SATRA holds second fashion trend seminar

Members and students attend a special event to learn about future trends in materials, shapes and styles.

After the inaugural fashion trend seminar organised by SATRA last July proved a great success, a second event – this time with separate sessions for students and SATRA members – was held in Kettering on January 24th. This much-anticipated workshop, which brought trend forecasting straight from the Italian 'fashion capital' of Milan to the UK, was once again arranged in partnership with Milan-based footwear and leathergoods consultancy Arsutoria.

Twice each year, Arsutoria uses its research to produce a trends guide for the autumn/winter and spring/summer seasons, and also presents its trend investigation to the most important manufacturing districts in Italy, Mexico and the USA. The Arsutoria research team is a mix of journalists, photographers, footwear and leathergoods technicians, designers and material experts who work together on daily basis to investigate trends for forthcoming seasons. Such trends – observed worldwide – can then be developed into tangible designs and, ultimately, collections for sale.

Two visitors from Italy – Orietta Pelizzari and Stefano Migliavacca, both of whom had shared in the first SATRA trend seminar in 2016 – returned to the UK to share their fashion industry knowledge to university students, their lecturers and professionals working within relevant industries.

A chance to feel the future

To begin proceedings, Mr Migliavacca – Arsutoria’s international promotion manager – explained the breadth of his company's work and briefly outlined the purpose of the special event, after which he introduced industry consultant Ms Pelizzari. During the event, Ms Pelizzari provided an impressive insight into trends for collections that research has indicated are expected to become popular for the spring/summer 2018 season.

These trends were concentrated into three distinct collections, each covering a different fashion style. The first trend – called 'Artefact' – drew on embroidery, painting, and the use of heels as art. The 'Strength' collection emphasised an outdoors theme, and utilised natural colours. The third trend, called 'Extreme', focused on athletic and sports wear, while stressing 'durability with glamour'. Tables packed with examples of materials and accessories were dedicated to each of these collections and, after an in-depth consideration of each trend in turn, the delegates were encouraged to examine the samples and ask questions about their application.

Delegates expressed a positive reaction to the seminar programme and appreciated the opportunity to discuss fashion trends in a small group.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 14 of the March 2017 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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