Future trends: What FW20’s fashion weeks have forecasted so far

Key takeaways

• This year, Fall/Winter 2020 Fashion Weeks were full of expression in the form of warm neutral colors, dramatic sleeves, and fun fabrics such as leather, vinyl, and feathers.
• Challenging traditional notions of gender is trending this year as more than a few designers innovated the classic male suit for womenswear, replacing trousers with skirts and culottes and blazers with capes. 
• Fashion often serves as a reflection of society, and as such this FW20 featured plenty of garments with epochal references to Victorian and Medieval aesthetic. 

This year’s Fall/Winter 2020 Fashion Weeks are over, as designers across different cities have showcased their collections for the world to see. From Menswear kicking off the fashion week frenzy to Womenswear in Paris to wrap it all up, there’s just one question: What have fashion’s top designers revealed about future trends this season?

Over-the-top: Trendy or not?

With the importance of social media especially present during Fashion Week for brands, influencers, and consumers, many designers opted for eye-catching ensembles. Vibrant colors, voluminous silhouettes, and shiny fabrics popped on the runway, and they weren’t missed by any cameras. At Haute Couture, Maison Margiela, Giambattista Valli, and Ralph & Russo weren’t shy about bright hues. Designers met the same memo in New York with Tom Ford and Christian Siriano, and in London with Roksanda. 

In the same vein, at times combined with the vibrant color trend was the appearance of voluminous silhouettes; big sleeves, puffy dresses, and bold ruffles featured in many collections across cities. At Haute Couture, Giambattista Valli and Ralph & Russo married color with volume, and in London and Milan, designers such as Molly Goddard, Simone Rocha, Fendi, and Max Mara were generous with their dimensions. Many designers at Paris Fashion Week heightened the drama with big sleeves, big shoulders, and neck embellishments: among others, Alexander McQueen, Isabel Marant, and Balenciaga featured puffy sleeves and structured shoulders, while Chanel, Dries Van Noten, and Elie Saab added pussy bows to the necks of their models. 

Last but not least fabulous was the frequency of shiny fabrics on the runways. Menswear even included this trend in several collections, namely Gucci, Tom Ford, and Dior Homme. Haute Couture’s Alexandre Vauthier made use of the eye-catching fabric, too, as did Burberry, Preen, and Rejina Pyo in London. The Saint Laurent and Balmain collections in Paris were particularly inclusive of shiny, tight latex and leather.

Yet some designers shied away from all things excessive, with 90’s neutrals making a comeback for some designers. While the expected designers kept it toned down, some evident examples being Rick Owens and Jil Sander, other less-consistently neutral designers did so, too. In Milan, Agnora, Prada, and Alberta Ferretti remained discreet with greys, blacks, and browns. In Paris, warm neutral tones joined the neutral color palette at Isabel Marant, Jacquemus, Hermès, and Chloé. 

Fall/Winter ‘20 is all about patterns

The forecast is clear: less is not always more. The trend seems to be patterns on patterns for customers of all sorts. 

Plaid was a major trend at FW20 in London, New York, and Paris, with the following designers bringing in the sometimes-schoolgirl, sometimes-grunge pattern to their collections: Victoria Beckham, Molly Goddard, Burberry, R13, Monse, Jonathan Cohen, and Rag & Bone, Saint Laurent, Dior, and Lanvin. 

Floral prints were also present in collections by Adam Lippes, Prabal Gurung, and Badgley Mischka, to name a few. Flowers are a reliable Spring/Summer trend, so it’s unique to see floral in Fall/Winter. 

Less expected patterns popped up on runways, as well. In London, Halpern, Erdem, and Roksanda included eye-catching graphic prints, often with a healthy dose of color: see Roksanda’s knit patchwork dress in every color of the rainbow. At Haute Couture, Viktor & Rolf, Jean Paul Gaultier, Armani Privé, and Valentino opted for patchwork in both fabric and motif. In Milan, Versace seemed to show off every print under the sun, including graphic prints, stripes, florals, zebra print, and plaid. 

Pattern and texture was also created using mismatched upcycled fabrics, signalling an evident theme of sustainable fashion. In Paris, Maison Margiela used upcycled vintage garments to create their collection, and Marine Serre’s collection was 80 percent upcycled fabrics. 

To get the rest of the scoop on this year's trends thanks to FW20 Fashion Weeks and Heuritech's technology, read the full article here.