This week saw New York fashion week get everybody talking, with explosive performances and catwalk shows, in stellar and diverse locations- an abandoned subway station in NYC? Why not, Tom Ford.
So just in time, I got some exciting news this week. I was asked to produce mood boards for trends predicted for the Spring Summer Season 2020 for a fashion brand.
I’ve been closely monitoring fashions’ most prestigious designers’ shows and collections released at New York, London and Scandanavian fashion weeks to collate all my research and bring it together to help inspire the brands new season dresses!
So far, I’m thinking natural, fresh and pure pastel colours, representing the economic shift in concerns about overconsumption and its effect on the environment, climate change, sustainable fashion. I predict this season will see a shift moving more towards reconnecting with nature, and that is reflected in the seasons colours, shapes, and materials likely to gain popularity.
Moreover, the shift towards more sustainable fashion means consumers are likely to choose fewer pieces, with higher quality and versatility.
I’ll get on with my mood boards and post up the finished product here!
“you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to become great”
This photo was taken in one of my most inspirational cities to date- Saint Petersburg in Russia.
Full of gorgeous Russian traditional cathedrals, old beautiful buildings and colourful turrets. This stunning one is the ‘Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood’. I would highly recommend a visit to this stunning city, and paying that little bit extra to take a look inside this 19th century masterpiece.
This is the first post of hopefully many on my new blog! As I mentioned in my welcome post, I created this blog to share some of my favourite destinations, inspirational photographs, and the best fashion and beauty finds from across the globe. Those of you that know me will know that two of my favourite things are combined here- fashion and travel (Number three would be good food, obviously).
I’ve visited over 60 countries in my 25 years, so I have lots to share with you here, I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.
You can subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
This month one of the fashion projects I’ve been working on involved creating mood boards to portray a particular style, trend, concept to help design and buy in BEST SELLER product for SS20. The ideas I used came from forecasted trends, what we saw in fashion weeks around the world this month, the feel of what’s going on in the news right now in order to predict consumer behaviours, and of course, the style of the brand I’m working on it all with.
To get an idea of what kind of style works for our customers, I looked at previous best sellers – colours, styles, cuts, and materials. You name it.. I analysed it. We’re a party girl brand- formed as a branch of an international events company- who create clothing to suit their ‘good time’ girls that is all in keeping with their events!
After days of research on trends, catwalks, I started to draw links between my research and then collated these into groups. With all of this in mind, the first vibe I went for with my SS20 dresses mood board was an ‘LA Nights’ theme.
When I was creating these, I wanted to capture not only a style and vibe as a projection of popular trends for the upcoming season, but also ideas on what’s going to be big in SHAPES. For reference, I included a list of what should be included in our dresses range for 2020 on Page 2.
Looking over my research, the second group of images that stood out as very important for SS20 was all about the move towards a new generation of COLOUR that reflects nature.
It’s important to note that this is also in line with what’s going on in the fashion world right now, as consumers become more aware of their impact on nature and their choices, it’s predicted a move back towards colours that reflect being close to nature in summer fashion choices.
This is the colour palette I have suggested to move towards for those warmer months and day time party wear
You heard it here first – these are the colours that are going to be big next season *sticky out tongue face* ****I wish I knew how to do emojis on a website post!
I’m pretty happy with these as a first attempt- if you’re into fashion and trend forecasting too please let me know your feedback!
The latest need-to-know in fashion isn’t this seasons prettiest colour way or a must-have style – it’s ethically made, sustainable products, and how to change our own habits to contribute to a more sustainable future.
Frighteningly, the fashion and textiles industry contributes a massive 10% to global emissions. That’s more than the aviation and shipping industries combined. This figure is calculated from extended supply chains, water waste, hazardous chemicals, and the energy intensive production involved in making the clothes in our wardrobes. And although we are buying more, clothing items are now kept half as long as they were 15 years ago. We have really entered an era of fast fashion.
What’s more, 85% of textiles and waste material end up in landfills, when they could be recycled or reused. Some brands have started using these factory cut-offs and ‘waste’ materials to be recycled and made into new product, which is amazing, and something we’ll touch on in more detail later.
A graphic posted by @theguardian, depicting climate change in annual temperatures since 1850. This was produced by climate scientist Ed Hawkins
With the likes of Greta Thunberg turning our attention to the environment in the news daily, and the UN Climate Summit last month, there is a steady increase of pressure within the fashion industry in an era that we as consumers are becoming aware of our impact. This is more important that ever, and in an industry like fashion where the mindset can be throwaway – here’s five tips on making your carbon footprint a little lighter.
GET SUSTAINABLE IN FIVE FABULOUS WAYS:
1. Change your perspective
Eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable clothing doesn’t have to be boring. There are now so many cool and fashion-forward brands out there proving it, and taking neccassary steps to lessen their impact.
Advocate Stella McCartney writes on her website: ‘I don’t think that ‘eco’ should be a word that immediately conjures up images of oatmeal-coloured garments or garments that are oversized or lacking in any sort of luxury or beauty or detailing or desirability. I don’t think that things have to look ugly because they’re organic; why can’t they be beautiful as well? You can’t ask a consumer to compromise. I don’t think you can say, ‘Here is this jacket that looks terrible but it’s organic, and here is a really beautiful jacket that’s cheaper but don’t buy it because it’s not organic’.
