Women as Outdoor Target Customers

Women as Outdoor Target Customers

Participation in the panel discussion organized by the EOG at OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen (Germany) on July 17, 2015

ME & WE – the many facets of today´s consumer

ME & WE

The many facets of today´s customer
Presentation at OutDoor Summer 2015
Friedrichshafen/Germany, July 17, 2015

Digital disruption goes along with radical cultural shifts and transformations. Trends, manners and special likings are in constant change. Customers are in search of distinction and identity exploring the many facets of individualization, blurring gender lines, too. Yet besides the focus on the individual we see the renewal of a longing for gathering with friends and family.

Despite excessive data mining and intense researches in neuroscience, customers still keep their secrets. The strong hope that comprehensive tracking and analyzing of the customer´s traces in the world wide web will give birth to the final truth about his preferences hasn´t been fulfilled up to now. It is just the opposite: The more we know, the more confusion.
The number of tribes and communities is ever growing. The social norms which once defined a few clearly shaped lifestyles have been dissolved. Modern societies are marked by diversity and complexity. People adapt their lifestyle to changing settings and circumstances with playful easiness.

Over the last two decades industry and retail optimized and standardized both structures and products while people discovered the desire to be different and showcase their unique statements and accomplishments.

The well-informed and self-conscious customer wants to express personality and edits his own narrative. The wide variety of digital social platforms offers the chance to live and spread multiple identities.

High time for the industry and retail to start thinking anew. It is necessary to forget the structures and processes which were developed for the post-war industrial society. Today´s fast pace asks for well-thought ideas and strategies which are realized with contemporary structures and processes. Success in the digital era doesn´t derive from evaluating performance numbers – mainly sales results – as these numbers are always a reflection of the past. In saturated markets the customers are not waiting for the industry to deliver its ideas.

It is time to break stereotypes and discover identities! A look at today´s multi-faceted customer starts with a glance to men´s wear. There is a lot of talking about new male consumers going on during the last two years. Growing sales numbers in fashionable men´s wear reflect a more fashionable and diverse approach to clothing. Men discover the many possibilities of underlining
the own appearance by appropriate garments. And they dare to break the traditional norms – something which will affect sports apparel, too. It is no longer only Superman out there in nature, mastering any challenge as extreme as it might be. Also male customers enjoy a playful easiness when it comes to perform sport – no more “Work hard, play/perform hard!”

When it comes to women´s clothing, a lot of sports brands are in trouble. Women are used to juggle different roles in their lives – friend, wife, mother, business woman – to name just a few.
They ask for appropriate products to master this complexity. In clothing “appropriate” is yet not enough. Appropriate function – yes, of course but women want products which make them feel good and look better. And here the problem area in sports apparel starts: The industry and retail have long focused only on improving functionality and protection of the garments. A proper fitting, a sense for fashion and in general a more diverse approach to collections has been given up. A look at women´s preferences in spending money shows that sports apparel is not a favourite item for women. To make it sharp: They like performing sports but they don´t like the product offer, they don´t like the look and fit and they don´t like the marketing stories.

Again: High time to think anew. Both industry and retail have to follow carefully the needs and wishes of customers and respond in a proper way. It is necessary to understand how and where people make use of the industry´s products. This is the starting point for any successful product development and communication. The customer wants industry and retail to be companions who offer support, inspiration and orientation for living his individual life. Marketing has to create new storylines and imagery with a thorough understanding of the people they want to hit. New alliances between industry and retail have to be established. Shops don´t need technological overkill just because the gadgets might be cool stuff – a shop has to offer unique experiences in finding the product you have been dreaming of, you want to feel well inside the shop and you want a really good service with a human touch.

The perspectives for the sports industry are quite well as performing sports has turned into a firm part of the contemporary global lifestyle. Yet extreme and high-performance sports are just for a small target group. Healthcare and wellbeing sports gain ever growing importance and will be major drivers of sales in the next years. People want to live longer, healthier and happier. Many countries launch already public health programs, making people move in order to reduce exploding healthcare expenses.

