Trends

I do not follow trends but I find them interesting and even more interesting how I subscribe to them subconsciously (although you could say that by reading them I am conscious of them). Either way, I find how they reflect economic situations, how they merge and develop and how they are adopted by people, fascinating. I also like to see if my gut/instinct towards shapes and colours is right. Often I feel a connection towards a colour and there it is, in the prediction. For all these reasons I enjoy reading them.

Colours: I do not see much change from winter 2008 and summer 2008/09 (for South Africa, that is now). The colours only seem to get a little bit darker and perhaps even dusty. For example, the deep but rich turquoise of summer 2008/09 seems to transcend into a deep and darker emerald for winter 2009. My only observation that sparks up some interest is the disappearance of orange. Walk through the shops now and you are surrounded by cool orange tones. In winter and summer 08/09 the trend sites could not stress the importance of ‘flaming orange’ and ‘utility orange’ … but I do not see it in these (the winter 09/10) palettes. They have become burnt sienna, ochre and naartjie.

Fabrics: Sensual is the word that comes to my mind when I see the chosen fabrics: silk for it’s matt shine, wool for it’s lightweight body (but in contrast there are heavy tweeds), sequenced chiffon, crepe, creased linen and satin.

Prints: Urban graphics, modern art, graffiti, hand-crafted techniques, high-tech surface finished …. ohlala … what a combination. This imagery together with the above mentioned fabrics creates an ultramodern performance (with a human touch). I find this extremely interesting and I would say - just go for it because it seems that as long as it is unexpected and full of interest, you are ‘IN’.

In conclusion I would say: The colours and fabrics are inspired by nature and the prints are the technological inspiration. Together it is a juxtaposition that makes a composition (if that even makes sense…but then again, is sense what we are looking for?).

Please note that this post is my thoughts on the trends reported on Infomat.com and Trendstop.com. They should not be taken as definite trends or as any researched matter. They are purely subjective and reflective.

I always find names interesting. People’s names, names of places, business names, brands, logo’s…..they are, in one way, a sum-up of something in a few syllables. Take for example my name, Wendren. It is highly unusual, quite unique and is elect. It is has grown on me and in a way, I think I’ve become my name. How many of you feel this way? That without your name you might not be the same person?

An interesting story about names is by danah michele boyd. Born: ‘Danah Michele Mattas’ she wanted to change it. For various reasons that if you would like to know, read her article but what I found most interesting was her deliberate exclusion of capitals. She has chosen to not use capitals in her name becuase it looks visually more balanced (danah instead of Danah) and because she did not want to be self-righteous which is is really what capitals do - emphasize the importance of a word. This led her to ask “why do we not capitalize ‘we’ or ‘they’ but ‘I’?”. Strangely enough, ‘I’ is not meant to be capitalized at all! How this happened was that over the years we started writing more about ‘ourselves’ and starting more and more sentences with ‘i’ and so referring to yourself with a capital ‘I’ stuck.

What is most interesting about danah’s story is how she has made her name her brand not only verbally but visually. It is what frames her and is this not what a company’s name or brand image is about?

This quest to find out what’s in a name led me to a really interesting blog post by David Donde called ‘Choosing a name for a company’. He argues that what a name or brand stands for often does not last as long as the name does. The NAME is what you remember, not what it means.

Take for example Vida e’ Cafe. It means ‘Life & Coffee’. I did not know this. I only know ‘Vida’. It is interesting how we shorten the name down to it’s very core and forget or discard it’s link or meaning. This kind of trend/movement is important to note if you are in the process of naming.

Often I am asked about my name and my story is short: both my parents are teachers, they taught a girl name Wendren and liked it, so I got it. Ironically enough I now live in the same city as that Wendren and by pure coincidence, go to the same hairdresser - but I have never met her in person. It is great to have such a unique name but using it to leave a message for somebody is a pain. I hate shortening it as it is not who I am or know myself as but in these circumstances, I do.

So, what’s the story with Wren? It hardly has anything to do with my name: Wendren although the link is hard to miss. I first drew a little bird (the Wren Avatar) and wanted a name for my business and brand. Going through small bird names Jeremy suggested the little Wren bird. ‘Wren’ felt so fitting and it was decided in an instant. My name (Wendren) did not come before Wren as any inspiration. It was simply a perfect fit.

So…in conculsion I think there is a lot to a name and you have to decide what all that name is going to be, for the right reasons and be aware of what it means to who. If you are naming a company now, know that only a word or two will stick and a full sentence is possibly waste of time and adds to your billboard printing cost…but then again, perhaps in 5 years time this will all change…and in that case, make sure your name is flexbile or adaptable. Names are important and can be everything!

Every year Heimtextil trade show presents all the latest in textile design. It is often easy to distinguish the trends and to define in what movement direction the consumer is moving. However, this year (presenting Fall/Winter 08/09) there were over 2,800 exhibitors so to identify the trends was not as easy.

Here are a few of my favourite textiles (grouped into three trends I could fathom) from the show.

Nature: There is a move towards the more graphic art and nature drawings. It is the elements that are most important. Take for example, an ordinary tree trunk and fragment the colours inside into a formulated pattern (refer to the top right image). Gold is another big trend when mixed with rich red or royal purple (see the third image from the right on the top). Black and white is another movement (refer to the last image) you can see the influence of traditional hand-crocheting techniques in the flowers. My favourite in this collection must be the bugs and stem textile design (second image on the top). I do not know what the significance of the bugs having numbers in them is but the simplistic nature of the design and basic use of red and black appeals to me.

Clockwise from top right: Bruckert Creations; Plage SA; Quid Novi; Bruckert Creations; Stromma Sweden; Joaquin Reina; Prestigious Textiles; JAB Josef Anstoetz KG

Animals: I could not help but include these four textiles. The first one with the chicken and eggs I think is adorable and so fun. I can image this fabric as a cushion on a wooden bench outside a farmyard kitchen. Animals in textiles, as trend, can be either abstract and simplified or perfect and detailed like in the third textile of Squirrels and Deer. In this example I think it is important to focus on the theme more so than the design as a trend - the deers and squirrels are both cute and gentle creatures often used in fantasty stories. Fantasy and beauty are two big trends of the summer, more prevalent in fashion with the return of fairy dresses and the use of light airy fabrics. In the fourth textile below the deer is used again reinforcing this use of magic and symbolic power. The drawing of this textile is also very stylized and sketchy. This sketched quality has been around as a trend for some time now but I also do not think it is going away. I love it. I also think the unusual combination of elements in this design makes it special and even more interesting.

Clockwise from top right: Sprugel Hometex; Print Forum; Stromma Sweden; Rasch Textile GmbH

Combinations: Colour, colour and colour. Colours are in but it is the shade and hue that matters most! Look at the cushions by Mexx Bed and Bath (right) and you can get an idea of the colour combination and how prints are overlapped, combined and co-ordinated. Put spots with stripes or plains and suddenly it is not so overpowering, but once again, it is the colour combination that is most important. This chair by Globaltex Ltd has a purple, red, pink and lime green spot. It sounds a yuck colour combination but because the shades are right, it works wonderfully and looks delicious.

Most importantlly for Fall/Winter 08/09 is to have fun, combine your black and white sketch textiles with your brights (that are in the right shade) and create a house full of wonder!