Combined Shows Complete the Picture for Lingerie & Swimwear

Elizia Volkmann reports from Paris

Hosting the two events along side each other shows the complete story of the relationship between the textiles and lingerie and swimwear sectors. 

The spotlight this session was on embroidery at this edition of Interfiliere Paris.  With Bischoff winning the “Lingerie Designer of the Year” by Interfiliere de Paris (January 25 – 27^th), and new technologies driving a new wave of embroidery design and the incoming trends in lingerie and ready to wear design it seems as if this industry will be coming out from the shadow of lace. The line between textiles and garment manufacture is closing.

Textile companies will be working in closer partnership with designers in imitate apparel.

Focus on Embroidery:

The Exceptions Space in the show showcased Bischoff, Textil AG, Union where new techniques such as thermo-cutting, embroidering with unusual textiles such as denim, leatherette for a tweed style embroidery effect, use of real 3D and faux 3D effects are part of key incoming trends for both SS15 and into AW15. Advancements in Guipure and hot needles can make embroidery complete fabric with incredible potential for customization, design, use of yarns from the finest silk synthetic to higher gauge yarns such as cashmere. The new softer metallic yarns mean they are coming back for both SS15 and AW15 trends. Luxury embroidery sees the use of silk, cashmere 14 carat gold.

Macro-trends in textiles and lingerie:

Identity through Details

One trend forecaster suggested that as the global population continues to boom to an estimated 9billion people on the planet there will be demand for details that set us apart. The new consumer seeks differentiating individuality from all their clothes. The impact on manufacture is already being felt in terms of increased orders but lower bulk per order place more pressures on manufacturers and driving creativity, moving towards “micro-ordering” which is changing how yarn suppliers to the knitting, embroidery lace industries operate with Far East Mills European warehousing.

Details being demanded range from improved yarns and fabric print patterns, textures, trims, edging and fastenings etc. Creativity refined detailing will be a market differentiator for manufacturers.

Physical 3D Trompe L’Oeil –

3D such as the milli-fiori effect that embroiderers Ricamificion Paolo created for the exceptions with cut out flowers embroidered onto super fine tulle. 3D can be either actual multi-layered and stand out elements including beading and gems or be optical illusions. 

Digital photo-printing of 3D objects such as gems, flowers etc. will have more optical depth. Lace and embroidery can now create multilayered 3D effects in a single soft layer. Consumers want complex effects but want the smoothness than the new yarns and single fabric layer can offer so embossed embroidery will be popular as will optical laces embroidery creating illusions of multi-layered textures patterns.

Comfort Zone:

Home wear continues to grow, comfort is key. The onesie is here to stay.  Clothes for relaxing an indoor living are seeing continued steady growth for both the male and female markets.  Consumers continue to demand soft, fleecy and tactile, as life becomes more stressful clothes that provide reassuring comfort are proving market winners. Home wear that can also be worn out doors is an area of demand. which is good news for jersey knitters. RD into super soft but strong resilient multi-way stretch fabrics with attractive finishes is the way forward Intelligent fabrics that can manage moisture, enhance skin health and increase comfort will be in demand in the future in the higher sectors of the market.

Luxuriate at home:

Natural luxurious soft fibres such as cashmere, silk and high quality cottons in jerseys will be desirable. Exploring new luxury jersey fabric offerings to the mid and luxury sectors are on the horizon.

Colours remain natural, prints for summer wear and stripes and more playful fun looks will be lead by print designs seen on the catwalks.

Smart at home:

With the rise of menswear and the British style the men’s lingerie sector is set to benefit from the downstream effect and gain at boost.  Young men have a renewed interest in dressing gowns and pyjamas.  Men demand quality, cotton well finished well made. Details such as piping, embroidered motifs and attention to fashion, with an eye to classic textiles of the past such as stripes, prints and paisley. The two main looks are the British Gentleman re-discovered and the Modern man who want natural fibres and simplicity. There will be opportunities for luxury too with silk, cashmere and merino super fine jersey and wovens.

Sexiness re-defined

This new female focused sexiness is a key development and one designers and manufacturers need to embrace. The push-up bra is back but not as extreme as the 1990s Wonderbra sensation. Wires are being concealed or enclosed so forms are more subtle, flowing and curvaceous.  Styling sexiness is about simple elegance, voluptuousness, wealth and confidence.

Deliberate placement in design:

Designs will be more complex with increased potential for deliberate placement of designs within the construction of the textile pre-garment construction, rather than using “trim” and fabric.

SS14 trends:

Digital print technologies are finally catching up with digital surface pattern design. This is to be seen in lingerie, swimwear and hosiery, brands like We Are Handsome have led the way with their animal trample L’oeil swimsuits that give a 3D effect of animal heads and bodies. 

This type of design is moving towards more 3D florals, gems and also mix and match designs which can work with other textile and non-textile details. Printing over dying may also be seen in the future but requires RD with designers.

SS15 Trends in design:

Flirty feminine: Ruffles, frills, pleating, on fabrics, details, edges straps.

Digital Dimension: pixelated designs, photo-printing, abstract visual sampling montage designs.

Sportswear blocking: sports inspired prints, stripes, bands of colour, accent colours in sports wear accent colours: turquoise, bold yellow, white and hot pink. Contrasting with white, blue and black.

