Fashion in 2015 - Essay Example

Fashion in Fashion trends tend to follow along the same lines as earlier fads, often repeating, with slight modifications, a style that was popular 30 to 40 years prior. This tendency can be seen even in today’s fashion market, where the bell bottoms and tailored shirts of the late 60s and early 70s have swung back into vogue with only enough modification to make them distinguishable from the old pair of pants Dad dug out of the attic last winter. The ultra-technology trends of the 80s and 90s, which were themselves modifications of earlier technology-inspired fashions of the 40s and 50s, have given way in the 2000s to a new focus on a return to nature with a growing emphasis on environmental awareness and efficient use of resources. In the meantime, the technological world continues to crank out newer and smaller gizmos and gadgets designed to make our lives easier and put us in touch with the rest of the world. Given these three major trends – the tendency to repeat fashions of the past, the growing concern of global warming and the increasing sophistication and integration of technology into our daily living – fashion trends in 2015 will reflect some significant differences in the fabrics and ways in which we use our clothing, but the styles and the shapes will most likely tend to reflect the roomier, boxier fashions of the late 1980s. Those in the fashion industry know, perhaps better than anyone, that the old maxim regarding history repeating itself has a large kernel of truth in it. According to one professor in the clothing and textiles industry, fashion is evolutionary, not revolutionary. “We keep seeing the same things, but they come back in different forms. … I’m seeing people in things that I wore in high school. I see a lot of those chunky platform shoes and a lot of polyester fibers with prints on the fabric,” said Laura Kidd, comparing today’s fashion scene with the styles most commonly seen in the 1970s (Taylor, 1996). Another professor, Jane Workman, agrees with Kidd’s assessment, indicating that designers often use the fashions of the past as inspirations for the new styles of the future. “They never bring back the same thing … You couldn’t put a dress in your closet and pull it out in 30 years and expect it to be in fashion,” she said, but there would still be a strong family resemblance (Taylor, 1996). The primary way in which designers update their designs for future use is through the use of new or updated fabric technologies. “Designers constantly improve upon fabric – for example, rayon. … In the 40s, designers used rayon, but the rayon in the 90s is totally different” (Workman cited in Taylor, 1996). This experimentation with fabrics has already begun to mesh with an increasing worldwide concern for global warming and limited resources. Several designers have turned to designing ‘green’ by developing new ways of recycling old fabrics into their designs, reusing, renewing and updating old clothing for longer wear and less landfill fodder, a trend that will only continue as greater awareness is already blooming regarding the negative effects of the throwaway culture. Recognizing the need to keep the focus on the modern use, these designers are careful to use old clothing in new ways. These include quilted boots from recycled blankets, colorful patched jeans using a variety of different clothing and clothing made from quick-growing hemp plants and other highly replaceable natural sources. In addition, several organizations in the industry have worked to develop new technologies in the processing of fabrics, such as Ekotex. The company, a major producer and processor of flax fibres of primarily hemp, has been working to operate in a way that is environmentally responsible. They strive for ‘no-waste’ production, “fully processing all material being supplied” (Radwanski, n.d.). In addition to creating fabrics for use in clothing, they produce biomass briquettes for heating from the waste material to accomplish their goal. “We have found application for many kinds of fibres and in-production waste which, so far, have been treated by many producers as useless. High quality of our products and reliable servive have assured us a stable position on the market of fiber used for non-woven products in car and furniture industries. Our customers include also producers of blended yarn” (Radwanski, n.d.). Another eco-friendly fabric that has been put to use includes the use of collars made from recycled plastic polyethylene vinyl acetate while other processing techniques have included the use of paper blotters during the dyeing process in order to reduce effluents and water waste (Menkes, 2006). Technology can honestly be said to be the driving force in the changing fashions, and that will be no less true in the future than it is today. It was the advent of technology in the 19th century that made mass-produced clothing a possibility, giving rise to the great fashion revolutions of subsequent generations. It is also the use of technology today that is incorporating what we know of nanotechnology to produce fabrics that resist wrinkles, shed water and even refuse stains. However, the future of fashion will go much further than these ‘smart’ clothes. Rather than expecting people to jog in the park with their mini I-Pod strapped to their waist, the new clothing will include the I-Pod within the fabric of the clothing itself. Wearable technology will also include such amenities as personal computers, mobile phones, email checking, video phones, heating and cooling coils and more. An example of what can be expected has already been released in the form of a new running shoe developed by Adidas. This shoe has an embedded microchip that monitors the terrain underfoot and adjusts the level of shock absorption provided by the shoe’s heel (Ejofor, 2006). According to Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD group, “the future of technology in fiber and products is only a few years away” (cited in Ejofor, 2006). This includes the development of khakis that are able to keep your legs warm with heating coils built into the lining. Other experiments are being conducted using fabrics imbued with various metals such as organza, copper, carbon and stainless steel in order to productive conducive clothing that remains soft to the touch. One interesting example of these types of experiments includes working with NITINOL, Nickel Titanium Naval Ordnance Laboratory, which is a material that contains a nearly equal mixture of nickel and titanium which tends to change shape with fluctuations in temperature. “With the application of a small amount of heat, a nitinol-based long-sleeve shirt can become short sleeved in seconds, while still being able to revert back to its original shape” (Ejofor, 2006). As a result of an increasing awareness of ecological concerns such as overfull waste dumps and depleting resources as well as advances in technology that allow us to add more usability to our clothing, styles of the future will reflect a high degree of sophistication and adaptability for a variety of circumstances. However, in keeping with the tendency of the fashion industry to look to the past for inspiration in future design styles, we will most likely see these exciting new products coming out in shapes and forms that remind us of the wide-shouldered, ultra-tech styles of the 1980s, with unique blends of various types of fabrics and materials as well as integrated machinery and perhaps even instantly-changing looks depending upon the temperature of the room or the brightness of the day. References Ejofor, Mmoma. (16 March 2006). “Fashions of the Future.” Forbes: Lifestyle Feature. Retrieved 2 June 2006 from < http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2006/03/16/future-fashion-trends-cx_me_0316feat_ls.html> Menkes, Suzy. (31 May, 2006). “Eco-Friendly: Why Green is the New Black.” International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2 June 2006 from < http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/17/style/feco.php> Radwanski, Marek. (n.d.). “Ekotex.” BioComp. Retrieved 2 June 2006 from < http://www.biocomp.eu.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=32&tabid=429> Taylor, Tracy. (12 November 1996). “Professors Say Fashion Repeating Itself.” The Daily Egyptian. Vol. 82, N. 59. Retrieved 2 June 2006 from Read More