Trend Flash is an exclusive benefit reserved for Members of the Trend Curve’s subscriber family. This update from Michelle Lamb features top-line trends from the Showtime textiles market. Here are the key new directions for upholstery fabrics:
COLOR
- Blues dominated assortments
- Greens picked up, especially yellowed versions
- Warm reds spoke to the future
- Cognac was part of the developing brown story
- Hot pinks kept popping up as key accents
- Though seen only in supporting roles, blush pink got lots of attention because of Pantone’s color-of-the-year announcement
TEXTURE AND MATERIALS
- Texture was the market’s super-trend
- It was used to update everything to an “artisan” personality
- High-pile looks began a trend cycle
- Cut-velvet looks took a giant step forward
- Bouclé showed up much more often
- Advancing embroidery featured thin lines and spaced stitches
MOTIFS AND THEMES
- Abstraction made everything look updated
- So did an artisanal approach that included texture and imperfection
- Geometrics came roaring back
- Menswear looks had new status
- Kuba and shibori techniques influenced many designs
- Classic motifs got new details (think outlines), while dropping established ones (like frames)