As New York Fashion Week Kicks Off, Designer labels are shaking things up at New York fashion week, which begins Thursday and runs through Sept. 15. A growing number are experimenting with a “see-now-buy-now” approach, selling goods straight off the runway. One of the labels-of-the-moment is Monse, a new brand launched by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia-two veterans of Oscar de La Renta who were last week named the new designers of that label.

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Designer Derek Lam has told several hundred fashion editors and buyers they aren’t welcome to attend his spring 2017 runway show.Rather than his usual show for 450 guests, he has invited just 60 people-in groups of 20-to the penthouse of the Greenwich Hotel, where he will personally describe each look.
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The Council of Fashion Designers of America, which has long held the official schedule of New York fashion week, has taken more control this year, organizing the timing of some shows and eliminating others, more in the manner of Europe’s fashion-organizing bodies. At New York label Sachin & Babi, changes in consumer demand are affecting both the show and the designs. Known for its formal wear, the label will take a decidedly informal approach, offering evening separates that can be mixed and matched for day or multiple evening events.
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Denim is challenging the athleisure trend this back-to-school season.While fashion watchers say sporty items like yoga pants and the tapered pants known as “joggers” aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, new styles and innovations in denim are making a good pair of jeans a must-have item for the coming school semester - and, perhaps, changing shopping habits this season.

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As per analysts comfort and flexibility are key denim trends.Stretch denim continues to be a dominant theme within the teen retailers’ back-to-school collections.American Eagle Outfitters probably has one of the cleanest and clearest presentations of this denim evolution with their ‘Flex’ fabric as a backbone to their denim program, but Hollister too is sporting a new denim line dubbed ‘Advanced Stretch’ jeans.
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Kudos to this new technology enabled fashion shirt that will free all of the gym rats from bragging about the gym not going in tandem with numbers on a treadmill. Simone Schramm, a German designer, has designed a garment that reacts to a wearer’s heart rate by expanding or contracting the wires woven into the garment’s fabric.

This Shape-Changing Shirt will display how your workout is going. Named “the muscle shirt,” the multilayered wearable changes color by pulling itself taut in response to the wearer’s heart rate, revealing the second layer below. The resulting tightness is meant to aid the wearer’s form and posture automatically

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The mechanism goes like this: As the heart rate increases, the motor tightens the garment, revealing an interior fabric that’s color-coded to display the upper body’s muscle groups. Once the heart rate begins to fall, the tension relaxes, and the shirt’s original gray exterior fabric resumes its shape. Created within the last year, this tech enabled fashion  garment is a work in progress, but a step forward for fitness wearables.


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The next realm in apparel fashion has emerged by introduction of a T-Shirt that  looks different in design and colour if worn indoors and changes form when one steps out.
Isn’t it Surprising ?

Image Courtesy: Girggit

Girggit, a start-up apparel organisation, have launched men's T-shirts made from super fine-combed cotton that change their design and colours in sunlight. The collection is designed by a team of young fashion designers and and they are priced between Rs 855 and Rs 1,155.

This is the changing face of apparel fashion industry where a consumer pays for one but buys two different products. T-Shirts are available on all the leading e-commerce portals
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Fashion Forecast for Fabrics that are going to shape the collections this seasons can be summarized into three basic themes:

Rudimentary Refinement – which includes dry textures, natural/artificial alliances, exceptional simplicity, lively colour, powerful nature; 
Gently Irreverent – subtle imperfections, implacable fineness, subversive freshness, graphic upsets; 
Experimental Romanticism – artificial transparency, open structures, scientific spirit, boosted & piques;

Delve further into the fashion forecast details of the fabrics for S/S ’17 according to different category of products as follows:

Outwear
For summer coats - Fabrics with rich texture would include a modified nature, plastic raffia with unusual handles, design primitives like tribal tweed, dishevelled fringes and spongy cottons.

Tops
Tops and blouses will include naturally airy fabrics ,viscose or synthetics with a smooth fluid handle, soft languid cottony voiles, with softly washed finishing, featherweight silks.

