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Back in 1997, the first
year I attended the Heimtextil show in Frankfurt, Germany, I was amazed—overwhelmed
by the amount of information, products, people, cultures and trends all
packed into a few snowy days in January. It was a treasure trove of trends
and design, and I think the words “sensory overload” best describes
my experience. But what I brought home . . . well, that was something
else. It felt good to be aware of trends before everyone else. Six months,
even a year after I saw the new products and designs in Germany, they
finally hit in the United States. Well, some of them, at least. Others
fell by the wayside, as design experiments—not trends—do.
Heimtextil has always been the year’s opening herald, spouting thoughts
and ideas on global fabric and design trends—it still is. But things
have changed in the way information travels. Digital photography, computers,
downloading and e-mail—it doesn’t take much anymore to transmit
from one end of the world to the other in a matter of minutes. In fact,
the Heimtextil photographs you see in this article were transmitted from
Frankfurt to Minneapolis, MN, in a little less than 10 minutes. Pretty
amazing, huh?
In 2001, things changed globally, too, when on our nation’s soil
war erupted. People started feeling differently about the world and their
places in it. Started to feel as if some of the things that were so important
to them in the past . . . just weren’t all that important anymore.
“Cocooning,” the term coined by Faith Popcorn in the 1980s is
being embraced with renewed fervor. She says cocooning is about “the
need to protect oneself from the harsh, unpredictable realities of the
outside world.” Not that the cocooning trend went away, mind you,
but its resurgence is remarkable.
Popcorn also invented a new term this year—egonomics. In her words,
egonomics developed “to offset a depersonalized society, [where]
consumers crave recognition of their individuality.” The consumer
that used to be a name, then a number—and now is a bar code—is
fighting back.
It is these movements—cocooning, egonomics and the age of technology—that
pushed forth the designs we will be seeing this year in fabrics and home
decor.
HEIMTEXTIL TRENDS
Gunnar Frank, Heimtextil’s resident trend expert, touted that this
year “general trends are out. The prime objective,” he declared,
“is to clearly identify consumer taste, irrespective of whether it’s
modern, traditional or fun-oriented.” Ego-nomics? Oh, yeah. We definitely
are not in an era where pleasing and impressing the Joneses is more important
than pleasing ourselves.
During a seminar at the mid-January trade event, Frank suggested that
what is in is individuality and “the imaginative interaction of powerful
contrasts.” He stressed, “Mix is the ‘in’ thing. Squares
and stripes, matte and glossy, light and dark, warm and cold, smooth and
hirsute–absolutely anything goes. The important thing is to find
one’s own personal style by mixing a combination of colors, designs
and materials.”
And in looking at the fabrics available this year, contrast is indeed
what 2002 holds.
GLITZ AND GLITTER
Gretchen Bellinger, the self-professed “Queen of Glitter” says,
“I think people like glitz—as long as it isn’t over the
top.” Her understated and sophisticated new fabrics, Petal to the
Metal and Flash & Dash are two examples of her penchant for glitter
beauty. Petal to the Metal is a viscose, polyester, polymide blend jacquard
that offers a neutral background overlaid with a sedate but stunning mix
of flowers and petals in gold. Flash & Dash, a viscose/polyester blend,
is reminiscent of a Jackson Pollack work of the late 1940s, with gold,
copper or silver splashed against a neutral but nubby background. Neutral
background, flashy glitz. Right on, Gretchen!
But she’s not the only company touting a penchant for glitz. At ADO,
Mandi Marlowe says the company will be offering “sparkle sheer organza-based
double cloth and a chintz-like iridescent in rich, trendy colors.”
The ADO booth at Heimtextil, she says, was a hot commodity and its fabrics
very well-received.
Another exercise in contrast was noted by Bob Looijschelder, manager of
supply relations for Tapestria, during his trip to the 2002 Heimtextil
show. “Floral prints,” he mentioned, “were seen shifting
toward open, not too busy, bright patterns, with larger pattern elements
contrasting on very light or white backgrounds.”
SILK SENSATIONS
“Silk still leads the list when it comes to elegance,” says
Ginny Connor, a workroom and member of DraperyPro. And it’s here
to stay, although not in the way you might think. Connor says, “Even
with all its drawbacks, [silk] is becoming more and more popular.”
And keep your eyes open: Help is on the way with this tricky and tempestuous
fabric.
Says Looijschelder, “Watch for taffeta-like fabrics made of 100 percent
acetate with the hand, drape and touch of real taffeta silk. This composition
has better strength and offers better light-fastness than 100 percent
silk.” One example is Tapestria’s Trio, a yummy 100 percent
acetate block print with a composition poised to offer longer length of
usage, coupled with an elegant nature.
As for color, Looijschelder says the market is already full of plain silks.
Watch for “romantic damasks in new colorways: light blue, light olive
green, even a little bit more to the mint. Bright—not so saturated.
Red-yellow is also coming on strong.”
Also on the horizon are damasks in pastel colors with romantic ornamentation
and embroidered flowers. You will even see complex combinations of silk
and chenille coming your way soon.
COLORS IN CONTRAST/DESIGN REVISITED
At Heimtextil, Gunnar Frank suggested two hot color combinations: black
and blue, which he says “stands for, among other things, warm, dark,
soft, hairy and matte;” and white coupled with green, which “signifies
cold, pale, hard, transparent, glossy, linear and rectangular.”
Another apparent hit at Heimtextil was the reintroduction of some new
takes on retro designs from the 1960s and 1970s, especially Op and Pop
Art prints.
DRAPERIES & FABRIC: WHAT YOUR CLIENTS WANT
All these new fabrics are wonderful, but will your clients buy them? Pam
DeCuir, Pam DeCuir Interior Designs, Wall-Neptune, N.J., says her clients
are buying embroidered or re-embroidered sheers, textures and solids and
fancy silks brought over from the ready-to-wear lines, which are then
appliquéd, embroidered and beaded. What they aren’t buying,
she says, are “plain sheers, solid colors or frilly anything.”
Also from New Jersey, Linda Principe, Linda Principe Interiors, says “beads
and bullion fringe is in, appliquéd sheers, textures and crinkle
fabrics. [But] floral and traditional prints are still popular.”
As for color, she says “autumn tones are frequently used—coffee
and taupe tones, golds, brick reds, eggplant and some black as accents.”
Jeri Corne, sales manager, Anderson Fabrics, Blackduck, MN, says, “we
are continuing to see the fancier top treatments, heavily upgraded with
fringe, trims and tassels. A lot of the silk fabrics are being interlined
to create more of a luxurious, elegant finished product. There also seems
to be a continuous interest in the ever-dependable pinch pleat drapery,
also being ordered with trims and interlining. In essence, starting with
the basics and then adding on the bells and whistles.”
And finally, across the nation, velvet is still a preferred fabric by
many a consumer.
THE YEAR AHEAD
There are plenty of fabric companies worldwide with an abundance of fabric
lines being offered. Define your market, and listen to your clients. There’s
a fabric with a trendy look and a price point to match waiting for you
this year.
Kathleen Stoehr is president of Chemistry Creative, based
in Minneapolis, MN. She has more than six years’ experience covering
window treatments and interior fashions as the former editor-in-chief of
Window Fashions magazine. Stoehr can be contacted for comments, queries
and trend information at kstoehr@chemistrycreative.com. |
