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CONTENT updates 4 seasons: SS19, AW19/20, SS20, AW20/21
ISSUE # 125 MORNING SONG
Rent a life
Renting clothes is not a new concept: high-priced, designer items worn for a single occasion, such as a wedding, awards ceremony etc, have long been available for hire. Services that cater to high profile career wear or short term situations like pregnancy also have their raison d’être. But now subscription services, which offer long-term borrowing on everyday items are mushrooming as well. Mall companies and retailers such as Ann Taylor, Express and New York & Company have all launched monthly subscription services with monthly fees ranging from US$50-95 as a complement to their sales model. Meanwhile, Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, east London, launched it first streetwear hire pop- up store last December. But does the rental model really work at mass consumption level?
According to Allied Market Research, the online clothing rental market will only reach US$1.8 billion by 2023 still a minnow compared to the trillion-dollar total fashion retail market. But are the figures right? According to research by Westfield, 7 out of 10 UK shoppers would pay to rent the hottest fashion/Instagram item of the moment. For 33% of them, the appeal lay in saving money, while 1 in 8 was motivated by the desire to shop in a more sustainable way.
And if renting did take off with consumers, it could help medium priced clothing chains fight off a stave of problems from declining traffic through to continuous markdowns and excess inventory. It could even provide a route to finding a new customer base. But then again, ownership is a powerful thing. Perhaps the biggest fashion question of the future will be how to differentiate between designing for renting and designing for keeps.
CONTENTS TV #125
Inspiration
The Future of Making
From cyclical design to socially aware timeless aesthetics, from growing to engineered scenarios, these six themes are set to make and shape fashion in seasons and years to come.
Lifestyle
A softer world by OvN. Take a step back and relax! Be thankful for what you have, connect to the lightness of being, and enjoy life as it is!
Season in review
Autumn/Winter 19/20
Menswear r-t-w designers
It is clear that the future is very much on the designers’ minds – seen either through flashes of the past, techno rave or sci-fi. The season is utopian in colour for many, dystopian in layers of retro-futurism for others.
Season in focus
Spring/Summer 2020
Womenswear inspirations
Attitude is everything, be it quiet and noiselessly resolute or fierce, provocative and strident. So many things are worth fighting for and our modern woman is determined to stand for all of them.
Womenswear colours
We open with a group of warm, gentle, luxurious neutrals that. Softly coloured pastels sit next to a group of modulated, recycled colours. Fresh uplifting brights full of dynamism and spirit demonstrate boldness and muscle.
Womenswear key looks
In a cross gender/cross cultural world, casual disorderly clashes are welcomed. We see this code mixing with the drive for regenerating, recycling and a desire for responsible products.
Womenswear fabrics
The initial goal might be to manufacture more quickly, efficiently and sustainably, but we must continue to invest in textile technology to achieve more interesting and desirable product development.
Womenswear trimmings and accessories
From forceful and architectural empowerment to super smooth sensuality and assertive seduction, from the mythical goddesses of ancient times to the pussy power collective of our new modern world: feel free to celebrate female fashion.
Casualwear colours and styling
For S/S 2020, we look into developing consumer lifestyles: what drives their thinking, their choices and their vision of the future.
Menswear colours, styling and fabrics
S/S 2020 presents a season of diverse colour ranges, from dark and moody looks that reflect this uncertain time to fresh, nature-inspired harmonies and flamboyant palettes that celebrate optimism and omni-culture.
Forward view
Autumn/Winter 20/21
Women’s and menswear fabric and colour forecast
For A/W 20/21, we present nine fabric inspirations born out of a love for textiles and an eagerness to trigger and inspire desirable garment concepts.
Print design forecast
The A/W 20/21 season is about sisterhood, enchantment and magic – celebrating wild women through stories of folklore and colourful ritual.
