What is the Future of…Fashion x Clothing?
One thing I have always loved about the field of design is how future-leaning it is. As designers, we are often put in situations where we have to create products and services for futures that have not been experienced but are inevitable.
At nextUX, we decided to set ourselves up for a challenge, where we sync, once every month, choose a particular field, element, entity, etc. and brainstorm on ways they would change in the future. Through this, we liberate ourselves from the constraints of technology, culture, society, etc., and try to be as creative as possible.
In our first-ever, ‘What is the Future of..’ workshop we decided to brainstorm on what the future of fashion is. However, we focused more on clothing, rather than accessories.
Just a disclaimer, this exercise is more of speculation rather than actual predictions. The goal is to be as creative as possible, whilst sharing a few laughs :D
So let’s begin!
- Fashion will be more sustainable
There were quite a few interesting points that came up while discussing the sustainability of fashion, some felt, lot of innovations in fabric needed to be made to make it smarter and more adaptable to the changing body, thus reducing the need to purchase more fabric. Whereas the others felt, innovations needed to be made in the way we washed our clothes, to save water, and the quality of clothes. Who doesn’t like killing two birds with one stone?
2. Fashion will be more inclusive and accessible
I still have yet to find the ultimate jeans which perfectly fit my silhouette and have big pockets(I am open to recommendations). However, we decided to dig a bit deeper and ask some deeper questions. How can fashion be more accessible for differently-abled people? For example amputees. How can the wearing process of clothes be adapted to people who have temporary injuries, such as fractures?
We also looked at the discussion from another perspective, where we asked ourselves, how fashion can be adapted to be more respectful and sensitive in different cultural contexts in a non-expensive way.
3. Fashion will keep you safe
Clothes could be self-illuminating, guiding the wearer walking in a dark lane on a cloudy winter night. And talking about cloudy winter nights, the clothes could regulate your body temperature as per the environment. Clothing could also be protective like a helmet, shockproof on impact.
4. Fashion will be wonky
Along with the seriousness, wonkiness is inevitable. In fact, some lols are good for health. We thought, what if fashion could be an indicator of health? Why go through the excruciatingly painful blood test, when my clothes could tell me that my hemoglobin levels are low. After all, in today’s day and age, health is truly a fashion statement. What if fashion helped in matchmaking? Like contactless cards, two clothes erhmmm… people could come together and give a true evaluation of what the relationship would be like. This will definitely take wearing your heart on your sleeve to the next level. And lastly, what if we could grow clothes at home after all homegrown products are all the rave.
Though the prospects sound exciting and full of promises, we all know the future is uncertain, and if we are philosophically talking, it is non-existent. However, I would love to hear your ideas.
Till then, I will be living in the present waiting for the perfect jeans with large pockets.
