Like all trends, the rise of purple will embolden you

I had a conversation with a woman who does not follow trends. She lives in a bubble. She buys what can best be described as classic pieces. A wardrobe filled with nothing but basics. How can someone stave off trends so successfully and live to tell? It turns out, not at all.

The most persistent trend this decade has been skinny jeans. From novelty for the slim and young to an answer to the low-rise, thong-winking bootcut.

Bootcuts were beloved, earning appreciation for framing that juicy African pear shape. It was the only thing women seemed to wear.

My friend found herself a full fledged fashion victim the day she noticed she wore bootcut in a world of skinnies. My jaw dropped. Who even stocked these any more? Not just because they fell out of trend, but because something amazing happens to clothing stores when trends shift.

They stock. Massively. One day it’s bootcut, the next, nothing but skinny jeans. Even mum jeans lost that dumpy straight leg and acquired a rock and roll vibe. Then everyone started wearing skinnies: teenagers, boys, girls, Millennials, Gen X through Z, women in their 50s and grandmas, men’s suits got cropped hems. Skinnies; the superheroes replacing zombies and vampires.

I cannot tell you the number of times people have sworn they do not follow trends. People. Everyone follows trends. Trends are not Alexander McQueen’s armadillo heels.

Lady Gaga owns three pairs. Trends last for years. Decades even. Very different from a fad. Fads, say fidget spinners and rompers for men, have extremely short lives.

INSPIRED BY TRENDSETTERS

Trends are inspired by trendsetters. Who are very different from influencers. Trendsetters are innovative minds such as artists (painters and composers included), designers, people with money, actors and under 30s, says henrikvejlgaard.com.

They live in large cities where trends have the opportunity to trickle and wash over entire swaths of people. What makes this group special is they are curious and open.

You know something is a trend when it goes mainstream, has been adopted by a whole lot of other trendsetters, possibly in a city that has a fair number of them, how fast the said trend spreads either organically or via imitation, what appears in the media trendsetters are drawn to and one that has been tapped into very much recently, through film and TV series.

Trends can be skimmed off the knowledge of other equally trendy folk in film, art, culture, music, TV, media, anthropology to economists. It really is about knowing enough about everything to understand the something. Trendsetters inspire each other.

The connection between Rihanna, Beyonce, Diana Ross and Lady Gaga to the gay community is replete with examples. In America, this reaffirms a celebrity’s status as an icon. Add more than a soupçon of intuition to cap it all.

Trendsetting is not all art. In fashion, trend spotting is serious business worth billions of dollars. The bad news is fashion designers and retailers get the same memo on colour, silhouettes and shapes leading to sameness.

DESIGNERS WANT TO BE CERTAIN

Designers want to be certain their collections sell. It is a business after all. Trend spotting does miss nuance. Not everything can be captured and bottled. Mercifully, up-and-coming brands cannot afford such services.

It does read like sacrilege, doesn’t it, attempting to manufacture something with a fiercely uncontainable spirit as fashion does by collating and analysing data to understand human behaviour.

Nothing can replace the sheer wattage of pure unhinged inspiration. Even fashion magazines like W have a disclaimer when publishing their annual predictions because, you know, the human factor.

How can one be sure a forecast did not become self fulfilling. Pantone declaring Ultra Violet 18-3838 Colour of the Year 2018, after WGSN, a leading West London trend forecasting company, had predicted it, is it still a trend or did this make it a trend?

You are wondering how this affects you. I’ll tell you. Makeup; think lip colour, nail polish and eyeshadow in violet, interior decor colours such as wallpaper, paint, countertops, sofas and the maximalism trend, a slew of violet fabrics regardless of texture in the form of dresses, sweaters, skirts, suits, shoes — anything.

The rise of purple hair colour, food colouring right down to art reflecting the combination of warm and cool. Still doubting? The rise of purple will embolden you.

Lead to clashing pairings. Leading to even more colour over the next few years. Why? This could be speculation on my part but people want luxury and escapism from stuff like Donald Trump and the Brexit effect.

They want to feel pampered and royal. Wait, isn’t there a royal wedding coming up? Now, tell me again. Did you say you are not influenced by trends?

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