Today is about breaking sameness, defining a new understanding of sports and its meaning to people. It is about discovering the chances of the broad diversity in society and setting up a true and contemporary brand identity.

You want to know to know more? Please don´t hesitate to contact me!
Get your individually shaped interpretation and consulting services in the field of sports apparel.

Munich, August 17, 2015

Nora Kuehner
fashion   design   consulting

Colour and trend perspectives spring/ summer 2017 for sports apparel

Colours & Trends Summer 2017

Presentation at OutDoor Summer 2015
Friedrichshafen/Germany, July 16, 2015

In the fast-paced global world everything seems to grow, decay is practically forbidden. Changes and developments in the modern society follow mainly the sports principle of “faster, higher, further”. Generating endless improvements.

Despite the experiences with global economic turbulences and natural disasters, the world still clings to this idea of ever-lasting growth. Sheer mathematics tell us that permanent growth is just not possible in a world with scarce resources. Yet we see a growing discomfort with this idea, more and more people have started questioning the pros and cons. “Degrowth” is the base for further discussions focusing on topics like quality of life and true sustainability.

The IDEAS members have selected “GROW” as keyword for the season summer 2017 and want to reflect the many facets of this inspiring topic. On the verge of new and unpredictable developments, the season delights in delicate and optimistic colouring.

Let your imagination grow!

Practising sports has become an essential part of the global lifestyle. Therefore we see the need for changes in the appeal of contemporary sports products. Mainly sports apparel collections stand at the crossroads of fashion and functionality. Facing saturated markets as well as an ever-growing diversity of target groups the sports apparel industry needs to rethink its approaches to sports design. Therefore colour, too, as a key property when it comes to attract buyers has to be selected carefully and according to new context.

As fashion is increasingly using performance fabrics and accessories, we have decided to enter a more fashion orientated colour story to our forecast – of course alongside with the usual range of colour stories for active sports.

Mostly neutral colours pair with black and white thus creating a feel of luxurious simplicity.
A subtle range with an aesthetic appeal both masculine and feminine. Combinations may range from a more zen-focused spirit fitting all kinds of wellbeing sports to a clear dynamic sports attitude.

Superbloom
New technologies offer it all – replicating nature ever more accurate and refining reality. Developing perfect environments for future living as well as perfecting the human condition via technology.

Fabrics place high-end technology first. Combining perfect function with a natural look and feel. Cool geometric patterns change character by layers of sensuously morphing colour. Fragmented flaming flower designs delight in opulent colouring. Complex monochrome line art inspired by architectural blueprints and wiring diagrams.

A range of vibrant hues provokes explosions of energy. Sunny yellow, bright violet and shady true red take centre stage. Balanced with shades of mid blue and dusty bronze. Highlighted by creamy white. An expressive and bold colour story reflecting a synthetic naturalness.

Sprouting Up
The unexpected is an essential part of life – detailed planning, excessive data mining and innumerable algorithms cannot extinguish surprises or eliminate any risk.

Developing fabrics with protective and functional properties for a more everyday outdoor clothing. High elasticity for freedom of movement. A rich diversity of structures and finishings as tactility is key. Graphics are Influenced both by nature and man-made environments, by chaos and high-end precision. Shattering homogeneity with unbridled fantasy.

Light shades of green and amber alongside powerful coral, leaf green and purple. Greyish petrol and blackened olive complete this calming yet rich palette. Reflecting untamed individuality as well as sparkling unity.

Beyond Growth
Abandoned industrial buildings and areas offer stimulating canvases to makers with imaginative minds and a hands-on approach. Preserving traditional skills, adapting latest machinery to the process of individual making. Bridging the gap between craftsmanship and industrial production.

