Sustainable Fashion Trends AW 2018/19: back to nature
Back to nature. As a reaction to the daily sensory overload, excessive materialism and ubiquitous abundance, the longing for simplicity, to get back to basics and closer to nature is becoming more pronounced. Contemporary fashion is also interpreting this need, with natural materials like alpaca wool and olive leather, as well as neutral, matt, dusty tones inspired by dried spices, fruits and teas.
Classic cuts with unique detailing such as lacing, flowing silhouettes with refined details like trumpet sleeves, light- hearted patterns and romantic or op-art all-over prints, sporty touches and plenty of the sustainable appeal coming up next Fall Winter 2018-19. Calming contrasts experiment with structures and purified colour palettes… Contemporary fashion is perfectly reflecting this trend for naturalness.
Timelessness is becoming the epitome of luxury and is expressed in multifaceted knitwear and leather designs, produced in artisan workshops. Whether combined with sophisticated tailoring and knitting patterns or innovative high-tech materials, the collections for Autumn Winter 2018/19 strike the balance between modern and traditional, space age and idyllic nature. Modern homages to these contrasts will be showcased at the two tradeshows Greenshowroom & Ethical Fashion Show Berlin during the upcoming Berlin Fashion Week. There, international sustainable fashion brandswill be presenting their new collections from 16 to 18 January 2018. The shows have a new and very central location and move to Kraftwerk Berlin, an amazing building, piece of Berlin’s industrial history. We will be there, of course, to select for you the most beautiful sustainable fashion stories coming up.
More than just looking good, being good
The vegan trainer, the handbag made of pineapple leather, jeans made of organic cotton for leasing, the blouse made of non-violent silk, the dress dyed with algae: the range of sustainably produced fashion available is broad and constantly growing. The collections range from urban streetwear to elegant business outfits. A growing number of sustainable fashion brands represent the “zeitgeist” of a generation that, as it does with food, cosmetics, mobility and holidays, pays attention to environmental friendliness and fair payment when it comes to clothing.
In recent years, numerous concept stores for eco-fashion
have been established. The German market is
currently one of the pioneers in Europe
with chain store-based multi-label concepts.
Get to know some of our favourites nowadays. They are all creating beautiful clothes not at the expense of our future: Frieda Sand, Graciela Huam, Nadja Kiess, Sanikai, Suite 13, Jungle Folk, Elementum, Kozzi are creating the new feminine look, with organic beautiful fabrics designed with love and a new aspirational vision. Hempage andCarpasus are drawing a new man, sensible with the environment, with more character, with more compromise. Harolds Bags and Alexandra Svendsen are our “must, must, must” for bags 100% vegetable tanned made by products of food production. HoboShoes and Nemanti have the most beautiful and eco-friendly shoes of our wishlist. And those are just a few of our long list, growing up every second. They are drivers of innovation and have fun while they do it
Sustainability is the expression of an attitude to life
The purchasing behaviour of a broad consumer segment has fundamentally changed: the share of organic products within the total expenditure on food and beverages in Germany has almost doubled from 2.9% to 5.7% in the last ten years, as GfK says in its last document Organic arrives in the mainstream. With electric vehicles, hybrid engines and rental concepts, mobility is moving towards a more environmentally friendly future.
The Nielsen study on the subject of the “Green Generation”
confirmed back in 2015 that sustainability is a priority
for the new generation of millennials when it comes to shopping.
Around three in every four 15 to 20-year-olds are prepared to spend more on products by brands that are committed to environmental or social principles. The percentage increase within just one year was significant: from a proportion of 55% in 2014 to 72% in 2015.
For many consumers, a sustainable lifestyle now also includes clothing that has been produced in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner. The success of sustainable fashion is likely to be helped by the fact that many brands have a memorable character and real stories behind them. The products are fashionable and contemporary. The manufacturers are fully committed to sustainability. They are incubators, trend-setting and future-oriented, and also partly revolutionary. Their products embody the change that is currently taking place in society and reflect what Generation Green is looking for.
Organic and fair, sustainable and slow
Sustainable fashion is varied and colourful. All the brands whose products fall into this category essentially produce according to environmentally-friendly and fair criteria that go beyond the legal requirements and they communicate these criteria openly and transparently. They set different priorities in this respect: regional production, the promotion of social or humanitarian projects, adherence to fair standards for workers in the textile value creation chain, animal welfare, controlled organic farming, recyclability, longevity or sustainable fibre alternatives. The manufacturers of fair fashion are primarily concerned with working together responsibly in a globalised, networked world. They want to ensure that they pollute the environment as little as possible and at the same time produce stylish fashion.
We are happy to say that a large number of sustainable fashion brands around the world are enjoying great success. Consumers can find what they’re looking for, particularly on the Internet. Numerous online shops and blogs specialise in the green lifestyle. However, there is also a lot going on in the stationary retail trade. So, turn on the music, the show has just start! ;O)
+ info: Greenshowroom & Ethical Fashion Show Berlin
