Materials on the Catwalks: Melting Metallics - Fall/Winter 2016 (Geraldine Wharry)

Confirming our “Wonder Wander” AW16/17 trend vision, dichroic metallic finishes were a key material focus on the Fall Winter 2016 catwalks. This reflects a trend inspired by shifting perceptions, virtual reality and video game aesthetics.  
 
We are moving into an age of poetic tech as designers investigate technology that is emotional and intuitive. Liquid shine and blurring colour shifts are showcased by designers such as Acne, Christopher Kane and Off White. They echo the sense that virtual reality will be a future normal, as Oculus Rift glasses become more ubiquitous at retail level.
 

 
As belief systems shift, designers, artists, coders and engineers explore the meaning of human connection and digital interactivity.  Metallic finishes take on fluctuating shine mimicking mercury liquid. The result feels seductively synthetic with high-octane colour shifts similar to heat sensitive touch screens and film.
 

Silver and gold step away from last season’s matt coatings and into extreme shine. Embossed tone-on-tone patterns bring a Seventies glam quality, however the 2016 societal emphasis is on escape through holistic digital avenues and drug-free mind altering experiences.
 

 
As the world of augmented reality opens up new doors, we are enabled to create legendary versions of ourselves and experiment with new beauty concepts. Glow in the dark plasticized materials make their way into beauty, whilst glitter metallics create a gender-blurring statement on the menswear catwalks.

Download your sample of our Fall 2016 Catwalk briefing here





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