Clariant forecasts multi-cultural influences on Spring/Summer 2015 fashion and colors

• Launch of Global Color Card and Fashion up! trend booklet for Spring/Summer 2015
• Actual leather samples help customers create own collections
• Collaboration with Modeurop, the Fashion Pool at DSI (Deutsches Schuhinstitut GmbH)

Muttenz, December 5, 2013 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has launched its new Global Color Card and Fashion up! Trend booklet for Spring/Summer 2015 that highlights the influences of different cultures from around the world. It is further evidence that we live in an interdependent global village — fashion no longer appears to recognize borders. African, American and Asian influences join forces with European trends: AFRICANA explores the earthy looks and ethnic feels of the African continent. Asian YIN & YANG brings balance and calmness into our busy lives. SURF CITY is influenced by a laidback retro lifestyle from the American West Coast. And TECHNO COOL revels in the dynamic vibes of Europe’s nightclub culture. The Fashion up! Trend booklet illustrates these trends with actual leather samples, developed at an international trend workshop, to assist Clariant’s customers to create their own collections. The color groups LOGICAL, EMOTIONAL and NATURAL have again been selected in close cooperation with Modeurop, the Fashion Pool at DSI (Deutsches Schuhinstitut GmbH), showing a multi-faceted triad of colors which leaves scope for exciting combinations.

THE FOUR TREND THEMES IN LEATHER

AFRICANA

Deepest Africa and the Congo jungle inspire raw earthy looks with an ethnic feel. Spice tones, rich browns and warm yellows are the colors for tribal prints and natural leathers. Global culture fashion stories have been sidelined during the past few seasons as cleaner looks took centre stage, but now it is time for their revival.

YIN & YANG

It is all about balance and complementary forces. The sense of calmness counteracts today’s busy world with a color palette of gentle pastel tints that favour metallic and pearlized finishes. Feminine softness counterbalances the recent hard-edged approach to minimalist fashion. This softer interpretation of minimalism has a new Far Eastern twist.  

TECHNO COOL

Urban youth fashion relives the techno music era of the early nineties. Frenetic dancing, hard-core sounds and nightclub culture are explored in this dynamic mood. There will be a natural progression of the current Punk revival to the next decade’s music genres including Acid house, Rave and Techno.

SURF CITY

The insatiable desire for American heritage homes on the West Coast with a retro surf story. The salt-washed, sandy, sun-bleached view of the Californian beach culture from the fifties to the seventies sets the scene for relaxed beachwear and water sports.

LEATHER COLORS

The color themes for Spring/Summer 2015 are multi-faceted and full of excitement. They adopt and adapt color influences from recent seasons with classic contrasts such as black and white. At the same time there is a longing for tranquility, balance and sustainability. This leads to a triad of color groupings that allows for different interpretations. Like a matrix which is clearly structured, it leaves scope for creative combinations.

LOGICAL

A color theme that stands for the challenges we face in modern life, for novel technologies and innovations, for research and science and the virtual network of the 21st century. The colors range from shades of grey to a blue tinge – pale as a cloudy sky, fresh like aqua blues or navy shades dark as night.

EMOTIONAL

By contrast there is care, understanding, empathy and warmth: a theme about relations, networks and love where we care for our body and travel to the inner depths of our soul. There is only one color family that covers all of these emotions: red! From delicate, pale skin tones to fiery red hues, and rounded off by dramatic dark shades.

NATURAL

Going back to the roots of our existence, we see our planet with lush, tropical rainforests, fantastic flora and fauna, as well as dried-up steppes and barren landscapes. The palette starts with light neutral shades and develops through warm yellow and green tones into natural brown hues.