This Future_Zine explores Heart Strings as a up and coming trend and its impact it will have on the future of the fashion industry. We propose that an increasing trend amongst Gen Z and conscious consumers is crochet, which is defined by the new generations need for a sense of community and creative outlet following covid and a way to encourage sustainable and ethical fashion practises as well as embrace female empowerment.
Dragt (2017) defines a fashion ‘Trend’ as not just a random hype in which a fashion style or item increases in popularity but is also grounded in social and cultural change; ‘A trend is not a fashion hype; it is a phenomenon that is observable right now which has an impact on a group of people and evokes change’ (Dragt, 2017).
When researching trends, it is important to look at the social, political, economic, and cultural changes in local and global societies to predict what is likely to become a future trend. This principle is used in fashion major fashion forecasting agencies to determine what the next big trends in fashion will be. The word ‘Zeitgeist’ is also key in understanding trends as it can be described as the spirit of the times, or the current cultural climate, what’s trending if often a reflection of what is happening in the world around us (Brannon, 2015). Nystroms 5-point program describes how a zeitgeist can be identified and can shape the direction of fashion, these are things such as dominating technologies, social groups, events, attitudes, and ideas (Crofford, 2023). We believe our contemporary Zeitgeist is the new need for a sense of community following covid, the new generations increased awareness of the current impact that the fashion industry has on the environment and an increased spending on slow, small fashion businesses, as well as a conscious concern for the ethical practises involved in the current fashion industry and how crochet is being used for female empowerment and supporting female artisans.
Our proposed trend is called Heart Strings. The style is characterised by the way the clothes are created, being made from a traditional making technique called crochet. The key aesthetic elements have a focus on texture, craftsmanship, creativity, individuality, thoughtfulness, longevity, empowerment, and sustainability. Our trend mood board has a focus on the craftsmanship and the artisans who make the clothes. We love that crochet is personal and has a story, it can inspire creativity and self-expression. WGSN reported in 2023 that Gen Z has a growing expectation for fashion brands to be more social and environmentally conscious (Smith, 2023). This means that slow fashion practises such as our trend crochet will be a great way to combat this crisis, as well as promoting ethical fashion practises. Similarly, LSN predicts a new wave of conscious consumers which they call ‘regenizens’ who focuses on sustainability and community (LSN, 2021). This translated perfectly with my proposed trend as crochet is a way to unite a community through crochet clubs, and this brings local communities together, as well as create pieces made to last and be loved, helping to combat the current climate crisis, of which the fashion industry contributes around 2-8% of global CO2 emissions (unece, 2018).
WGSN, one of the world’s leading trend forecasting agencies uses a STEPIC methodology when predicting up and coming trends in the context of what is happening in the world by ‘examining changes in society, technology, the environment, politics, industry and creativity to identify the macro forces that will drive consumer sentiment. (WGSN, 2022)’ Applying this methodology to our trend, we believe that the drivers behind Heart Strings is the increasing popularity of crochet online due to a need for a creative outlet and need for commu nity following isolated covid lockdowns. It is also fuelled by Gen Z’s newfound pas sion for crafting, therapeutic hobbies, and love for handcrafted fashion, which is also influenced by trends on TikTok such as #craftcore and #crochet. As well as this, climate change in becoming an increasingly widespread topic, and a new wave of con scious consumers are valuing sustainability and ethical fashion practises more than ever before, and crochet is a great way to promote slow fashion and to support local artisans. We believe that our proposed trend has strong roots within the current social and cultural climate and has real potential to becoming widespread within the future of fashion.
With evidence of our growing trend seen everywhere, we have identified three key influences and influencers which we feel in capsulates everything that our trend Heart Strings represents.
The first example is the Australian resort and swimwear brand Shemademe, which is leading the way for sustainable and ethi cal fashion practises. Shemademe produces hand crafted cro chet clothes made to order in Bali by local artisans. This allows for the traditional craft of crochet to be kept alive within the community and creates opportunities for artisans (She Made Me, 2023). The brand also focuses on woman empowerment, as crochet is primarily a male-dominated industry, woman are forced to work long hours for low pay and in abusive environments. They focus on empowering local women to find financial independence through autonomous employment opportunities, education, fair pay, and security. This brand incorporates everything that our trend is about, crochet empowers woman to find financial independence and ensures that artisans are fairly paid for their work. Heart Strings is all about how people connect to the clothes that they wear, we love that the brand Shemademe makes the women who work hard on their clothes an integral part of the brand and their stories live on through the clothes they sell. This personal touch to clothing makes them even more special, as crochet is made with love to be loved, and that means that people hold onto their clothes for longer.
Ethical fashion is a big part of what makes my trend unique, the ability to support people in the crafts that they love and enjoy is what I think the future of the fashion industry should embrace and what people should be supporting when thinking about where they buy their clothes and how they are made.
Another brand which we think embraces our trend identity is Our Legacy. Crochet is a great way for people to think more about how they can make their brand more sustainable. Crochet as a practise and a craft is already very sustainable, but brands such as Our Legacy are redefining how crochet can be used to combat waste products and materials.
Our Legacy created a range of hand crochet bags by female artisan Sarah Murkes in Stockholm, made from 100% recycled materials from their past projects. Fabrics are torn apart to make the scraps used to create the one-of-akind bags (Our Legacy, 2023). Our legacy is taking an innovative approach to sustainability through crochet, which is becoming an increasing concern for new conscious consumers, who are valuing sustainability more when buying
This brand is redefining what crochet means and how it can be used to combat waste and promote resourceful fashion practises. Sustainability is everything that our trend represents. The fact that crochet can be made, used, loved, and then re-loved also helps combat clothing consumption and promotes slow fashion practises. The individuality of the bags and the fact that they are all unique restates our belief that crochet doesn’t have to be perfect but is made with purpose and intent and can tell a story. Crochet can even be a way to promote beliefs about sustainability and protest fast fashion practises.
A key influencer and celebrity which we feel is driving our trend and helping to promote crochet is British diver and celebrity Tom Daley. Tom Daley, like many others, took up crochet during lockdown where he fell in love with the craft and said that he felt it helped him stay calm and focused. Pictures of him
knitting a jumper during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 quickly became viral and inspired many across the world to take up the craft.
From there, Tom has fast become one of the leading influencers for crochet and knitting and has since launched MadeWithLove
By Tom Daley which has a huge 1.2 million followers on Instagram (Daley, 2023), where he shares his creations and his crafting inspirations. He has also launched a website with the same name to promote crochet and sells crochet and knitting kits to get people started on their crafting journey. Tom also has a podcast called MadeWithLove, where every week he talks to influential people across music, social media, activism and sport to see how doing the things that they love can change their outlook on life and
Tom Daley as an influencer is embracing everything that our trend is about, having influencers and celebrities behind a trend and promoting crochet gives it a unique driving force and push, as with the rise of social media and apps such as TikTok and Instagram, they have become the key area for trends to develop and expand and a platform to inspire, especially for Gen Z consumers. Having celebrities and influencers promoting crochet it will help drive people and encourage then to start their own crochet journey, and hope-
In conclusion, we propose that the up-and-coming trend heart strings is here to stay. Our trend is defined by Gen Z and conscious consumers increasing concerns regarding sustainable and ethical fashion practises, female empowerment and the need for a creative outlet and community following covid. We believe that this trend will influence and shape the way that people look at how their clothes are made and worn in the future.
Page 1: Childs, M (2023) Crochet Cover, Highcliffe [image] In possession of: Author
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