Fashion works in cyclical mode: Classic and Fad. The purpose is one. Style.
In the 1920s, Coco Chanel and Jean Patou gave the world the Little Black Dress. A 100 years on, it remains the epitome of cool and sexy.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee was a street peddler in Kolkata two decades ago selling baubles packed in plastic boxes; today he runs a fashion empire worth close to $35 million and climbing.
By his own admission, over 5,000 women have worn his dresses, from billionaire brides to middle class girls, all of whom who want to be the next ‘Sabyasachi Bride’ with the Sabyasachi Makeover taken from his hit TV show Band Baajaa Bride.
The trendsetter is on the way to upending the business, posting online fashion shows on Instagram. Fashion is the business of selling dreams: in China a girl saves three months’ salary to buy a Louis Vuitton handbag.
For a style to become a trend today, it must be aspirational enough to bridge the gap between the wealthy and the wannabes.
GenZers born in the late 90s, who are successors to millennials, are the new beauty care demographic with companies whose products promote mental health, calm and wellbeing.
Fashion coins new terms: GenZers believe in skin prejuvenation because they don’t want to wait until their skin is damaged by various factors.
The other three new segments targeted are blacks, Asian women whose majority feels ignored by high-street brands, and Generation X women aged over 50, of whom 40 per cent “don’t feel seen”.
Political correct fashion will soon depart from ‘anti-ageing’ products to relate to specific sections such as menopausal women who have not been tapped with hormone management products.
To stop influencer power, digital fashion platforms will soon follow MyBeautyBrand where actual customers recommend products one to one.
Don’t forget the guys: Allied Market Research predicts the men’s personal care market worldwide to touch $166 billion in the next two years; according to Elle magazine, the big male beauty trend this year will be boys in nail polish.
Natch, expect many more such fashion surprises in the new decade, where intuition, trend forecasting and search analytics will generate informed predictions about the look and feel of the season in the year ahead. Fashion reflects the mood of the times doing what it does best—taking risks.
Colour me blue
“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. Classic Blue is a solid and dependable blue hue which we can always rely on.” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color
Classic Blue, Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year, will headline many fashion and design trends this year; a deep blue hue which is at once comforting and relatable.
Says Eiseman, “When we look at the world around us, we know that we’re living with a lot of unrest. Blue, from an emotional and psychological standpoint, represents calm and dependability.”
Genderless and seasonless, Classic Blue reflects sustainability through the indigo shade, which is derived naturally from plants and dyes. Indigo works well in interior design themes since it marries well with other hues and is well-suited to the Indian skin tone.
It is not a new colour for India either. Jaipur is famous for its blue shades. But to some the colour might seem a tad boring, when compared to the previous year’s showy Living Coral. With the beauty industry looking at adding more brightness to its palette, Classic Blue will be making an appearance in eye makeup, nail art and lipsticks.
Transparency is Clear
“The resurgence of craft and Khadi innovations will continue this year too. Purity and clarity will be the calling cards of fashion for 2020.” Deepshikha Khanna, Head, Apparel, Good Earth
The labelling revolution is coming. Consumers want to know exactly where and in what conditions their clothes and accessories are manufactured and whether they are animal cruelty-free. Strict labelling norms will encourage an environmentally kinder way of life. Fashionistas such as Sonam K Ahuja stress “building an ethical wardrobe”.
Anita Dongre wants hers to be India’s first sustainable fashion house. Says designer Rahul Mishra, “As more people learn of slow fashion and the importance of sustainability, versatile silhouettes and organic fabrics are finding space in upcoming trends. I am hoping to see an increase in conscious fashion buying.”
Ornate will fade
“This year, massive use of loud colours with a lot of ornate elements will fade out. Muted green symbolising natural products along with geometric and textured fabrics would be trending. People would go for this as it marries eco-friendly with creativity.”Nitin Kohli, Interior Designer
Gender neutrality
“Individuality will be big in the coming seasons. With the dynamics of the modern society changing, we are moving into a space where people are more self-aware and confident.” Rahul Mishra, Designer
Gender-neutral fashion stresses unisex clothing and accessories, while gender-fluid leans towards androgyny with Karan Johar and Ranveer Singh being their torchbearers.
It grabbed eyeballs with designer Ujjawal Dubey’s iconic label Antar-Agni with asymmetrical hemlines, cuffed hem pants, dropped-crotch dhoti pants, draped jackets and kurtas with the anti-fit finish favoured by Ayushmann Khurrana, Shahid Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor: after all what is Indian F without B-Town? Beyonce collaborated with Adidas for the Ivy Park x Adidas collection featuring unisex footwear and clothing.
Indian labels such as The Pot Plant by Sanya Suri and Resham Karmchandani, Bobo Calcutta by Ayushman Mitra and Chola by Sohaya Mishra are on top of the trend.