Taking a thoughtful approach to fabrics. Refining and transmuting materials to achieve singularity. Playing with the contrast of rough and smooth. Surface treatments underline the importance of natural haptic sensations. The traces of decay are key sources of inspiration for graphics.. Both simplicity and ornament influence patterning. Hand-drawn imperfection. Crackled overprints become more refined and discreet.

A harmonious colour palette with restrained luminosity. Muted mid shades of blue, brick and green are lifted by soft mint and pastel yellow. Intense blackened brown and aubergine add punch to this story which recharges reality.

Microcosm
Physical experiences get rare in the digital era. The ever-growing dematerialization creates a world of its own – sometimes too complex to understand. A microscopic view to reality gains ground both in science and society.

Focus on extremely light materials with a sleek handle. A wide variety of high-density fabrics. A play of opacity and translucence. Moulding for weightless volume. Surfaces with a shimmering luminosity. Close-ups of barely perceptible natural phenomena influence mysterious and visually intriguing patterns. Delicate and fragile lines sketch out complex networks. Curved dotted lines follow invisible trajectories through space.

A captivating array of light shades mixing warm and cool tones. Eye-catching bright orange is supported by tender yellow and radiant white. Airy blue, silver grey and dusty lavender underline the luminous finesse of the range. Perfectly grounded by dark fern.

Game of Life
Thrilling, amazing, poetic, fast-paced, passionate, exhausting -life is constantly in the making. Triggering permanent interaction. Pure challenge and true emotion.

Fabrics and their performance properties are adapted to the level of activity. Extra-light bonded or laminated softshells favouring neat structures – either inside or on the outside. Ceramic coatings. Discreet polished glazes. Distortion and bias update elementary stripes, bold lettering and classic sport badges. Avoiding any stereotypes. Dazzling light refractions add a dynamic multi-dimensional look to reduced geometric compositions.

The aesthetics of computer games prompt a new take on classic sports colours. Radiant white lends it powerful splendour to classic red and ocean blue. Dark navy and steely blue add a cool feel, while garnet red and fresh papaya bring warmth and energy.

Kiss the rainbow
Rejecting the ordinary, challenging what has become habitual. Something new is here to come …

An ever-extended use of recycled materials. Striking new fibre blends with bio-active minerals. One of a kind double knits – achieved by computerized hybrid technology. Personalized jacquards with 3D effects. Polished metallic sheen. Visually stimulating graphics. Opulence and optimism. A new sense of abstraction. Patterns inspired by the aesthetics of architectural renderings. Illusory effects. Colourful stripes in full swing. Dripping colour flashes.

A colour palette with a radiant freshness. Two yellow tones in the foreground. Vibrant sulphurous yellow adds an acid spin while flawless lime stays in tune with bright pink, light blue and burnt orange. Silver grey and charcoal intensify the boldness of these shades.

The complete colour forecast spring | summer 2017 (64 pages with graphic inspirations & recommendations for colour combinations) can be purchased exclusively by direct order via e-mail: info@norakuehner.com

Munich, July 23, 2015

Nora Kuehner
fashion   design   consulting

Stereotypes & Identity

Quo vadis:

Stereotypes & Identity

Presentation at Performance Days Show
Munich/Germany, April 29, 2015

Industry – retail – consumer: a broken chain. Digitalization has been creating a new world with fundamental changes in economy and society. Appropriate new structures are still missing. Uncertainty is omnipresent. Industry and retail are desperately seeking to know as much as possible about the consumer. Excessive data mining tracks and analyses any movement of the consumer. Yet it is still hard to catch him.

Industry and retail were used to rather homogeneous target groups. Now they are facing well-informed and fastidious consumers with fast changing preferences, looking for the right product at the right price. The relevance of consumer classifications is shrinking – time to get beyond stereotypes!

One of the major reasons for the broken chain from industry to consumer is the fact that basic developments took each side in completely different directions. While the industry tried to standardize its products and to optimize manufacturing, the consumer has started his search for distinction and identity. Ever-growing numbers of social tribes, communities and target groups ask for products which fit their very special individualized needs.

