BELTED UP

Utility and technical clothing trends have been in for a while. Starting with bomber jackets and cargo pants, streetwear lovers have been wearing this trend for some time now. But throughout the years it has taken a new form, and things like harnesses, complex belts and buckle detailing has been popular within the streetwear community and also other communities like goths and cyberpunks. Sometimes this almost like bondage looking attire doesn’t come as a surprise, since lingerie has been worn for many years now as normal everyday attire too, and the utility/technical clothing trend has been in for a while.

 Especially generation x and y are driving this trend forward and being experimental with it. And even though the trend (especially things like harnesses and bondage details on pants) have been seen more on men, women are definitely becoming more familiar with it too. Streetwear influencers like Aleali May and Elyanna Sanchez are showing the way forward for women for sure.

Some brands have been playing around with these pvc or leather belts and silver hardware for a few years now, and for young brands like A-Cold-Wall and Heliot Emil it’s almost expected to see these details in all of their collections. Bigger brands, who are inspired by the streetwear/goth trends and younger generations a lot already, are most likely to hop on this trend soon enough, even giving it a more high-end or interesting twist. Some brands like Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang and especially brands in Asia have done something similar in the past (and now), but in high fashion it hasn’t been a very popular trend yet. But just like chunky sneakers, only time will tell when every brand will be combining belts and buckles to their looks. This trend will definitely not slow down any time soon, but most likely just take different, even more interesting and surprising forms, especially if bigger designers are going to take inspiration from it and take it to the next level.

BIG BROTHER'S WATCHING

Back in the day, for many years, fashion shows were vey exclusive and only some people in the industry could get in. Nowadays every brand is on social media and anyone can see runway shows from their phones. And consumers are also starting to demand more from brands. People want to know everything, from where the clothes were made and how the workers were treated to where brands got their ideas.

Brands are being critiqued by everyone, and not just on the fact if the clothes look good or not, but also if the brand could be copying someone else or if something sketchy is happening behind the scenes. Consumers are demanding authenticity, and nowadays designers are being called out for not being creative enough and possibly copying other brands by accounts like @dietprada on Instagram.

 

This is why brands need to become more transparent than ever to make the consumers happy, because if they get lazy with their creative process, neglect their workers or if the designer even says something controversial on social media, they will be called out. This trend of transparency will most likely not slow down anytime soon and brands need to be more careful than ever and be open and honest about everything. And it's good that consumers know everything that's going on, so they can more wisely choose if they're supporting the right brands or not.

TAILORING MEETS STREETWEAR

As we all know already, steetwear is extremely popular at the moment, and even business/office wear has become more casual than ever before. This shift has been especially seen in menswear, where for example tailored suits have for some time now been paired with sneakers, or structured coats have been paired with hoodies. This has has also given a lot of inspiration for women, and they've slowly started to pair these two elements together. Structured/usually known as "smart" clothing has been worn with more casual streetwear pieces. Blazers with biker shorts and baggier pants, suits with sneakers and fannypacks, tailored long coats with sweats underneath, smart pants with big t-shirts, and so on. This trend works inside and outside the office, and works for many who want to experiment with the streetwear trends, but don't want to go all out and completely change their style. 

 

There's already a few brands taking notes, but especially in street style you've been able to see this trend for a few seasons now. Most likely within the next few seasons, more brands will be showing the fun mix of the elements of streetwear and tailoring, and defining what "business casual" can look like in the future years.

 

ATHLEISURE 2.0

De- and reconstruction has been somewhat of a trend in fashion for a while; Making use of old materials and creating something new from them, or making new clothing look like it was made using this method. This is also the main idea of the trend we're talking about today, and the fact that street- and sportswear is more popular than ever: tracksuits aren't made only for the athletes, and sportswear brands aren't only targeting people who exercise. Being comfortable and looking cool is the new norm, yet people are always looking or something new and trendy to wear, which is why reconstructed sportswear is slowly becoming more and more popular.

 Brands like Frankie Collective gaining huge popularity on Instagram, and Danielle Cathari's collection for Adidas Originals selling out in an instant show the potential of this trend becoming huge in the near future. Time will only tell when it becomes a new design element for existing sportswear brands, new emerging brands and even popular brands who only take inspiration from the streetwear culture, and when more exciting collaborations like Danielle's with Adidas emerge. 

 One of the reasons this trend has huge potential in the future is the fact that people are also becoming more and more conscious about what's happening in the fashion industry, from it being very harmful for the environment and brands for example burning their old stock instead of reusing it. A lot of these brands could take note from Frankie Collective, who says that their designs centre on salvaging vintage garments that would otherwise end up in a landfill, and all of their textile scraps are recycled and repurposed to eliminate textile waste. Other brands like Awesome Boy, rebuilt and resew thrifted vintage pieces into new items, showing that this trend isn't limited only for sportswear focused brands. Many independent designers like @badgalkierrah and @one_off_john are gaining popularity on Instagram too by customising old pieces into something new. Only time will tell when other brands take notes, and we start seeing this trend everywhere.