emerging fashion trends: hi-tech, eco or both?

'the new shopping bag' by susan bijl made from nylon used in shipping sails and kites

available on the designboom shop

with each changing season new fashion styles emerge and this year's fall and winter collections are
no different. however, instead of emphasizing on the latest trends in colors, patterns and cut, the focus
has turned to highlighting the tension between technology and the environment and trying to create a
harmonious balance between the two.

recently, eco-friendly textiles have been basking in the limelight, but we must not disregard technology
and the fundamental role it also plays within our society today. that's where this year's fall and winter
fashion collections emerge. though the organic cotton has been outlined as one of the environmentally
sustainable approaches to take amongst fashion designers and manufacturers, more attention is now
being diverted elsewhere. concentration is now being put on new fabrics and technological methods
and the development of hi-tech fabrics which could potentially be less harmful than trying to cultivate
organic cottons which generally undergo a somewhat industrial process.

nylons and metallics have gained significant popularity, along with new coatings which have lead to
extremely fine, light but dense fabrics with added durability. layers that were once all the rage are now
experiencing a recession, producing new silhouettes with a futuristic aesthetic, marrying natural fabrics
such as furs and knits, with more hardwearing fabrics with smooth, shiny surfaces, focusing on the
hybridization of the two.


sateen shirt and soy skirt (left) and organic cotton denim jacket from the anna cohen collection


cotton combined with metallic to create the 'wet look' on the diesel runway


plastic makes it to the marni runway

design aerobics

don't forget to enroll in the designboom textile course now!