 44 55 Fax: +46 31 12 35 45
info@colourhouse.se www.colourhouse.se