As one of the biggest promoters and research developers of the most-used fabric in the world, Cotton Incorporated can’t operate without the arduous task of fashion forecasting. Keen observation of how people live, frequent dialogues with fashion designers and sourcing specialists, and technical research allows the company to calculate which colors, fabrics, and silhouettes the fashion cognoscenti and the mass-market consumer will want to purchase, more than a year ahead of schedule.
This cotton company is closely connected with the Cotton Council International, the overseas market promotion arm of the National Cotton of America which exports Cotton USA, superior cotton that bears the familiar blue and white Cotton USA mark used by fashion retailers and manufacturers worldwide. (In the local retail scene, retail brands that carry the Cotton USA mark include Lee, Bossini, Bobson, Wrangler, Jag, Puritan, Hanes, and Freego.)
Cotton Incorporated’s fashion marketing team is in charge of researching and developing comprehensive seasonal trends 18 to 24 months ahead of the selling season. This research is then presented to mills, manufacturers, designers, and retailers. (While we’re just barely getting used to green as the new black, Cotton, Inc. already knows the next big color to spring up in the fashion industry.) Each presentation includes a unique and informative look at color, fabric, silhouette, and lifestyle direction for every season.
Fashion for 2007, particularly in the colder months, says Cotton Inc., will be a bit on the unconventional side. The fall-winter season, often the domain of somber tones, will be given a fresh new perspective in 2007 with bursts of intense color. Basic, formerly proletarian fabrics like denim and corduroy will get more ambitious treatments, while casual sportswear will go more stylish. On the other hand, the opulence of luxe fabrics such as velvet and organza will be downplayed.
These trends for 2007 come to the Philippine fashion industry by way of Lauren Deatherage, a trend forecaster in Cotton Incorporated’s fashion marketing department who has worked with influential clientele within the United States and throughout Europe and the Far East.
As Lauren reports, fall-winter 2007 will boast an array of striking shades: deep reds, elegant grays, bold greens, expressive browns and beige, and a sea of blues. These colors are divided into six different color groups, each representing a particular inspiration:
• Revival — The first color group, inspired by the autumn landscape as seen through the eyes of a color-hungry artist, is a typical fall-winter palette that embraces subdued grays, rust, and forest green. Unexpected tones of blossom pink and acid green inject a perk-up factor. This palette is suggested for velvet, flannel, tweeds, and corduroy textures.
• Humble Arts — This homage to the unique craftsmanship of yesteryear’s artisans puts together serene pastels and grounded earth tones. In this second color palette, subtle camels and browns, pale blue, and deep purple give an uncomplicated twist. Expect these colors to crop up in dainty floral prints, or checks and plaids for men’s shirtings.
• Haphazard Beauty — Finding beauty in the unconventional, even the accidental, is the inspiration for the third palette. Beauty by chance is found in stains, blurs, freckles, and bruises. Highly suggested for womenswear, this palette displays rich and intense reds, deep browns, and soft corals.
• Raw and Refined — Probably the most rebellious of the color palettes for fall-winter 2007, this group combines bright orange and yellow and deep red with elegant neutrals. Inspired by "conflicting aesthetics" – streamlined looks with the rough or unkempt – this color mix would do well for businesswear or luxe activewear.
• Epic — Composed of "barely-there shades," this palette is inspired by the "lasting influence of ancient Greek architecture." Varying shades of white, ecru, and dove gray are anchored by black, redefining a new kind of minimalism, especially in the use of simple, lightweight fabrics made more interesting by pleating, gathering and draping effects.
• Still Life — Of the six color groups, "Still Life," composed of varying shades of blue, stands out. Blue, which resolutely sneaked out of the list of style pariahs this year, is the top contender for 2007. While 2006 is witnessing a surge of navy blues for dressy, red carpet-worthy frocks, next year’s blue notes will span a broader range, from deep and serious midnight-blue shades to lighter, more pleasant tones such as cerulean or powder blue. The use of blue in 2007 will also be more varied. "Mismatched shades of blue" will be artfully layered together and will extend its reach to more casual wear, applied to smooth velvets, clean denims, jacquards, and jersey.
The popularity of blue, Lauren explains, arises from the symbolic meaning attached to the color: Blue holds a universal and positive appeal, and has always stood for calm and serenity, concepts that are becoming more and more intermittent in a fast-paced and over-stimulating society.
With blue as the dominant color for 2007, expect denim to also take its share of the limelight. The blue-jean staple, along with other traditionals, corduroy and flannel, are trying for a more cutting-edge approach. The finishes for these comfy essentials will become more urban and spirited: geometric patterns on denim, and corduroy with sleek and structured renderings. Activewear is another high reacher this season, combining both fashion and function. They will be wind- and tear-resistant but, at the same time, brightly-colored and festively festooned.
On the other end of the spectrum, opulent fabrics reserved for evening wear take the inverse approach – cotton organdy, organza, and velvet take on deep and subdued tones and unobtrusive patterns for a look of understated luxury; plush knits and wovens go for the natural, unprocessed look.
As for spring-summer 2007, which is already considered a "backtrack" in light of Lauren and Cotton Inc.’s future-focused mind-sets, the apparel trend involves a lot of prints, either blurred or overlapping each other, or bold and static. The color palette includes juicy, feel-good greens and yellows, warm reds and wood browns, and neutrals in chalky and milky tones.
And, in case you’re wondering, pink is definitely on its way out.