I don't know about you, but I've found that it's getting a bit more tasking to keep track of menswear after the collections. So much happens in society in general on a daily basis that by the time first deliveries roll around, the trim thin-waled corduroys can oftentimes seem like a misstep rather than a next step. Take the recent Mens Spring 2018 Collections that wrapped up here in New York last week, for example, and the preponderance of voluminous trousers and streetwear inspired highbrow nods. Still tucked tightly inside the modern gent's brain is a close fitting pant or jean that seemingly accentuates his newfound verve to fine-tune his body with weights rather than whiskey. Now with the onslaught of fuller shapes proposed last season and now taking full swing for Spring/Summer 2018, what's a guy with exemplary quads and fuel-injected pecs to do?
He adapts. That is the key here. For if fashion is the voice of society through clothing then it stands to reason that for some time now there's been less of a dictatorship and more of a catering to. It's cool to be told what to wear, but a lot more empowering to wear your clothing with ease as opposed to them wearing you. That's what the shift for years now has been. How do these menswear designers dress the actual, opinionated and empowered consumer in a way that they'll respect, recognize and identify with? As public opinion and viewpoints gain notoriety, it's the emboldened perspectives, both visual and spoken, skeptical ideologies, sheep-like pandering and rebellious deflections in society, on social media and in global culture that paint a modern picture of style and affect the fashions we are given come shopping time.
Digitally printed Fashion and Active Textiles at AvanPrint USA
To operate a business that doesn't make profitable strides to move in-sync with the fluctuating pulse of the people is kind of antiquated. It's been a key issue in recent seasons to see just how to maintain that synced equilibrium. Easier said than done considering that much of what drives the pulse nowadays is hocked up on hype one day and in need of a glucose drip the next. There are designers like Bailey at Burberry Prorsum who has and Gvasalia at Veteménts who is in the process of altering the eight month wait-time consumers wait to enjoy a collection down to a few months to keep a beat that more closely capitalizes with consumer discovery/demand. Fast-fashion retailers like Zara and H&M keep up with the demand (although questionably according to many) by latching onto that A.D.D, 'see it now, want it now' modern public psyche.
Digitally printed Fashion and Home Furnishings at AvanPrint USA
While at the recent TexWorld USA, ApparelSourcing USA, AvanPrint USA and Home Textiles Sourcing Trade-shows in New York City, what came to mind was that while everything trickles down, if Zara wants to move faster then those facets in charge of producing that multicolored polka-dot cotton jersey will want to move faster too to stay relevant and in business. Enter technology and its advances in digital printing which I found to be of particular interest at the TexWorld USA Tradeshow. There has always been much substantiated truth to the fact that your product is only as good as your production.
Kornit Digital Printing at AvanPrint USA
An impressive highlight at AvanPrint USA were the advances from Kornit Digital whose digital printing techniques take a seven step printing process down to three steps. The time spent externally pretreating fabric before dyeing, color-checking, preparing dyes, making screens, etc. are all saved with their processes that involve a range of over ten unique digital printing machines with the smallest of 8 heads to the largest of 60 heads. It was quite notable to see in-person how shifts in society lead to shifts in commerce in a world where we are not really that much compelled to consider the commendable efforts behind producing a single garment. However, with liaison companies such as the TexWorld USA-hosted Thr3eFold Ethical Fashion Brokers, that link brands with global factories for ethical labor, competitive wages and safe working environments, there is a growing desire to be more aware of how you contribute positively and negatively to fashion's humanity. Then how insightful it was to get a quick crash course in 'waterless dyeing' and printing techniques with Eco-Pocketing from Archroma that use very little water and half the amount of energy consumption to produce an attractive and wide variety of colorfast fabrics that aid in production efficiency to get end-products to the market quicker.
Thr3efold Ethical Fashion Brokers display at TexWorld USA
Of further interesting mention on speed and adapting to frenetic the global cultural pace was the Trend Council, a fashion-forecasting company that uses digital resources, not to mention global ambassadors of all lifestyles and professional stages to predict textile and clothing directions two seasons ahead. From the state-of-the-art digital printing to fashion brokering & trending to the environmentally-friendly mills it was enlightening to see that as fashion and demands change, the basic needs involving humane treatment and a comprehensively fair livelihood aren't taking a backseat to enterprise. Then, how impishly reassuring to see that our impatience to fulfill our unashamed cravings and naughty little desires involving fashion fixes, stylistic brainstorms and wardrobe up-keeps are being considered from those we buy from all the way down to those they buy from.