For many years the apparel industry both in fashion and sports is facing shrinking sales – clothing is no longer a highly desirable product. Most time of the year the consumer can buy clothing at reduced prices, shops are flooded with garments of increasing uniformity – a contradiction to the consumer´s wish for individualization. Collections are often only a rehash from the seasons before.

A fundamental change in the structures and processes of the apparel industry is long overdue.
Though the industry seems to be working ahead (in sports in general more than 18 months), there is only very slow adoption of new ideas and tools. It is high time to create values and prestige. The economic previews for the further development of the global sports apparel market are rather stable for the years to come. As sports activities have become part of the modern lifestyle, the demand will slightly increase. Yet we will have to push the boundaries of creativity, innovation and customer relation. We have to take a close look to the identity of our consumers.

Innovation and carefully directed development derives from understanding the needs and desires of the consumer. A new consciousness in creating and making is required.
Fashion brands which are working with performance fabrics and accessories demonstrate a relaxed way of bringing an active lifestyle on stage. The fashionable or casual appeal of their collections attracts consumers who are not at all hard-core performers but want to integrate a sports feeling in their daily life. And these consumers are the majority. The sports apparel industry will lose these customers if the industry doesn´t develop an appropriate new vision of its future.

Communication with the customer is another bullet point – advertising campaigns focusing on sweat and adrenaline may fit for the small group of high-performers, yet most consumers (at the forefront women) don´t feel attracted by this kind of advertising. New marketing stories and imagery are needed for the future as the boundaries between fashion and sports will blur ever more. This transition creates new options – sports can be hard work, but most people just enjoy the movement and the feeling of doing something good for themselves. They just like to have a good time with clothing which is far more than just pragmatic.

Yet it is not only the consumer´s identity which has to be discovered, it is evident that the single companies have to discover and shape their own identity (again).

A sharp profile, clear claims and thoughtful developments will be essential for long-term success in the market.

You want to know to know more? Please don´t hesitate to contact me!
Get your individually shaped interpretation and consulting in the field of sports apparel trends and developments.

Munich, May 8, 2015

Nora Kuehner
fashion   design   consulting

Colour and trend perspectives 2017 for sports apparel

Colours & Trends
Update Winter 2016*17 and Preview Summer 2017

“Sharing” is presumed to be one of the major trends of the future. Its defining feature is exchange. Sharing ideas and insights, goods and services will profoundly change our way of living together.
Rising awareness for the scarcity of natural resources supports the rethinking of socio-cultural settings. Driven by digital connectivity, new patterns of consumption emerge: Access is more important than ownership.

Looking at industries, we see the automotive branch as a pioneer in collaborative practices with the launch of car-sharing. What about textiles? Today´s challenge for the textile industry is no longer to develop loose collections which sell well. We need to rethink the system: centered around creativity, advanced technologies for sustainable and trustful production and the genuine needs of well-informed consumers.

The collaborative input of the IDEAS members for the season winter 2016*17
reflects diverse approaches to the topic. Together we created a luminous winter colour range to brighten up the season. Enjoy!

• TechnoNature

Research and experimentation. Making great strides to decipher nature´s codes and processes to create new solutions for future living.

fabrics Developing new materials based on natural processes. Enhancing blends of natural and synthetic fibres. Cotton blends for performance laminates. The interplay of glassy surfaces and porous textures breaks the density of solid fabrics. Granular structures add depth to sleek surfaces. Elaborated stretch fabrics.

graphics Microbiology inspires graphic imagery. Crystallized hybrid motifs. Small-scale geometry plays with distorted perspectives. Straight linearity and powdery overprints.
Micro-embossings and reliefs.

colour mood A range of cold natural tones. Dark brown and shades of mossy green are combined with visually stimulating sulphurous yellow, matt turquoise and earthy red. Chalk white emphasizes the cool undertone of this array.

