WGSN - Emerging trend: Industrial Coatings.

"Heavy-duty coatings are an emerging trend for chunky knits and double jerseys, with tarred or emulsion coatings in various semi-matt to glossy finishes and placements adding a new visual tactility.

One of the most commercial directions is to use laminates in printed motifs, keeping some of the knitted ground visible for a play on hard and soft texture. Semi-cracked and peeling prints add dimension, as does polyurethane coatings on bouclé yarns and textured knit stitches. Black glossy or tarred coatings, clear or opaque plastisol effects, ceramic matt or cracked coatings and oxidised pewter and metallics with a dull sheen provide the most commercial updates."

I discovered an emerging trend on WGSN in the knitwear section of the product categories. I feel as though my work could automatically be linked to this upcoming trend, which made me feel as though my work really could fit within the industry.


Balenciaga A/W 13

Phoebe Brown '13

Fashion houses such as Balenciaga and Phoebe Brown have used processes such as metallic ribbing and starch spraying fabrics to give them an industrial, stiffer aesthetic and feel.

This links perfectly to my work with latex.




Rick Owens

This piece by Rick Owens is also really interesting. I like the organic way that the emulsion paint has cracked with the fabric and records the movement of the body. This could be something to explore within my knit and could be combined with the latex coatings that I have given some samples.


I also feel that the transparancy to my work is lending well to the industrial trend, giving it a sense of clinicalism that is balanced out by my soft colour palette of pale greens, greys, lilacs and purples.