Skin Deep
Inclusivity tops this season’s visual and fashion trends
In recent years, there has been a growth of unfiltered campaigns in the fashion and beauty industries, as an increasing number of brands value a “no-makeup look” over photoshopped models and edited imagery. As more people demand realistic imagery, the market is finally seeing beauty in imperfection and continues to be inspired by this movement. Following the lead of the new generation of consumers, brands have started to combat the still dominant, traditional standards of beauty. Though it may seem absurd, some publishers have even committed to supporting true reflections of reality. Getty Images, for example, decided in 2017 to ban photoshopped images in which the body is made smaller or thinner.
The market is finally seeing beauty in imperfection.
We’ve also been observing a rise of inclusivity around age, race, gender and size. While this is obviously a prevalent trend, there are several interesting examples that show this phenomenon is here to stay, specifically in visual trends in product design and communication. Skin, it turns out, has become such a deep topic that it’s come to inspire colour palettes, patterns and even UX design.
The Nude Revolution
Pinterest recently launched a new feature to make their search engine more inclusive by adding a beauty diversity filter. By introducing a selection of skin tones, the browsing experience around beauty content can be more personalised. It’s current iteration is not perfect, but Pinterest plans to double-down on their investment in an AI tool called ModiFace in order to help beauty consumers discover more relevant content based on their skin colour. It’s about time, as 80% of the top Google search results for “beautiful woman” show white women¹.
Simultaneously, a handful of fashion brands are embracing inclusivity in their own way. The UK e-tailer (and Zalando partner) Missguided has recently launched a new campaign aimed at empowering women with various skin conditions. #InYourSkin challenges the current standards in fashion communication by showcasing women who are strong and confident regardless of their perceived ‘imperfections’, such as psoriasis, scarring and albinism. This is a great way for a commercial brand to make an empowering statement and push an existing trend even further.
Where skin and body positivity meet fashion in the most explicit way is definitely in the sector of lingerie. Following the success of her inclusive beauty collection, Rihanna just launched Savage x Fenty, her collection of nightwear and undergarments available in a vast spectrum of nudes and extended sizes. Savage x Fenty echoes the singer’s values and pushes the boundaries of what the mainstream considers sexy. The brand encourages consumers to “send the nudes” and shop by shade from a colour palette.
Consumption behaviours change and their visual representations follow. Fashion designers have embraced various shades of neutrals, from nudes and blush to toasted nuts with a pop of ochre. Nature inspired embroidery creates haptic effects on fabrics, leathers and packaging, whereas innovations in material science bring about new leather-like tissues inspired by the idea of “second skin”. Wrinkled textures meet velvety surfaces on curved shapes — both in interior design and fashion. Through design we are looped back into the shared values that initiated the trend. A deeper look into the seeming imperfections and warm tones of beige and brown bring about a soothing atmosphere, whereas yellow accents call for honest positivity.
1. Brazil’s Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Kasia Luczak is a senior design strategist at the Studio, Zalando. This is the first installment of her quarterly trend report. Follow Kasia on Instagram.