• synchro:flash

Generating flux. Immersing in colour. Cheerful bright hues or calming matt shades, colour alters both perception and reality. Bringing up narratives of poetic stillness and flashing luminosity.

fabrics Dense 3-layers with a sleek handle. Melange look with irregular flashes of colour. Heavy double-weaves. Sturdy cotton blends with woollen backing. Precise small jacquard structures.
Extremely soft high-pile fleeces. Neoprene like midlayers in spacer technology.

graphics Colour in motion. Dispersed repeats blur plain surfaces. Dripping colour flashes. Fragmented urban motifs play with flickering perspectives. Foil overprints with prismatic reflections.

colour mood Unusual colour pairings. Muted mid tones team with flawless near-neon shades. Lifted with injections of chalk white. A refined interplay creating a dynamic and bright atmosphere.

• less but better

Rethinking the relationship with the environment. Focused on a balanced lifestyle. No sentimental gaze at the past but capturing radically the beauty and essence of a simple life.

fabrics Placing a natural and luxurious simplicity first. Haptic sensations by unrefined treatments mimicking natural structures. Enhancing woollen blends. Heavy yet comfortable weights. Super matt finishes for bonded qualities. Coatings with a cool luminosity. Enveloping voluminous knits.

graphics Patterns meander between organic and ornamental motifs. Exploring colourful geological strata, giving a new twist to scrolls and tapestries. Discreet all-over prints draw inspiration from infinite polar landscapes.

colour mood Calming yet intense colours – at the same time elegant und truly natural. Echoing the clear luminosity of northern winter sceneries. Deep-sea blue highlighted by pale mint and a touch of rose. Coral orange sets powerful accents.

• disOrders

Creating order has turned into an obsession in an over-complex world. Control and structure are key to urban environments. A growing desire for creative chaos, industrial archaeology and traditional crafts questions this rigidity.

fabrics Anything but flat. A variety of handles, textures and finishes. Oddly textured solid fabrics. Coatings and laminations enhance perceptible structures. Needle punch. Double-faces for shirting. Spacer technology for voluminous meshes.

graphics Prints are inspired by urban topographies which grow and morph on structured plains.
Spray painted fragments of street art and child-like drawings mingle in. Precise geometric lines turn into curvaceous infinite labyrinths. Flawless all over patterns tinged with traces of use.

colour mood Loud and brash – a colour palette in full swing. An energetic mix of yellow, red and emerald. The brightness dimmed by soft mauve, hazel brown and blackened navy.
A self-confident reflection of urban turmoil.

• interface

Living the moment – mirroring the caleidoscopic everyday life. A preference for true experiences and emotions.

fabrics Weightlessness and flexibility in the centre stage. The solid becomes fluid. Function with a highly aesthetic appeal. A variety of woollen warp knits for extremely light baselayers. Metallic foil effects on PA/PL blends. Slightly polished metallic sheen.

graphics Intricate patterns create spatial illusions. A surrealistic play with light and shadow. Enigmatic encounters of the ordinary. Curved shapes in colour gradation recall volume and depth. Dissolving ornamental line drawings.

colour mood A captivating array of nearly invisible shades of white, pale blue and yellow. Smoky blue and sandy beige add depth. Gorgeous coral lends a powerful twist to this unlikely winter palette and its ephemeral beauty.

• The Rest is Black

Black – the unmissable backdrop of the digital era challenges common notions. The artefact versus the man-made. Creating irritating imagery – indeterminate landscapes with a fine mistiness and precise phantasmagoric motifs.

fabrics Smart fabrics of all kinds with a casual touch. Heavy knit with resin for outerwear. 3D effects for vivid surfaces – from baselayer to outer shells. Weaves with different yarns create look-a-like ribstops. Tapeable stretch fabrics.

graphics Blending creepy fiction and faded reality. Mutation and fantasy. Creating familiarly strange sceneries and motifs. Spruce-lined forms versus vague reflections. Tracing abstract architectural spaces. Carefully spread light effects.

colour mood Ambiguous darkness with a mysterious edge. Intense blue, copper and misty violet underline the shimmering finesse of this blackened colour range.

