The Future of Fashion

Often, when discussing the future of fashion, people refer to the work of New York designers who gravitate towards using innovative and original materials, experimenting with new forms and details, and creating “the design of tomorrow”. However, when trying to fashion a forecast, we have to consider the mass of factors – demographic trends, hydrocarbon cost dynamics, the development prospects of nanotechnologies and alternative fuels, the planet’s seismic activity, and even climatic and environmental processes. Based on the analysis of these data, four models of the development of the fashion industry in the near future were built, which describe not only design but also the features of production, retail, advertising, and other components of this business sector culture.

Scenario 1 

The easiest and most logical way to stop the growth of resource consumption is to slow down fashion. For example, stop producing such a large number of seasonal collections, conclude a “non-competitive relationship pact” between brands and start creating “smart” clothes that last several years, are capable of self-cleaning, and protect the body from many negative environmental influences. By the way, Trendymen.ru has already written about such developments. In addition, the authors of this scenario predict a significant increase in interest in the notorious second-hand.
Fabrics for production will be from organic materials, most often obtained from recycling, the center of which may be Japan. It is also interesting that such clothes will be sold in small shops and via the Internet, but even more interesting that they can be changed with friends or neighbors, thereby saving on new clothes and helping to save valuable resources.

Scenario 2  

As in the first case, it is appropriate to produce clothes from recycled materials – by 2025, technologies will reach a level where, for example, recycled silk will be in no way inferior to natural silk. In addition, the high energy cost will force manufacturers to create fabrics capable of generating enough electricity to recharge a mobile phone or other handheld gadgets.
Clothing production will become strictly segmented. In the world, depending on the geopolitical situation, Haute Couture zones will appear – where the high fashion industry begins to develop, Vintage areas will seem – clothes will acquire the status of “wine” – each batch will indicate the year of production and the more vintage the clothes, the more expensive they would cost. In addition, zones will be allocated for the production of denim and other types of textile products.
Thus, fashion will become polarized: either overly expensive, but from high-quality, natural materials, or ultra-affordable – from recycled fibers or based on second-hand clothes that have been restored in Nigeria, where one of these centers can be created.
Moreover, the authors of such a development algorithm assume the creation of a network of “clothing libraries” worldwide, where you can take anything for a certain period and then return it.

Scenario 3  

The main idea of such a strategy lies in high-tech service, design, and materials. For example, brands will produce chameleon fabrics that can change colors and prints depending on the client’s wishes. That is, you can buy one suit and “recolor” it depending on the occasion or accessories worn. The savings are incredible.
Thanks to the development of the Internet, fashion will not be dictated by designers and buyers but by customers. The mechanism is simple: the fashion show is broadcast online, and potential buyers from all over the world leave applications for a particular model, fabric, or color.
Microorganisms capable of decomposing any contamination overnight will be responsible for keeping clothes clean and fresh; nano-coating the fibers so that dirt and sweat would not settle on the fabric is another direction in which this idea could move.

Scenario 4  

This version of the development of the fashion industry implies the emergence of many nationalized brands whose products reflect the rich cultural traditions of a particular nation. This approach solves the problem of national identity in a globalizing world and contributes to eliminating cross-cultural issues among travelers.
In light of the shortage of natural fibers, biotechnology will gain special weight – there are already projects to produce “cotton” from bacterial cellulose.
In addition, the authors propose forming a network of factories worldwide to shorten the path to the consumer significantly. Thus, cotton production will develop in Asia, linen production in India, wool production in Australia, etc.

The Future is Fashion  

Now it is difficult to say which way the development will go, most likely, it will be some mixed model from these four scenarios. However, the wait won’t be long, and we’re sure to see some exciting changes in the nearest future.