With more and more brands backing the movement, you don’t need to compromise. Keep adding to your knowledge of what kinds of things to look for, and what to avoid. This makes it much easier when you’re shopping to make small changes to your habits, which if we all do this, will make big changes
2. Support sustainable, ethical brands! There are more out there than ever. I’ve listed here a few of my favourites below, and why they’re so great:
Veja
– A French fashion brand whose products are manufactured from raw materials sourced from organic farming avoiding chemicals and polluting processes. Not only are their products made sustainably, they are also made ethically and socially responsibly, with supply chain transparency, which many other companies branding themselves ‘sustainable’ may lack. Veja buy their materials from rubber farmers at a premium fair trade cost, allowing them to live a good life in Brazil. I love Veja even more since listening to their CEO’s Podcast appearance on BOF a few months back, which made me think more in depth about the sustainability and social and economic ethics of the items in my wardrobe. Plus – their trainers are pretty cool and distinctive. They’re a big player in the fashion world.
Perhaps not a brand you’d expect to be in this list, given the high energy resources and chemicals required to manufacture denim. HOWEVER, as such a big player in the denim industry Levi’s have started taking small steps to remove the water required to make a pair of jeans (over 2,000 gallons). With their new Water>Less range, they claim to have cut down water usage by 96%. They also touch on a better quality crop of cotton to benefit farmers and the environment, screening their chemicals, and have intiated a denim recycling project. You can read more about the project on their website.
Again, H&M haven’t made the full crossover to sustainability yet, but their new Conscious Range uses methods to make each item in the collection more sustainable. For example, using recycled materials or organic cotton. They’re also a really affordable way to shop more sustainable fashion, and have some great fashion-forward pieces too. One issue with this range however, is that their supply chain is not yet transparent, and so the ethic effect of this range is still to be questioned. Shop the collection here:
This outdoor brand are well-known for their ethical grounding – with many of their collections Fair Trade recognised, as well as including in their collections products made from recycled materials, a repair service to help you keep your gear for longer, and even a service where you can bring back your pre-loved items in exchange for credit. They have a section on their website for full information about their Sustainability and Ethical Responsibilities.
A great way to recycle your unworn pieces is to give them to a charity shop. You’re raising money for charity, reducing waste, and saving money at the same time. I do find these can be best if you live in the city, but you can shop around and find some cool ones near you. There are even some online- so you can shop from the comfort of your home.
What’s more – you can always get experimental with this clothing too, because let’s face it- if something only cost you a couple of £, you’re more likely to want to try customising it! Get out the scissors, sewing machine, and get creative. My favourite pair of summer go-to denim shorts are ex-Levi’s that I got creative with. You could even customise your finds and sell them on to make a profit and send them to a loving home! Your possibilities are endless.
4. Choose quality, timeless pieces over fast-fashion
Invest in trans-seasonal clothes – pieces that are classic, made from quality materials and will stand the test of time. Try to think long-standing products that will last and go together to make lots of outfits you will love across the seasons.
5. Look after your clothes so they last longer
This may sound obvious- but think about how you care for your clothes. Check the washing labels. Hand wash if they’re a little delicate. Don’t wash them after every wear unless they need it – it damages the fabric over time, plus every wash allows more damaging chemicals to seep out into the water damaging the environment.
If you clothes become damaged, consider whether they could be repaired rather than replacing. You could learn to repair and customise yourself, or take them to a seamstress to do it for you. Saves you some money, too!
Just back from four glorious days in Italy- visiting the quaint, winding alley little towns that lie on Lake Como. This will be my last holiday until the end of November when I make my grand return to my old home of Dubai for 9 days over the Abu Dhabi Formula One weekend, so I had to make the most of the sunshine!
Highly recommend a visit to these towns- we stayed up in the mountains above Belaggio, and visited Varenna and Menaggio which are just across the Lake by boat, as well as spending a day in Milan along the way. Very quiet and relaxing, with unbelievable scenery, endless Aperol Spritz, pizza, pasta, cheese and ham. Happy me.
Here’s a small gallery selection of photos to tell the story for me.
In what seems like another life – flying with Emirates Airlines as an international Air Hostess – this was near enough my daily view. Taking off from my home town of Dubai, gazing out the window at this at once glamorous and addictive sandpit, and struggling with my ever-fading memory to remember where in the world I was headed today.
I visited over sixty different countries over the course of my three and a half year working with Emirates, and my love for travel only continued to grow the more I saw and experienced. I made sure that no matter how tired I was on these short 24 hour stints, that I always got out and explored some of the new country I was in; even if sometimes (near the end and when I was at my most overworked and tired state) that just meant heading into the city to sample some of the local fashion and beauty shops, markets, and street stalls.
Since leaving my job at Emirates this month, I have decided to create a blog to commemorate all of my travels and my fashion finds from different countries whilst I was on the go. Travelling has hugely inspired my fashion universe, as well as given me my most loved wardrobe staple pieces and filled my bathroom cabinet with the most amazing beauty products directly from the source (Korea, the Dead Sea, Moroccan Argan Oil, African Shea Butter- I love you).
Now that I am back home in the UK, I am dedicating all of my time to breaking into the fashion industry. That starts here with this blog, where I am going to be sharing fashion finds from my travels- including inspirational spaces, clothing, and beauty products. I will also be sharing my career journey and projects here, as they happen.
I hope that you’ll find this blog inspirational, I hope that it will give you a few ideas about where you’d like to visit next, and I hope that it will inspire you to find your own favourite styles and provide some tips on where and what to shop.
Stay tuned.. my first blog post will be with you soon.
BEAU MONDE. 