Please note:
The complete IDEAS colour forecast autumn I winter 2016*17 (62 pages with graphic inspirations & recommendations for colour combinations) can be purchased exclusively by direct order via e-mail:
colourcard@ideas-designers.com.

Looking beyond: Summer 2017
Growth – a keyword of modern globalized economy. Yet eternal growth is not possible – facing the planet´s limited and shrinking resources mankind has to take action and develop new strategies and models for the years to come. Sharing and collaboration instead of boosting the economy at any cost.

The obsession to measure and count everything by numbers has reached the individual life, too. More and more people are tracking their individual performance 24/7. No wonder that on the other hand side a growing number people are questioning these developments which are becoming the norm.

The designers of IDEAS decided to choose “growth” as their keyword for the season summer 2017 to explore the tensions and contradictions in today´s world. The colours stories they defined are bursting with power and light – always in search of balance without losing energy.

One of the colour stories focuses on the fascination of material development and the changing perception of colours due to new materials. Underlining the fact that colour is key to consumer decisions. The range is dominated by two shades of greenish yellow which pair with luminous aqua and burnt orange. Backdrop colours are shades of grey and fern green. Injections of bright pink support the artificial appeal of this story.

The second story immerses in the subtle beauty of calm and darker shades of natural colours – from intense mint to Delft blue. Pale Plum adds a spicy accent. A story about movement and changes, reflecting the transition period we are living in.

The group´s favourite story is a really aerial interpretation of colour. No pastels – light yet intense shades of vanilla yellow, mandarin and sky blue create a feeling of floating in mid-air. In this story colour and volume go side by side, but colour takes volume to a new weightless dimension.

Please note:

The complete IDEAS colour forecast for spring I summer 2017 will be available
by July 13, 2015. If you are interested in the exclusive preview for early-bird orders, please don´t hesitate to contact Nora Kühner.

Munich, May 8, 2015

Nora Kuehner
fashion   design   consulting

Participation in the international trend board of Première Vision

Participation in the international trend board of Première Vision

for the season autumn/ winter 2016/17 in Paris

Diversity – A Challenge For Sports

Diversity – A Challenge For Sports

Lecture at ISPO Winter 2015 in Munich (Germany) on February 5, 6 and 7, 2015

Ever Faster? More changes in collections, more turnover?

Quo vadis:

Ever Faster?

Presentation at Performance Days Show
Munich/Germany, November 5, 2014

Driven by digitalization life is getting faster and more complex every day. Trends, manners and special likings are in constant change. A big challenge for any kind of product development as on the other hand side markets are oversaturated with increasing uniformity. Products are often only a rehash from the seasons before and consumers are fastidious, constantly in search of novelties and best price offers.

No wonder that the demand for more changes per season is uttered rather often in the sports apparel industry lately. Yet: Are more changes really suitable for the sports industry? Will fast changes really increase business? Price pressure has become the leitmotif of collection development but can this pressure be the base for the future? And what about development cycles in the sports apparel industry? How to live up to the consumers fast changing preferences when starting product development more than two years ahead of the season?

We push the limits of fabrics and the technology for manufacturing. We try to develop compliance standards – but the supply chain of each single garment is so complex that we spend a lot of time and money on certifications.

Elementary changes in globalized societies require a broad variety of responses. We are standing at the edge of a fundamental change in the apparel industry. The system which we are used to work in will sooner or later collapse. Time to ask new questions instead of answering to the well-known existing ones. High time to create value and not only cheaper garments which arrive faster in the market!

