It is almost too good to be true; finally, optimism and energy have returned and we can toast the return of positivity and colour. Designers and consumers are feeling the desire for indulgence and outlandish celebratory behaviour, a general relaxation of the rules. Here are the Spring/Summer 2016 trends by David Shah and the View Team to be presented at the MarediModa in Cannes – let the party begin!
JUNGLE FEVER (Swimwear)
This is a celebration of Africa with all its diversity, extremes and contradictions, mixing things that have never been mixed before – organic, man-made, natural and digital. Fabrics are juxtaposed and embellishment is spectacular with appliqués, fringes and macramé work on digital prints and embroidered cloth, while the colours have the sensory rush of a tropical rain forest picturing vegetation shades with flashes of acid and tropical birds. Focus on on ethnic, tribal, animal, hip-hop and punk influences, all colourfully bashed together.
RAVE COUTURE (Swimwear)
This is a celebration of op art, where optical illusions trick the eye bringing sophisticated glamour and opulence to simply designed outfits. Fabrics work as a chic ground for expressing graphic patterns, such as silky satins and brocades, and colours exalt the modern with acid brights and flashes of silver being used for the optical designs.
MEMPHIS SPORT (Swimwear)
This is a celebration of humour and kitsch designs from the 80s, turning to pattern and colour for a sporty, energetic and young take on swimwear. Performance enhancing fabrics like neoprene are combined with compression panels, tech finishes and plastic sheen, featuring chlorine-resistant and UV protective properties.
BRUTAL GLAM (Swimwear)
This is a celebration of dystopia – a world of dark, fierce and severe cosmic goddesses, who stand proud and protected in their techno armour. Sensuality is there and so are beauty, strength and energy, but the apocalyptic future calls for rectitude displayed in the form of futuristic outfits in black monochrome or dark, nocturnal shades. Armoured looks are inspired by animal (elephant) and reptile skins or by beaten metal, and latex, leather, rubber, rings, zips and studs are used. Glued and laser cut seams give a modern, highly engineered feel to garments that are so fitted they appear to have been cast directly onto the body.
ARTIST’S GARDEN (Bodywear)
This is a celebration of romanticism and aesthetic pleasure based on the Bloomsbury Set, who, in the early 20th century, believed in the importance of the arts in creating a better society. Here, nature is celebrated as the pinnacle of intelligent design and colours are muted, restrained and in harmony with nature. Fabrics with a luxurious hand such as silk satins are used as the base for elegant, floral prints and jacquard designs, while modern finishing techniques produce fabrics with enamel-like or porcelain aspects.
SENSORY (Bodywear)
Empowered and intelligent, the modern women eschew weak, skinny and ultimately unhealthy female stereotypes to embrace a vision of fitness, wellbeing and mind-body strength. To rest the eyes, lingerie is clean, simple and visually understated with smooth, sensual fabrics that create a pleasurable sensation in wear and honour the perfect body’s curves. Fresh, clean whites with delicate cosmetic pale tones and cool pastel shades are used, and lingerie garments are reminiscent of the clean, flowing sculptural lines of modernist architecture.
