Capturing a prevailing mood, there’s an unmistakable darkness to our first two AW 2021/22 stories Grit and Swansong; not just in terms of palettes but inspiration. Both are highly compelling in very different ways, veering from hyper-masculinity to divine decadence.
In Grit, we explore hyper-masculinity as a clear reaction to the increasingly loud voice of feminist dissention; Grit is not however only for men, as many of the influences here assuredly subvert the archetypes being referenced.
An end of days, decadent fatalism is explored through nostalgic references to past times on the brink of disaster in our second story Swansong. From Berlin and Shanghai in the ‘30’s to the last days of disco, this is a brave and brittle honouring of liberalism and creativity, tinged with sadness and foreboding.
In addition to the trend drivers that give context to our forecast, design editorial and interviews, this issue also features special focus on transport. Our Colour Now section takes a look at the early adopters of our AW 2020/21 Scuff and Ritual stories.
