Can Classic Blue really be a trend? Most importantly does it even matter anymore? I wasn’t sure until I attended a recent trend talk.
While Amsterdam based trend forecaster Jan Agelink’s Trend Safari talk called Woke briefly touched on Pantone’s 2020 Colour of the Year – Classic Blue, the trends he discussed made me look at Classic Blue in a brand new light.
These were my Classic Blue takeouts from the talk.
Saving our Blue Planet
Jan highlighted Climate Change and the impact authentic voices like Greta Thunburg and movements such as Extinction Rebellion were having on us.
It made me think of the Flipfloppi dhow which was handcrafted using plastic waste including 30 000 flip-flops found on the beach. Flipfloppi sailed the Kenyan coast to highlight the devastation caused by plastic pollution.
Reading about this had such an affect on me I reduced my use of plastic bags dramatically and have never bought flip-flops again.
Do you know who made your Classic Blue Jeans?
Meanwhile the Fashion Revolution movement encouraging us to post photos of our clothes with the hasgtag #WhoMadeMyClothes is making us stop and think about how ethical our purchases are. In addition it is forcing brands to be more transparent regarding how their clothes are made.
This video is worth watching if you don’t know much about Fashion Revolution.
It is great to see how designers are Creating more Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Interiors too. For example, Layer and Raeburn’s furniture collection made from recycled parachutes
Saving Us From Feeling Blue
Jan talked about the importance of the body nature connection.
I always get a bit nervous when trend forecasters go here, there’s always the inevitable shock factor image which has me dying. Luckily it only went as far as the PYNK video – so not too bad.
But I digress, this was above all the importance of linking ourselves to nature. In other words, soft organic shapes and colours, natural materials and textures.
Included in the colour palette of browns, grey, aqua, pink and orange was Classic Blue. Jan highlighted the latest Luis Vutton’s suit as well as the Fluid Water rug designed for Moooi.
I was blown away by the trees patiently grown and shaped into chairs by Gavin Munro of Full Grown. It takes 4 to 8 years to grow the tree into a chair. In addition it was good to know the tree doesn’t die once the furniture piece is cut from it.
Out of This World
There was of course the sci-fi trend and the amazing advances in digital animation and augmented reality.
He talked about translucent brights, holographic inspiration and a mix of technical and exotic prints.
Classic Blue
In conclusion, while classic blue is certainly not a new colour, it fits in perfectly with both classic and edgy interiors. With qualities that instil:
- Peace and calm
- Trust and loyalty
- Faith and inspiration
- Independence and decision making
- Confidence and communication
- Increasing perspective and intuition
While many trends are marketed to increase sales, it’s great to see the biggest trends are those that are not only good for ourselves and others, but good for the planet as well.
For more blue inspiration see The Captivating Blue of Blue and White Porcelain, Yves Klein and the Hyper Blue Trend in Interiors and The Incredible Story of Indigo.
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