Digital Floral: printed florals, tiny blossom like flowers, very Japanese cherry blossom inspired, from dots to blossom sized prints. Fresh young.

Synthetic palettes: strong bold, computer inspired colours: deep magentas, cyan, arsenic green/jade.

Tribal Prints: inspired by South American and African Prints, in rich spice colours and contrasts. Digital technologies

2D 3D, multi-layered: 2D prints overlayed with 3D embellishments. Jewels, gems, rhinestones, playful elements in the more rich palettes. Dots, flocked dots, bows, flowers. 3D flowers over printed flowers giving a sense of depth without bulkiness.

For a younger lighter alternative the basket wear and macramé that has been seen on fashion run-ways translates into lingerie and swim wear in print form and some textiles.

Mesh: Tulle, net, fishnet, a new interpretation of these textures, not the old “fishnet tight” look, but something more sports inspired.

SS14 Colour Trends:

Colours will be very character driven from young fresh brights to more mature and subtle palettes, lingerie is more about expressing your personality than ever before.

Hot Brights,: corals, hot pinks, contrasting with flecks of green, purple, blues  wearable playful brights, a young fresh trend, that also works with florals.  Pixelated Florals: almost spots. 3D and layered effects from printing and from lace and embroidery creating faux 3D effects. Think Brazilian Carnival hot colours pointillist painting.

Summer Golds: gold and white, copper and white, soft gold tones. Milky tones with a sunny shimmers and soft metallic like sand sparkling in the sun. A smoother more flat texture

Spice colours: from deep chilli reds to turmeric yellow to browns earth colours.

Yellow Green: Chartreuse, green/gold, khaki colours, and deep emeralds and to fresh leaf and even acid greens. Silk/satin textures contrasting with lace and embroidery details and trims. A luxury palette.

Light Flower colours: moving away from candy tones a more romantic pastel palette with dusty pinks, soft lemon yellows, off white and nude tones. Very lace and embroidery friendly, textural and multi-layered.

Naturals Dusty nudes : milky tones, almond greens, a palette of nudes from pink, to champagne light browns.

Looking ahead: Colour Trends for AW15/16

This season is set to be inspired by complex ideas:

Victorian romanticism: dark, melancholic, neo-gothic/belle époque. Detailing will be rich, yet subtle. Opulence will be restrained yet rich. A sense of luxury without being showy.

The new “blacks”

Alongside the staple black, lingerie continues to explore a new range of dark palette key colour ranges are:

Chocolates: ranging from espresso black/brown through to more milky tones of chocolate brown, this also embraces deep aubergine tones and deep blues. A key contrast colour will be eau de nil/duck egg blue.

Grapes Purples: will be key colours for AW15/16 this will vary from deep purples to lighter tones even mauves.

Golds: yellows are tempered to be more flattering in old gold, deep ochres, dark turmeric/indian yellows, again very Victorian inspired, think of deep rich drapery.golden yellows that verge on burned orange tones. Gold detiailing and real gold yarns.

Aqua: green/blues, sea greens, Eau de nil, duck egg, sophisticated blues inspired by interior design. These blues marry well with the brown palette.

Red Pink: Muted, matt/textured, grown up, classy. Deep clarets, and subdued pinks flatter skin.

AW15/16 Textures: embossed effects, a continuation of the 3D trend using jacquards, embroidery, lace and details.  Flocking

Contrasts: The trend for low contrast details, laces and embellishments will continue to be low contrast, dark on dark tones, for example aubergine embroidery on a chocolate brown, dark green on dark blue, gold on darker gold combinations. Texture provides the contrast rather than colour.

Details: piping, colour blocking, shape wear will continue to embrace details and covering in lace and embroidery. Full cup bras, high apex shapes and deep bands, details and well-finished edging again embroidery can offer many useful options for edging. A sense of quality, luxury and strength is key.

Hosiery trends for AW15/16

Print, dying and 3D knitting technologies is key to the new generation of hosiery. The “Dancing Legs” shows showed some of the most innovative designs in hosiery. Tights have finally come of age and now offer designs more sexy than stockings with whole garment knitting.

Trompe L’oeil lace designs:  over the knee socks and stockings with complex rococo and baroque patterning as well as some “faux” socks” looking like classic grey ribbed over the knee or to the knee schools socks and knee high tights.

Tights designs borrowed much from baroque rococo architectural designs as much as lace designs creating columns faux stocking effects, sheer thighs ending in Faux lacy knickers knitted into the tights, hidden details that only the wearer knows about created very beautiful sexy garments.

Placement design: Lace, knit print designs are deliberately placed and sited from the simple metallic block stripes to highly complex screen printed painterly designs complex lace designs.

Contrasting front back panels: either in block opaque sheer or in details: stripes, lace spots

Whole print designs: rather than repeats, digital and sublimation printing can allow for complex designs including detail illustrations running from foot to hip.

Metallics: new softer metallic will carry on into AW15/16, only the softest metallic yarns will make the grade. Metallics will vary from the overall almost solid metal, lacy gold patterns, halo effects to stripes over black colour.

Clever Colour: Solid coloured opaques will continue to be popular but more in the blue and deep aqua colour trends and red/grape palette.  One company has been developing “ombre effect” tights with highly technical dye paint technology but this is a new complex process.

Author: Billy Hunter

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