The economic previews for the further development of the global sports apparel market are rather stable for the years to come. The demand will slightly increase. Yet we will have to push the boundaries of design, innovation and customer relation. People are in quest of meaningful products which are adapted to their particular needs. Sports have deeply changed within the last two decades. Once seen mainly as pure physical exercises, sports have turned into a serious part of the way we live. We have and want to be healthy, dynamic and in good shape. Besides, public health programs start spreading all over the globe to offer health support to people. The fast growing health sports market will be one of the most interesting and demanding challenges in developing apparel garments.

You want to know to know more? Please don´t hesitate to contact me!
Get your individually shaped interpretation and consulting in the field of sports apparel.

Munich, 01.12.2014

Nora Kuehner
fashion   design   consulting

Colour and trend perspectives 2016/17 for sports apparel

Secretary General of IDEAS ACTIVE SPORTS DESIGN NETWORK
Presentation at Performance Days show in Munich/ Germany,
November 4, 2014

Colours & Trends
Update Summer 2016 and Preview Winter 2016*17

FOOD – bare necessity and delicious pleasure. This multifaceted source of energy and life has gained new value in our fast changing world. An analogue counter-balance connecting us in a second to authentic memories and emotions by a certain taste or smell. Reflecting cultural diversity, offering rich discoveries and multi-sensory experiences.

Industrial food production evokes the desire for the natural and organic. We rediscover the tasty freshness of locally sourced food, we delight in creative cooking and home gardening, we enjoy sharing the table with family and friends.

Having all this in mind, IDEAS stirred the best ingredients and shaped delicate colour stories to bring tasteful inspiration to the season summer 2016.

Take a bite!

• Energy for Life

Active, vital and dynamic, the keywords of the globalized world. Always on the run.

fabrics The quest for versatile fabrics. Extremely light cotton/polyamide blends. Sleek handles. Vivid surfaces with a reflective sheen. Smooth stretchy fluidity. Highly compressive jerseys. Double-faces
with neat backside structures.

graphics Sensitive geometry. Two-tone stripes XL. Dynamic compositions of semi-transparent layers create a sense of motion and 3D. Strong and expressive motifs on porous grounds. Colour combinations delve deeply into the vibrant power of red.

colour mood Sizzling hot red sets the scene of this colour range. Warm and earthy nuances of burgundy and salmon red resonate with matte intensity. Marina blue, soft lilac and pale mint emphasize the vibrant energy of this unlikely summer palette.

• Double Reality

Abundance versus shortage. The contrast of cascades of clear water and sun-parched land.
Virtual and real world are melting into one another. Light bouncing off highly glazed surfaces.
Dissolving boundaries.

fabrics Playing with contrasts. Ever enhanced functional properties. Yet a turn to more natural fibres, too. Sturdy cotton fabrics for outdoor activities gain ground. Merino blends in fine gauges. Melange knits with irregular flashes of colour. Glazed surfaces and porous textures.

graphics Bold patterns full of movement. Fragile veining references liquid or parched landscapes. Creative crossings of the digital and natural. Colourful layers of fragmented and enigmatic urban
motifs. Shimmering overprints.

colour mood A range of deeply saturated colours – a splendid reflection of the blue planet´s colours. Sharp yellow lends its power to earthy browns and lush green. Brilliant turquoise adds a refreshing breeze.

• Acid Blueness

The blue lab – complex cutting-edge sciences foster the development of radical new ideas. Providing limitless possibilities.

fabrics Manipulating the familiar. Engineered hybrid fabrics. Transforming natural fibres into functional essentials. Glassy reflections underline scientific precision of structures and surfaces. Diaphanous luminosity. Warp-knits with a high percentage of elastic. Microscopic embossings and subtle reliefs create a modest sheen.

graphics All kinds of network patterns partly inspired by science. Twisted and distorted. Disappearing in infinity. A bold and free mix of architectural geometries and organic shapes with stunning perspectives. Lucid outlines. Precise cut-outs.

colour mood A colour palette dominated by illuminated shades of blue and intense turquoise – evoking clarity, precision and purity. Injections of sulphurous lemon add a touch of acidity.

