Futuristic Aesthetic | Autumn Winter 2021 2022 | Sustainable Trends

The pandemic was enough to make us all feel vulnerable to the throes of nature. The world essentially being closed down at the hands of an invisible virus has perhaps instilled many people with a sense of uncertainty about getting back out there, and lots of this season’s designers acknowledged this through durable, protective-wear to protect the wearer from the unforgiving elements. We saw angular silhouettes that incorporated face-masks and metal platform boots that looked equipped for any terrain at Rick Owens; hard, round hats at Nina Ricci; and air-filtering helmets at LYPH.

The binaries allocated to us as humans are no more and androgynous looks appear to be the future. This season, brands including Roksanda, Dirty Pineapple and Auralee executed the gender fluid look beautifully with slender silhouettes and gentle colour palettes.

As boundaries between technology, human form, and science blur, we can see glimmers of a future that looks slightly surreal. To most of us, the present and future feel quite alien-like. For designers like Reamerei, this meant the models themselves looking like alien adaptations on the human form, meanwhile Balenciaga presented avatar-like models who seem to blur the lines between technology and humanity; and Vetements reminded us of the the impending climate catasptrophe, where their model in an all-black all-in-one garment stands before an apocalyptic looking backdrop that is very possibly similar to what looms ahead if we do not look after our planet.

Preparedness for an world outside of lockdown is vital, the world looks different and so do the people in it. Essentials are no-longer refined to the wallet and keys but encompasses much more virus-protection pieces such as face masks, hand sanitiser and PCRs. Marine Serre and Max Mara both added extra pockets in the form of tiny arm-bags or subtle utility-like belts to classic silhouettes, and Onitsuka Tiger was amongst many who prepared their models with super-sized bags for keeping all of those essentials that once would have felt excessive, that are now every-day must-haves.