Fashion & Knitwear Colour Trends 20-21
- Beth Griffiths
- Apr 14, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 15, 2020
Traditionally there are four seasons within the fashion industry: Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter, Resort and Pre-Fall. The rise of fast fashion has created a multitude of "micro-seasons". These miniature seasons are fuelled by ever changing trends; as many as a trend a week emerge throughout the year. The aim is to churn out as many garments as possible for mass-consumption.
As someone who studied Fashion Design at degree level it might be taboo for me to say, but I've never massively bought into the idea of ever changing trends. This is not because I don't like design, but rather because mass-consumption leads to mass-waste... which leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. Instead of constant trend changes, I like to look at a year (or longer) at a time. Obviously seasonal weather conditions affect the clothes we wear, so I'm not suggesting we wear cropped tees and sandals in the chilling depths of January - but colour combinations, patterns, shapes and silhouettes can be transferred between seasons.
Colourways
Colourways are ranges of colours to be used while designing a collection, these include combinations of colours and the percentages/ratio in which they are used.
Forecasters put together boards with colour chips they predict will be important for an upcoming season (this often happens up to two years in advance). These boards include research into popular culture from a vast range of sources (Art and Design exhibitions, music videos, current film and television concepts, social media infulencers, celebrity influences, popular street styles, vintage revivals, and inspiration from attending fabric and yarn trade shows). Designers use these forecast predictions along with their own in-depth research into a chosen concept to create collections that will be RELEVANT and UNIQUE.
The above image was a concept and colourway page for my second year 'Tailoring & Directional Outerwear' project. At the time "Nude" was a key colour idea throughout the fashion and beauty industries - nude in its many tones (blush, beige, tan, camel, taupe etc) where all over editorial campaigns, media platforms and catwalk shows. From my own research into my concept (simple luxuries and minimalist lifestyles) I brought in some grey shades to the season's colourway - but kept the tonal quality of the season. At this point in my university education I liked to communicate colour ideas in mashups of varying sized "chips" of colour, this enabled me to show the ratio of the different shades within a collection or outfit.
Up-coming colourways for the year ahead - My observations and predictions
Autumn/Winter 20-21 is the season for teal tales!
Autumn/Winter colourways often include jewel tones, and this year is no different. Two key colours for A/W20-21 are emerald and teal. Rust, burnt orange and blush pink tones create a very contemporary contrast to the deep greens. A colour pop of bright blue makes a welcome surprise to this colourway.
Spring/Summer 21 is the season of the marigolds!
Forest green, deep oranges and yellows form the base of this colourway - with sage and pastel yellows brightening the combination. This trend gives me a jolly, retro vibe; reminding me of Orla Keily designs and 70s floral prints.
A year of colour...
As there often are, there are similarities and complementary shades to the upcoming adjoining seasons' colour trends. Colours and key pieces stay relevant for longer than the duration of a season, and "trendy" doesn't always mean stylish - so shopping for good quality is better than shopping frequently.
For example, Mustard has been popular on social media and on the high-street for a few years now (my sister bought me a beautiful golden mustard jumper for Christmas 2017) - and by the look of the butterscotch and ochre tones of next year, it will still be relevant in 2021. From lemon to canary to dijon, yellow looks like its sticking around for a while - which I for one think is a very good thing.
If you've taken the time to read this, thank you! - Beth, thedaftduck x
You can check out my shop on nuMONDAY, where you'll find one-off pieces and made to order knits! And follow daftduck_ on instagram for work in progress updates, house-plant pics and vegetable growing!#shopsmall #stopthrowawayfashion
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