Technical fabric
Performance fabrics will include cotton aspects and irregular-yarn effects for synthetics, talc-like handles.

Evening wear
Evening wear ensembles will revolve around  Intermittent, wholly fine cut-yarns play on transparency.More simple designs will include large, irregular and multi-coloured stripes.

      Image Source: http://www.fashionforwardtrends.com/


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Designers and exporters have witnessed an influx of softer hues as a major colour input. Versace in S/S ’16 showcased array of smart suits in ice pink while Dolce Gabanna showed varied suits in light peach at Bluemarine or gentle flowing garments in candy colours. Focusing on pastel hues, the S/S ’17 fashion trends gained grace; paving way for delicious blush pink, baby blue, mint green and lavender tones. Hottest colour for spring summer trends 2017 are Pastel tones - Pink, lilac, light blue and mint green.
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Technology enhanced fashion market is still in its infancy. Brands have started designing fashion products around technology but only few customers buy them that too because of novelty factor attached to it while most of them ignores.

Eventually, retailers’ lack of enthusiasm for the technology-enhanced fashion products category but  one thing is certain this category will be the future of fashion retail. However, the real revolution of technology-enhanced fashion is going to be modular, customisable,upgradable products so that it is embraced by the consumers.


Few questions that arises in favour of innovatively designed fashion products are How can brands continue to grow if they don’t launch new products on a regular basis? How can consumers stay on trend without buying new products and what can be done with the “old” products besides dumping them?

There are other benefits too .The consumer only pays to upgrade the product in stages so, unlike with luxury products, brands can create a long lasting quality product without high upfront costs. The risk of product redundancy is eliminated which means consumers will be more likely to buy a new innovative product.


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Africa fashion week slated to be held in Nigeria on 1st July 2016 will feature Textile and Garment Manufacturing conference - first ever conference of its kind in the country, where industry experts will gather under one roof, to discuss and discover the potentials within the fashion industry for Nigeria.
The conference aims to highlight innovative systems that may create a powerful economic base for Nigeria, as fashion has the capacity to create jobs, promote creativity and individualism while providing social security.

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There will be a range of topics to be discussed in the conference such as Job Creation in the Garment Manufacturing Industry.How do manufacturers  deal with the infrastructure issues and still  make profit  New Channels of E-commerce in the Fashion Show is Textile Manufacturing a Viable Option? How can we tap into the skills of the foreign market Retailing and Setting up a Fashion Business in Nigeria (The Dynamics) and Different Financing Options.

Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, founded by Nigeria’s own Ronke Ademiluyi, has conquered the whole of Europe with the London Version of the project: Africa Fashion Week London. Africa.

The Nigerian Edition, Africa Fashion Week Nigeria,will celebrate its third anniversary in July. The show is persistently working for the development of young fashion designers of Africa by giving them subsidised runaways and visibility while enabling them to convert their talent into economic self-sustainability analysis.
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Today, technology has perpetually changed the face of retailing! Whilst, the online retail has progressively evolved into Mobile retail or M-commerce, an array of mobile based apps and omnichannel retail has made our shopping experience all the more exciting and easier.

In a recent development, Mumbai-based Shopsense Retail Technology, the startup that founded fashion shopping app Fynd, has launched Fify-a fashion shopping bot, which the company expects will generate 25 per cent of revenue in the coming three months.

Fify, in its beta phase, will act as a personal virtual shopping assistant; providing insights on trends, guidance on celebrity styles and inform the users about the new product arrivals. The fashion shopping bot claims to have already seen over 50,000 conversations since its launch last week on the Facebook Messenger.


At present, phase one of the fashion shopping bot is operational and will help the consumers to discover the products. In subsequent phases, the bot will grow to understand the style of the consumer on the basis of their online behaviour and predict what they are likely to buy.

