MACRO TRENDS

SPRING/SUMMER 2016

Playful and emotional themes carry intellectual weight in a new

cultural climate: frilly decoration can be subversive, and intuition
influences design that embraces soft power and a creative mix
of the senses. This is driven by a more comprehensive approach
to identity and the modern rebranding of feminism, making for an
all-inclusive world view no longer constrained by gender, sexuality
or ethnicity.

S/S 16 MACRO TRENDS

SOFT
POP

SOFT POP

VISUALIZING
EQUALITY

A new form of feminism is having an impact on masculinity as men aim to recapture their gentle sides. This highlights the importance of trans thinking by focusing on soft
power for all. Gender-free assertiveness sees rules and definitions cast aside in favour of an intelligent, open-minded world.

SOFT POP

DARING
DECORATION

Sweet decoration and frilly design go beyond the obvious and ironic, taking on an intellectual significance. The subtle introduction of fetish-style materials is rebellious and
funny, as well as promoting the rejection of stereotypes via visual activism.

SOFT POP

PLAYFUL
LEARNING

Cuteness has a practical use for education, translating teenage iconography such as the emoji into soft teaching tools that make sensitivity available to all. Immersive
gaming and emotional computing are pivotal here, encouraging learning that reinforces positive, all-inclusive messages.

SOFT POP

KALEIDOSCOPE
HUMANS

Blurring applies to colour and race as well as sexuality and culture, with sharp definitions becoming more obsolete when interpreting how people look and feel. We can no
longer define identity in simple terms, and instead see it as a rich kaleidoscope of personal data and feelings.

SOFT POP

EMOTIONAL
MACHINES

Visualising emotion and embedding touch into technology add sentiment into design, thereby inspiring products for all of the senses. The use of comfort as a functional
requirement is essential to this, creating objects that are sensitive and fun.

SOFT POP

TACTILE
NEUTRALITY

The links between sensation and feeling carry over into a subversive form of minimalism, combining texture with reductive shapes and bleached-out colour. There is a
sense of romantic fuzziness, emphasised by the de-saturated shades, that ties in with the importance of pairing playfulness with tenderness.

KEY
TAKEAWAYS
There is an increased open-mindedness towards gender, race and
sexual ambiguity
Soft power, which is open to instinct, emotion and all other human
senses, is gaining ground in all areas, including technology
Softness and comfort are central considerations throughout the
design world
Decoration and playfulness become serious concepts for making
design more approachable
In contrast to this, decoration can take on cartoon aspects that are
simplified, contemporary and fun

SOFT
POP

RESEARCH & REFERENCE

ILLUMINATI GIRL GANG

Alternative-literature author Gabby Bess
founded Illuminati Girl Gang magazine as a
means of female expression, supporting a new
generation of feminist writers, photographers,
illustrators and other creatives.
illuminatigirlgang.com

SO PAULO ART BIENNIAL

2014
The So Paulo Art Biennial 2014, taking place
in September, has been nicknamed the
trans-biennial, as this years main themes
are based on transgression, transcendence
and trans-sexuality.
biennialfoundation.org

MISS

ATHI-PATRA RUGA

Providing a context for femininity in architecture

typically a male-dominated profession
is the goal of MISS, a platform introducing
a design dialogue on gender roles via events
and publishing.

Cultural identity is central to this South African

artists work, in which he uses performance,
video and costume to conjure up a dreamlike
Utopia where humans are hybrids and divisions
are unimportant.

SARAH CAIN

ADDICTED PRODUCTS

miss-mag.com

Mixed-media artist Sarah Cain pursues her

feminist stance through shows including the
comically named Burning Bush, a solo exhibition
at New York Citys Galerie Lelong exploring
mysticism, purity and love.
galerielelong.com

athipatraruga.blogspot.co.uk/

This graduation project by Simone Rebaudengo

and design and research team Haque focuses
on the emotional wellbeing of household
toasters, enabling them to communicate online
with their owners when they feel underused.
addictedproducts.com

SOFT
POP

RESEARCH & REFERENCE

EMOJI DICK

HALO

As part of a crowd-sourced and -funded project

utilising Amazons on-demand workforce,
Herman Melvilles novel about a legendary
whale hunt has been translated in its entirety
using emoji icons.

This media-art installation, featuring a wall

of LED rings, is an interactive space where
developers can create tangible light, colour
and audio content using their regular
coding platforms.

emojidick.com

tangibleinteraction.com

WE EXIST

CACTUNES

The latest music video for Canadian band

Arcade Fire blurs the boundaries between
male and female roles as its main character
embarks on a journey of gender exploration
and discovery.

Created to show plants as hypersensitive

objects that are capable of communicating,
Cactunes was exhibited at the Milan Furniture
Fair 2014 and featured cacti that hummed
when touched.

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN

GENDER SWAP

With the population of the US becoming

increasingly multiracial, traditional notions
of black and white are becoming obsolete.
Photographer Martin Schoellers digitally altered
portraits show how average Americans could
look in 2050.

Gender Swap allows its subjects to experience

physically what its like to be a member of the
opposite sex. To do so it uses Machine to be
Another, a system of embodiment experience
wherein people can feel like they inhabit a
different body.

youtube.com

nationalgeographic.com

disegnodaily.com

themachinetobeanother.org

CULTURAL CONTEXT

SOFT
POP

GIRLS

OLLY

HBOs Girls, written and directed by Lena

Dunham, depicts a realistic view of the lives of
four young women in New York City.
hbo.com

Olly is a small computer device that gently

releases bursts of scent into the air to inform of
the receipt of emails and messages, plus other
important notifications.

STROMAE

CONCHITA WURST

Belgian pop musician Stromae creates catchy

tracks with subliminal messages. The singer
subverts gender stereotypes in his latest
music video, Tous Les Mmes, by becoming
half-female.
stromae.net

The 2014 Eurovision Song Contest winner,

Conchita Wurst (the alter ego of Austria-born
Tom Neuwirth), has become a symbol of
tolerance, equality and artistic freedom after
performing at the event with a beard and
wearing a dress.

BEYONCS VISUAL ALBUM

BUBBLEBERRIES

Beyoncs self-titled visual album features

promotional videos for every track. Through its
lyrics and visuals, she touches upon themes
such as female empowerment and the notion of
beauty in popular culture.

Waitrose is now selling the bubblegum-flavoured

bubbleberry a pale, rounder version of the
strawberry that was popular in 19th century
before falling out of favour and largely
being forgotten.

beyonce.com

ollyfactory.com

eurovision.tv

waitrose.presscentre.com

S/S 16

SOFT POP

MACRO TRENDS

SEASONAL
EVOLUTION

An inclusive approach to identity makes

for a worldview no longer constrained
by gender, sexuality or ethnicity. Frilly
decoration can be subversive in this new
cultural climate as playful products embrace
a creative mix of the senses.

A/W 15/16

EVERYDAY UTOPIAS
BACKGROUND
Each season, the macro trends
provide a progression of the
previous seasons themes. We have
seen the change from Focus to
Everyday Utopias as emotion and
connectivity inspire a contemplative
plan for enriching everyday life.
This season, the emphasis on touch
and sentiment continues with Soft
Pop as a future based on equality,
playfulness and feeling emerges.

As designers exalt the ordinary objects and

elements of modern life, we find pockets
of paradise in the everyday: from pauses
in the humdrum routine of work to more
mindful experiences in our daily lives.
View report

S/S 15

FOCUS
In Focus, the material world comes
into sharp focus as a reaction to virtual
living. Technology becomes a means
of connecting to our surroundings, with
objects encouraging contemplation,
emotional response and connecting us to a
specific environment.
View report