The fashion trends for 2021 are determined by the desire to be both unmissable and responsible. Lockdown has fundamentally changed the game
From sweatpants to a suit?
There is probably not much point in describing how much of a transformation our wardrobes have undergone during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Anyone knows from personal experience that the most festive outfit is a clean tracksuit during the persistent lockdowns. All of this, of course, has also had an impact on the fashion industry. Some brands have had to scale back their production, others have had no choice but to dramatically change the range they offer. However, it seems that we are approaching the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel (not to mention the "letting out into the world" vortex of big/city), and so the fashion world will have to react. But will this mean we all happily slip into suits/costumes again, or will the last year change our dressing style (and the demands placed on clothing) irrevocably?
Predictions of the future state are uncertain. And so, to gauge what lies ahead in the fashion field, we have no choice but to turn to the past. The search for answers to what the post-pandemic future of fashion will look like can be done at a time when people were dealing with a similar crisis, the Spanish flu. Since many experts are already looking to the 1920s for inspiration on how our lives should evolve economically and socially in the wake of the pandemic, it is no wonder that designers and stylists are also heading to these times for inspiration. So it seems that 2021 will become a modern and eccentric fashion variation of the 1918 style.
Glamour at every turn
"Fashion, by its very nature, is constantly changing and always reflects what is happening in the wider world around it. The coronavirus crisis is no different and fashion expresses the hopes and fears of society," so says Dr Lucy Moyse Ferreira, a lecturer at the London College of Fashion. And given that most of us are now fixating on the days ahead, it's quite likely that we'll ditch the aforementioned tracksuits with the same speed that we'll shoot out of our homes the moment front gardens, restaurants, clubs etc. open. And we will go out in outfits made of lamé (a special textile that glistens thanks to metallic threads) or lurex and pieces full of sequins - even if we only go for rolls...
Zdroj: Giphy
Although at least some may choose more restrained outfits for a trip to the nearest supermarket, it was on the catwalks, where famous brands (Louis Vuitton, Balmain, Chanel) presented fashion for this spring and summer, that eccentric "party style" pieces dominated. Versace or Dior may have hit everyone's desires even harder - the models featured pure beach prints, indicative of the desire to travel and enjoy the summer season as much as ever before. But if you're shaking your head and thinking that the fashion presented at the shows is extravagant and unusable in everyday life, know that this very idea has been blown to bits by the pandemic. This is evidenced by the new fashion collection of the H&M chain, which was created under the direction of designer Simone Rocha. Tulle skirts, balloon sleeves, literally "clouds" of pearls and tartan patterns - all of this is reflected in outfits for both women and men. But while it might seem that no one today desires to look like they were cut out of a fashion magazine over a century ago, the opposite is true. In fact, the entire collection sold out practically as soon as it was launched. It was as if people really wanted to celebrate the return to "normal life" with something very "abnormal", distinctive, unmissable. Something they would never normally wear.
Smart Mountain Girl, 2021 version
Layering. This is exactly the next trend for the spring and summer season 2021. Mesh, clinging materials, layers of transparency, patterned, all of these should be combined if you desire the modern style ("dressed-up") of the smart mountain woman. Alternatively, you can go in your own direction and just stick to the need for "smartness" in fashion, which is now increasingly associated with sustainability and ecology.
Zdroj: Giphy
2020 in particular has become a time when activism aimed at supporting brands that are mindful not only of responsible production and resources, but also of human labour itself, has come to the fore. Despite the bleak economic situation, many have learned to buy sustainable and more expensive goods, but less so than fast fashion products (classically, chain store clothing, cheap and not very durable). And, as experts' estimates suggest, this practice will continue. This is also because more and more fashion brands are trying to adapt to the new trend and thus satisfy the related demand. "There's a long way to go before all mainstream circular consumption channels are able to offer consumers the same level of choice and service as traditional retail, but we've seen rapid progress in the last year alone, so we can expect growth to be exponential in the coming years," says Isabella West, an economist and also founder of a company focused on so-called This is also one of the concepts behind the potential sustainability of fashion.
So while the fashion industry will also have to deal with the effects of the pandemic, perhaps the past year will be a first step towards positive change. That is, not in the sense that we will hit the streets in pieces that seem to have fallen out of Dan Nekonecny's or Jana Kratochvilova's wardrobe (which may very well happen at least in the short term), but in the sense that we will start thinking responsibly about fashion and especially about buying clothes. As the last year has shown, even wardrobes bursting at the seams are not a guarantee of happiness and satisfaction, not to mention that the term "dressing up" has taken on a whole new meaning with the pandemic. And so perhaps fashion itself will take on a whole new meaning.