Gender-neutral power suits which began as boardroom raiment have started to appear in the corporate woman honcho’s wardrobe in the original dark or pin-striped version and feminine pastel shades.
Inclusive & Ageless
“What matters is your inclusive attitude along with your willingness to constantly challenge yourself and push the boundaries of possibilities.” Sunil Sethi, FDCI Chairman
The past year diversity ruled the catwalk and how. From trans models to models of all shapes, sizes and age, nothing shocked.
Designers woke up to the fact that most of what they create has limited appeal unless it eschews the anorexia maxim. Rihanna’s Fenty and Savage x Fenty lines, New York’s Maryam Nassir Zadeh and Eckhaus Latta turned to model inclusivity. Lakmé Fashion Week roped in Rina Dhaka and aLL—The Plus Size Store, to help create collaborations between retail and designers to reach out to a larger consumer base. How can the hemline expand if the bottom line doesn’t?
Pop colours
“Richer, bolder pop colours with vivacious prints to match, clever accessories and a continued love affair with the neutral palette will define 2020. There will also be a dominance of a fluid, layered silhouette.”Palak Shah, CEO, Ekaya Banaras
Brands Setto be Big in 2020
Rotate Birger Christensen
According to Lyst, in the last six months, searches for Rotate Birger Christensen have increased by 27 percent. It’s hardly surprising given the fact we are seeing this brand (and its instantly recognisable puff-sleeve dresses) on several members of the global fashion set.
Cecilie Bahnsen
The fashion industry and Instagram feeds were abuzz with dreamy dresses after the Cophenhagen-based designer presented her Spring 2020 Collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week in August last year. And searches for the brand increased by 38 percent, according to Lyst.
Christopher Esber
While already established in Australia, Christopher Esber is now gaining a fan base internationally as well. According to Moda Operandi, the brand has seen triple-digit sales growth in the last season.
Molly Goddard
Known for its larger-than-life designs, Molly Goddard’s collections evoke a sense of whimsical playfulness. According to Moda Operandi, the brand saw a 270 per cent increase in sales over last season, and according to Lyst, a 46 per cent search increase year-on-year.
Marina Moscone
As one of Moda Operandi’s best-selling emerging designers, there’s no doubt that Marina Moscone has solidified itself as one to watch. Specialising in impeccably tailored, feminine pieces, this designer should definitely be on your radar for 2020.
Pyer Moss
Pyer Moss’s S/S 20 runway presentation was undoubtedly one of the most talked-about moments of New York Fashion Week. According to Lyst, following the event, the brand saw a 226 percent increase in search, and we can only imagine that momentum will continue into this year.
Marine Serre
Since winning the 2017 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, Marine Serre has certainly made her mark on the fashion industry. Lyst predicts her brand’s popularity will increase even further in 2020, as its search has grown by 32 percent in the last six months.
Tre by Natalie Ratabesi
Seeing a 300 percent increase in sales on Moda Operandi since last season, Tre by Natalie Ratabesi is certainly a brand on the rise. Though with previous roles at Gucci and Dior under her belt, there’s little wonder that Natalie Ratabesi’s designs have gained the attention of many fashion fans.
Sense and Sustainability
“The three biggest trends to watch out for this year are handmade originality, handicrafts and textile.” Ashiesh Shah, Interior Designer
Since the previous year more consumers have uplifted fashion with conscience than before. Marketing-driven fashion will decline in 2020 and will be challenged by ecologically and ethically sustainable fabrics and silhouettes which focus on durability and wearability. It is the same story in interior design. Sustainable fashion is growing and ‘designing for dis-assembly’ is 2020’s way forward. Waterless beauty is in; fashion apparel brand Essgee reuses water for washing, and uses leftover fabric to make accessories. They save energy by sun-drying products in the open.
Founder Sagrika Grover says, “The future is now and we, as a brand, strive to reach a position where we are in no way leaving our footprint on earth.” Unilever has halved its water usage. Doodlage upcycles and recycles old clothes and experiments with cotton polyester, corn, eucalyptus and banana fabrics. Ka-Sha India uses natural fibres, aims at zero-waste, and celebrating handcrafts too. No Nasties is an organic, fair trade, vegan clothing brand; every time their product is sold online or a new email is signed up, they plant a new tree. Vajor, a modern bohemian fashion and lifestyle brand, has replaced plastic buttons with shell, wood and metal and used natural fibres in their products.
