Print the runway: Fashion-Week trends you cannot miss
Fashion Week is the magical event that turns every dreamy garment into reality. It’s where our industry can truly shine, with statements and ideas that march fashion forward. As global Fashion Week events are wrapping up, it’s time to summarize some of the latest and greatest trends, and learn how digital textile printing can help retailers bring them to anticipating audiences ASAP.
Purple rain
Every fashion season has its trending colors, with some colors lasting longer (millennial pink, anyone?) and others that are here for a shorter visit. Fashion Week runways seem to agree with Pantone’s choice of color for 2018 by presenting a plethora of purple garments.
In addition to keeping up with the trendiest shades, it’s also crucial that brands get them exactly right. A wide color gamut and vivid colors are a must for the printing industry, without skipping a beat when transitioning files from image to fabric.
Don’t fabricate
Speaking of fabrics, just like colors, they tend to change periodically and are influenced by the weather and not just our mood. With climate becoming increasingly unpredictabl
e, fashion switches fabrics much faster, asking retailers to provide the same prints on a variety of surfaces.
At recent Fashion Week shows we’ve seen colorful leather, for example, take the stage. It’s all part of the street style fashion trend that seems to be taking over at the moment. We can expect this trend to affect home styling trends as well, where other fabrics are being used.
Some fabrics pose a bigger challenge for retailers, who need to get colors and details just right. Not only that, but with retail outfits being worn more than once and at various environments, durability is an issue worth addressing.
Print-à-porter
Fashion trends come and go, but prints seem to always find their place in the mix. This year, we were surrounded by leopard print everything, and Fashion Week promises to keep things interesting in the animal print department. We can also expect to see hallucinogenic prints, bohemian patterns, and much more.
One thing that never goes out of style is high quality in Direct to Garment printing, and retailers should remain focused on detailed photorealism and spon-on colors.
Runway to retail
The true winners of every fashion event are retailers who manage to get the look and ship it at the right moment. Whatever the trend may be, garment manufacturers have very little time to respond and turn it into a ready to wear garment that awaits shoppers in stores. Being able to catch the trend without compromising on the finest details is an ability that all retailers strive to achieve, and for very good reasons.