According to the company, the ideal phase of engagement with Fify would involve product discovery, transaction, fulfilment and then post-transaction interaction.
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Luxury shopping is no longer confined to high-end bags and shoes! Today, the luxury patrons are all the more experimental and are using travel as a tool for gaining authentic experience. In 2015, China had 120 million outbound tourists, who spent an estimate of US$229 billion on shopping overseas, leaving the rest of the world way behind. The top purchase of the Chinese tourists featured fashion and accessories and indisputably, the effect of such wave was indeed lucrative for the fashion brands.


Acknowledging the impact of globetrotters on their brand sale, luxury fashion brands are obligated to come up with a strategy that will not only help them to take the advantage of traveller’s deep pockets but also reap the benefit of being a global brand. Besides, the luxury brands also need to evolve in order to keep consumers’ interest intact.

Since wealthy consumers move their dollars from product to experience, luxury brands need to focus on creating one-of-a-kind; an immersive experience that will eventually turn into a purchase.

Moreover, offering an exclusive experience is a must. For instance, if Burberry, a brand that is quintessentially British in its inspiration and craftsmanship, evolves further by incorporating British customs and rituals in a meaningful way, it could deliver a truly unique brand experience.

 This shift from product to experience is happening faster for the millennials who give value to ownership, connection, and authenticity, as the studies suggest Luxury travel and high-fashion brand should realise this opportunity of partnership.
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Few renowned brands that have opted for mass customisation are :



NikeID - an online service that allows customers to create their own clothing by customising the colour, design.

Louis Vuitton’s Mon Monogram  - lets consumers add personal initials and colours to the brand’s bags

Prada Customize - lets people add personal lettering to bags, as well as allows them to configure their own shoes and sunglasses
Indochino - An e-commerce start-up that lets you buy a made-to- measure suit


Bow & Drape - Clothing for the millennial generation offers trend-driven clothing and accessories with tonnes of options to personalize.

Not just restricted to mass fashion or luxury, customisation is now sweeping through the whole of retail, as many start-ups have taken up the onus to meet the customers needs before making them loyalists.



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Earlier a term familiar to only high-end customers, has now become an essential tool to retain customers of any brand, luxury or otherwise. It is called customisation. 
A retailer’s strategic tool to deliver products in way the customer prefers it, born out of every consumer’s desire to stand out, to look the best, the most fashionable and always very different, somewhat a level above the rest.


But how? Each brand carries out a slew of consumer behaviour researches to understand the taste and preferences of the modern consumers, and accordingly designs the products.
Several brands have applied the formulae of mass customisation, in which masses get the chance to customise every product they want to own. Some brands that command mention here include Nike, Converse and Burberry that caught the imagination of consumers with their ever-innovative platforms and customer-friendly apps.
Burberry launched its Burberry Scarf Bar, letting customers monogram their initials on scarves before they place the order. Many mass brands as well as luxury labels followed this trend

Burberry Scarf Bar



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Victorian Etiquette

Balmain: High waist skirts, with blouses that had frills on the sleeves.
Chanel: Head-to-toe frills on pristine off-shoulder dresses and white lace gloves were their thing
Chloe: Designs in more mild shades like olive and mustard, clubbed with diaphanous frills on the waist, sleeves and neckline were presented.

Feline Fury
Givenchy: Bright yellow knit, with black & yellow leopard print skirts, coupled with coats in brown and black leopard prints.
Carven: Short coatdresses covered in tiger prints.
Dries van Noten: Used spots on wide-legged pants, breaking the monotony of the runway collections.




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80's Redux
 Milan showcased yet another range of spectacular designs for the world to follow embracing a contemporary take on nostalgic styles of the 80’s, while lending a fresh twist to your suit-up styles. Designers also embarked on decorating the Victorian era dresses with interesting modifications that reached near perfection.
Isabel Marant: Her designs ranged from puffed shoulders to flouncy silhouettes, with an outing of strong shoulders, appearing on oversized sweaters and coats.
Lanvin: The French brand showcased a collection filled with flouncy skirts and defined shoulders.
Moschino: It was all about leather, fishnets and graffiti.
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Covered in Sequin
The collections presented at the Paris Fashion Show rendered fresh twists to popular designs, with eye-catching accessories, digital-inspired prints and bold trends with sequins ‘from head-to-toe’.