Into the universe
“A lot of deep, bright colours will definitely make their way back on the colour palette for 2020. Also, futuristic space age kind of elements will come back in fashion.”Gaurav Gupta, Designer
Clean beauty Shines
“With constant growth in technology and social media outreach, consumer awareness is more receptive towards organic ingredients. This year will see a continued growth of this segment.” Ishaan Jain, Director, Biotique
The year 2019 ended with images of the Amazon burning and the new decade began with one billion animals being killed in the Australian wildfire. Now the conscious buyer wants the industry to come clean. Beauty companies seek to source child labour-free mica (which adds the shimmer to blushers, eye shadow, lipstick and foundation)—thousands of children scour for mica in abandoned Jharkhand mines. The belt has undergone massive deforestation and wildlife deaths. Cruelty-free makeup has gone beyond animal testing to vegan. Says Jain, “Beauty will be all being 100 percent vegan, silicon- and cruelty-free.” Keeping up with the Kardashians’ vegan and cruelty-free image, Kylie Jenner recently launched her new makeup line with the happy announcement: “I got the best of the best for you guys! Everything is cruelty-free, vegan, gluten-free, paraben and sulfate-free.” With clean drinking water becoming a scarce commodity by the day, brands are also looking at reducing water usage in making products, besides reducing packaging waste. L’Oreal Paris is publicly committed to 100 percent eco-friendly packaging by 2025; it also achieved a 60 percent reduction in water consumption per finished product. British brand Lush spearheaded zero-packaging.
Customised skincare
“AI-enabled understanding of ingredient effectiveness and modern technology will cause a significant shift in the next decade.” Chaitanya Nallan, Co-Founder & CEO, SkinKraft
Microbiome (bacteria on and inside the body) beauty products will sweep the skincare industry. Factoid: there are a trillion microorganisms on the skin’s surface and each microbiome is different from other people.
Coming soon, products that promote and personalise bacterial stability to make the skin look younger. Johnson & Johnson has a dedicated microbiome platform.
Beauty advisors will be soon taking skin swabs for DNA and bacterial analysis to adjust the product specs to suit your skin.
Home machines like HiMirror take photos to analyse the state of your skin and will trace its condition as it ages using the data to recommend the products to use.
Procter & Gamble’s Opte Precision Wand will even apply makeup on targeted areas of your face. Hair Rituel Analyser from Suisley does exactly what the name implies.
Past Forward
“The 70s and 80s will dictate the cuts and colours for the new decade. Relaxed fits, high- to mid-waist trousers and jeans will be the look of this season. Bright colours and black will continue to be a staple in all wardrobes.” Abhishek Yadav, Head of Design, Spykar Lifestyles
The new fashion normal is raiding your mother’s closet for gorgeous weaves and rummaging in the attic for the long-forgotten jacket you had outgrown.
Expect vintage-look denim and bomber jackets in celebrity’s closets. Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor Khan are already slaying the look.
If you have been following Kate Middleton on Instagram, you would know that the noughties ‘tea dress’ is back.
This year, Kylie Jenner was seen in camo gear and what Kylie does today the fashion world does tomorrow.
At the same time, note that every fashion season has its own ‘Beauty and the Beast moment’. Some styles you wished were dead will be back and how! Read 90s-era leather (you can pick a vegan version) corsets, ugly ‘Daddy shoes’ or even Goth aka Nirvana.
Also, animal prints of all species (means variety) are back—leopard, zebra and snakes are rad; so are coloured sunglasses. Those best-forgotten tube tops and fishnets are positioned to shock fashion purists.
Skinimalist Touch
“People these days rarely have the time to indulge in long-drawn makeup sessions, but at the same time, they do not want to sacrifice on the style quotient. All-in-one makeup products make the process easier and quicker.” Pooja Malhotra, Customer Experience Trainer, Kiko Milano’s India office
Makeup will be minimalistic. With just enough time to shower, dress, grab a coffee and scoot, millennials abhor the luxury of multiple makeup products. K-Beauty ‘skip-care’ and its Japanese alternative ‘skin fasting’ will ease skin detox. Skip-care is using fewer products—or, as Malhotra says, “all-in-one products”.
Use only ingredients absolutely necessary for the skin, thus exposing it to less chemicals. A normal day includes using moisturiser, serum, concealer, foundation and other ABCs. J-Beauty ‘skin fasting’ routine, popularised by Japanese skincare brand Mirai Clinical, means to regenerate the skin.
The skincare market is evolving into a pollution fighter. Last year, Nykaa, Mamaearth and O3+ launched anti-pollution skincare products. In this segment, the global skincare market size was estimated at $9.07 billion in 2018 and could go up by 4.2 per cent from 2019 to 2025.
Opulence is out
“We are slowly moving towards a more modern and minimalistic outlook when it comes to design. Grand designs will give way to a subtle sophistication. The year 2020 will be all about style minus maximalistic overtones.”Jahan Tahiliani, CEO, Tahiliani Homes