Fashion guest : Beryl Gibson The 30 August 2021 - Fabrics - Première Vision Paris

There is a conscious embracing of the health of our planet and eco issues, accelerated in many ways since our Covid lockdown. Also, a rise of ethical fashion brands promoting community and caring.

This change of perspective, looking at fabric production, has accelerated the challenges and opportunities to find solutions to sustainability and eco-responsibility. For example, the use of sustainable yarn, certified by GOTS, GRS, FSC along with WRS wool; optimising yarn and fabric dyeing procedures to minimise water, energy and waste.

There’s an attraction to biodegradable materials, such as recycled, non-polluting fibres and energy efficient dyeing and finishing, thus giving fabrics multi lifecycles. Textile manufacturing will need a blended approach to address this going forward.

Traceability and provenance of raw materials and the growing use of British wool breeds and their welfare is well received. British mills use mainly natural fibre, all of which are bio-degradable and of course compatible to each other in blends. There is a growing interest in the use of recycled yarns from redundant fashion or fabrics.  

After a disrupted pandemic-stricken couple of seasons, the latest colour trends are more evolutionary than revolutionary, and fashion fabrics are currently as much about feeling good as looking good. 

Colour playfulness or glamour lift our sprits and make us smile, and can be such a joyful tonic.

Mélange, heathered, marls, twists or mixture wool shades, a mainstay of many fabric collections, are carefully developed through blending varying proportions of different coloured wool fibres to make a single yarn shade. Often the final look contains five or six different shades, all wonderfully combined to create a unique colouring offer. 

We see colour inspired by nature and the natural world with subtle tonal combinations.

There is a full-on message here too, with vivid bright and powerful monochromes in black, white and navy; lots of colour blocking combinations also some wild colour mixes.

Highlights of colour are used extensively as hidden grounds, checks or stripes to enliven patterns.

Comfort will be key with a soft handle.

Patterns are far more subdued and less extreme, with an air of subtlety and a more relaxed vision.

Quirky experiments with scale and geometric patterns, give a kind of little and large combination.

Tactile and textural semi-plains play a leading role, using novelty yarns, clever woven constructions and advance finishing techniques.

Tailoring becomes more casual and less formal. Textured tweeds have a ‘chunky’ impact and designers exploit the longevity associated with classic woven patterns such as Prince of Wales, Glen checks, tartans, houndstooth, Harris tweeds. 

The enduring sophistication of luxe fibres and fashion is valued, such as fine wool flannels and cashmere etc., with subtle highlight colours playing in the background.