• Fragile Fusions

The ephemeral beauty of frozen moments. Strictly individual combinations of scraps of the past and contemporary findings.

fabrics Soft fabrics. A dry and natural hand-feel is key to surface textures. 3layer light-weights offer cosy comfort and freedom of movement. Discreet crinkle effects add volume. Linen/polyester blends. High gauges for PES knitted fabrics.

graphics Delicate lightness and imperfection stamp the graphic spirit. Pared-down uneven stripes. Poetic encounters of blurring frescoes and shattered pencil lines. Multiple layering of dispersing mineral patterns.

colour mood Slightly frosted yet optimistic colours seem to float in midair. Cool lime, creamy mint and bluish mist pair with dark berry, plum and pale ochre. Translucent white highlights this perfectly balanced array of colours.

• TASTY

A menu of flavours, scents and textures stimulating all senses. Refined surprises and rich discoveries.

fabrics Focus on haptic sensations. Playing with weights and handles. Diversity is everything.
Coatings and laminations support the perceptible structures of fabrics. Coming up with ever more classic structures like twill, gabardine and rib-stops.

graphics Patterns explore geological strata. Raw and unfinished. Transforming everyday botanical motifs in exuberant all-over prints. Colours turn into vaporous abstract forms. Fine ripples and fragile veining.

colour mood A palette based on opulent green hues. Contrasted by savoury raspberry and
candy pink. A true green story exploring the delicate diversity of tonal combinations with few zesty contrasts. Lifted with flashes of pale mint.

• Growing Seeds

Initiating new ideas. A sense of openness and lightness. Looking forward with curiosity and sensitivity.

fabrics Strictly contemporary. Careful attention to the demands of the users. Audacious experiments. Enhancing ecology. Emphasizing long durability and high flexibility. Customized mesh patterns. Polished surfaces. Sticky lustre.

graphics Drawing inspiration mainly from nature. New types of camouflage. Re-composing natural settings. Micro geometries. Blending the real and the imaginary. Dynamic botanical structures.
Glassy translucence.

colour mood A tasty colour range with sparkling finesse. Deep magenta-purple and peachy rose pair perfectly with light mustard yellow. Earthy brown frames the splendour of these tones while sandy beige and petrol blue underline the vivid intensity of the palette.

Please note:
The complete IDEAS colour forecast spring I summer 2016 (62 pages with graphic inspirations & recommendations for colour combinations) can be purchased exclusively by direct order via e-mail: news@ideas-designers.com.

Looking beyond: Winter 2016*17
Over the last decade, practices of sharing have been spreading all over the globe. Sharing and collaboration are trend-setting topics which will be crucial for the further development of modern societies. Therefore the members of IDEAS selected the word “SHARE” as their creative guideline for the season autumn/winter 2016*17. The designers wish to share their thoughts and feelings for the upcoming season with sports industry.

The most important characteristic of the season is its splendid lightfulness.

We see a voluptuous neutral range highlighted by shimmering salmon red. Petrol grey sets a dark accent but never dims the luminosity of the range.

Another strong story reflects the modern “techno nature”. The subtle colour range is based upon nature´s colours: Dominated by cool shades of green and aqua, combined with intense rusty red and sulphurous yellow. Metallized effects are key to fabric surfaces and accessories to lend a scientific touch.

Dark colours are shown with a fresh approach: Blue copper, neutral berry cream and soft rose create refined colour moods, backed by blackened plum and brown.

Please note:
The complete IDEAS colour forecast for autumn I winter 2016*17 will be available by January 31, 2015.

Munich, Nov.24, 2014

Nora Kuehner
for IDEAS Active Sports Design Network

Participation in the international trend board of Première Vision

Participation in the international trend board of Première Vision

for the season spring/ summer 2016 in Paris