Chanel - Monochrome designs on strapless dresses with black sequins and white borders

Gucci - Mixed patchwork on long, relaxed dresses, covered in green sequin.

Moschino- Sequins paired with sheer fabrics like chiffon or net

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Milan and Paris fashion shows are two of the four cornerstones of the world’s fashion trends, with their awe-inspiring collections showcased on runways. And this year was no different.

We have fished out a mixed bag of pioneering trends, which will be the mainstay from both the fashion runaways...

The collections presented at the Paris Fashion Show rendered fresh twists to popular designs, with eye-catching accessories, digital-inspired prints and bold trends with sequins ‘from head-to-toe’.

Emilio Pucci - Abstract prints in bright shades of ornage and blue; Etro - Mixed stripes and plaid on knitwear silhouettes; Marni - Clashing animal & abstract prints





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The age-old surface-adorning techniques for clothes and furnishings now require experimentation and innovation to cater to the growing demands of both the Indian and international consumers. Exporters are becoming increasingly aware of the need to “contemporise” these traditional techniques, while designers strive to churn out innovative ways to stylise them.

A few innovations that have charted a new course for these age-old techniques are:
Fabindia, popular for indigo dyed designs and block-printed kurtas, is now adding various twists to their prints and motifs. For instance, the time-tested booti-effect has expanded in size, lending the clothes a new look, while Paisleys have been reintroduced with a multi-coloured and layered effect. The interplay of different shades like indigo, navy blue, teal on a a white background, enhanced by the mulmul fabric, brings out the best possible effect. The brand is busy cementing Indian sensibilities with Western cuts, with tunics, waist coats and flared skirts, while showcasing different types of block printing.

Another globally recognised brand, Anokhi, which specialises in the oldest form of colouring technique - dyeing with vegetable colours - have sensed the dire need of the modern consumers. Its designers seek out the bold and the striking, the graphic and the colourful, using modern printing techniques.


Soma  Blockprints, a pioneer in block printing, is yet another popular brand from Jaipur that has worked extensively on world-class styling of traditional techniques. Their specialty lies in floral prints, but they are also exploring different mix-and-match and never-seen-before combinations and prints like folksy prints and geometric-inspired tribal patterns in the form of Mexican symbols made by knitting and embroidery on the clothes, like simple triangles, rectangles, rhombuses, zigzag lines, stepped borders, helical patterns, and crosses.


Some other exporters like the Tushar Group have made craft-based collection development their Unique Selling Point. This company, also based in Jaipur, believes in working within the parameters of handicrafts and has developed 12 diverse varieties of brands.
Similarly, several other exporters have also started injecting novelty into the age-old crafts to lend it a traditional yet modern look, with interesting modifications that can be well-received by consumers/users the world over. 
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The brand will reveal one of its jewels — Carrera at the event — which is a mechanical version of the smartwatch. It has the credit of being the only timepiece to possess the Calibre 5 automatic movement.
Revealing about the brand’s decision to participate in Coachella festival, Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Tag Heuer and president of the LVMH Group’s watches division, in a statement, said, “Tag Heuer is known in the US as a luxury sport brand, a perception that honours our heritage and mastery of the chronograph movement, however, we also want to distinguish ourselves in other spheres of life to reach different audiences.
“We’ve connected with new fans of Tag Heuer through our support of musical events and talent, and our ability to communicate with a younger generation will be furthered by this new partnership. We are proud to be associated with Coachella, one of the most popular music festivals in the world,” he elaborated.
The watch brand is also sponsoring the festival that will run from April 15 to 17 and April 22 to 24. Off late, music festivals have become the hottest destinations for luxury brands for discovering their perspective consumers among the millennials.
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