Heimtextil exhibitors as well as designers, furnishers and interior decorators were given a head start in terms of trends and design at the official presentation of the 2014/15 Heimtextil trends.Representing the Heimtextil Trend Table which is made up of six international institutions, the London-based agency FranklinTill provided the first insight into future fields of design. As part of the trend presentation on 26 August 2013 at Portalhaus at the Frankfurt,Germany, fairgrounds, Caroline Till, co-founder of FranklinTill,introduced the new Heimtextil Trend Book and provided a forecast regarding the interior design of tomorrow. Held approximately four months before the commencement of the International Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles (8 through 11 January 2014), the presentation signalled the start of the new furnishing season.
"FranklinTill and all other trend experts involved presented the global industry with an excellent source of information and inspiration for product development. The new Heimtextil Trend Book provides manufacturers of textiles, designers, furnishers and interior decorators with a useful overview of trendsetting developments in the field of design," says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles &Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. The Trend Show that will take place during Heimtextil in January will provide in-depth insight into new design topics. Colours, materials and patterns characteristic of the new season will be staged during this elaborately designed show at Forum 0.
Opposing powers - progress and renewal
The trend forecast is structured into two major categories -"Progress!" and "Revive!" - each of which is subdivided into two themes: "Generate Collision!" and "Engineer Nature!", and "ExaltPurity!" and "Rejuvenate Craft!", respectively - dealing in detail with the exploration of progress and renewal of textiles in interior design."In summary, the deisgn landscape of the future will be divided into two opposing, innovative powers - one is the desire to look forward and propagate tech-savvy advancements as our opportunity to survive in these times of fast living; the other is the relevance of the look backward and the renewal of past traditions in our quest for authenticity," explains Till. Among other themes, the Trend Book includes current avant-garde projects from the interior design,architecture, fashion, lifestyle, design and arts sectors as well as from the sciences and technology.
Heimtextil - a key barometer for trends
As the world's largest trade fair for home and contract textiles, Heimtextil functions especially as a barometer of trends and a benchmark for textiles with high-quality design and innovative functionalities. Accordingly, Messe Frankfurt launched Heimtextil Trend in 1991 and has expanded it continuously since then. Year over year, the Trend Table, with members from around the world,pins down the key dynamics and provides product developers,creative teams, furnishers and designers with a valuable yardstick for orientation and with reliable trend statements. Every year, a different member of the Trend Table is responsible for creating the Trend Book which documents the elaborated trends. For the2014/2015 season, FranklinTill of Great Britain is in charge of the name and the layout of this document.
Overview of the four new themes of the Heimtextil Trend Book 2014/2015, "Progress! Revive!
"Progress! - Generate Collision!
To accommodate the demand for unique, individualised products,designers increasingly experiment with novel materials and technologies. Computer algorithms and similar technologies facilitate the mass production of customised items because, for example,panels of fabric can be printed digitally without the design having to be repeated. Similarly, playful printing and marking techniques enable uncontrolled artistic expression. Colours are swiped over or drawn, dabbed or splattered on surfaces. Designers experiment with ways to allow production processes to determine the look and texture of the final product.
Progress! - Engineer Nature!
New textile techniques intertwine living systems with and biological and texture technologies copied from nature to form novel fabrics.Designers technicise nature by growing their own materials and copying nature's processes. This innovative approximation of biology to materiality goes hand in hand with new responsibilities; designers also are beginning to rethink the consequences of modifying their former lifestyles. Where the design sector turns biology into a new medium for creativity, scientists leverage the complexity of living systems using technical processes. We are experiencing a design trend that explores the concept of creating natural works using articifial means and which allows itself to be inspired by the interaction of science and design.
Revive! - Exalt Purity!
As a response to mass production, the interest in objects that have personalities and are accompanied by stories is increasing. In the quest for meaning, this movement honours natural materials by embracing their imperfections and highlighting their origins deliberately. The results are primitive yet modern aesthetics. Wild shapes acts as the generator of ideas. In this way, designers focus on the humble, the pure, the unadorned. Pristine, untreated materials are used, and resource-saving production processes and the longevity of products define the main criteria. Animism,essentialism, minimalism and reductionism prove to be the decisive trends.
Revive! - Rejuvenate Craft!
Designers work with recycled materials, conjuring up the concept of an improvised lifestyle as a counterpoint to our technology dominated society. Uniformity is replaced by the collage look to stage the unexpected and evoke alluring visual tension. Using the language of traditional craft techniques such as embroidery, weaving or knitting, designers tell stories about their lives. The revival of craftsmanship gives rise to a wealth of textures.
