Prato Expo
The Trend Area at the show is uniquely designed and assembled by Li Edelkoort and the Trend Union team based on the themes developed by the Center for Studies and Trends. There are five trend rooms, five boutiques, each with a name , a logo and a range of colours each defining a different lifestyle.
Abundance
"The golden atmosphere of full summer." Natural fibers and fabrics are woven and knotted with lacey, transparent effects, remaining soft and compact. Cotton, linen, hemp are pure, or blended with man-made fibers for softness and fluidity. Airy voile, heavy crepe, and weaves have horizontal effects. Surfaces have a papery, fibrous look; flowing crepes in linen or washed hemp; double weaves; mixtures of very fine and coarse yarns. Sprinklings of embroidery; jacquards, prints and false solids; optical effects. The palette consists of the colours of grain and corn, the greenish yellows and shadowy golds of cereals.
Sunday Best
"The summer chic of a village Sunday." Impeccable calandered fabrics, minutely woven patterns and tiny prints. Dry wools, satin and cotton cloth, linen or linen blends, patterned piquet, eggshell jersey, very lightweight shirtings, silk, taffeta, starched lace and seersucker. Embroidery, little flower prints, checks, polkadots, embroidery with embossing inks. Dark, classical colours alongside spring pastels; fresh touches of white.
The Artist's Studio
"Full of light and colour, where the artist finds his creativity". The artistic inspiration of folklore is found in materials. Scattered ribbons, geometrical jacquard patterns, "Missoni-like" muticoloured designs, hand-made looks: smocking, brushwork finish, painted flowers, & folk embroidery. Brilliant colours from the Fauvist period.
The Fisherman's Hut
"Leisure time and outdoor life in harmony with nature." Natural, sturdy materials have technical performance. Denims, stiff cottons, linen canvases, knits with a papery feel to them. Knitted netting and honeycomb jersey, perforated, with ribbing; coated, waxed and brushed finishes; faded, oiled or wet looks, stone-washed, rumpled; yarn-dyed microfibers, thick tapes for knits. A palette of green and blue "Water" shades and the colours of fishing materials.
The Origin
"The first means, the first source of inspiration for mankind." Cotton, linen, wool, silk and hemp are the natural rustic fibers in this story. Irregular grainy primitive weaves and knits are coated or lacquered like mud. Wavy jerseys, summery tweeds, floating yarns and abstract tie-dyes. Handmade, "scoured by the sand" effects. Richly embroidered fabrics, heavy piquets, embellishments in all the brown earth tones, forests and roots, terracotta and burnt sienna.
Natural fibers or fibers that look natural are a main story for the season. Cashmere and wool yarns are twisted into lightweight fresh summer fabrics. A variety of treatments for silk, and linens are found in superfine or rustic versions, either soft or crisp. Cotton qualities from the most noble to rustic, as well as hemp, raffia, burlap, ramie, viscose, cupram and all kinds of vegetable fibers are blended with man-made fibers, especially nylon or cupram. The role of man-made fibers is changing as they provide brightness and strength when mixed with natural fibers. Silky satins, heavy cady, impeccable gabardine and lightweight wools alternate with raffia, gauze or cotton in bright or ecru shades.
Elegant shirting cottons, lightweight jacket fabrics, cotton fleece and flannel, compact, dense Batavian fabrics in silk and wool or silk and nylon are essential for the season, as well as tiny patterns and melange colours, fancy yarns, false solids, jacquard designs and semi-greige fibers in blends with Lycra and nylon. Also plentiful are low-twist cottons and new weights for coating and corduroy. Sportswear fabrics and light 1501s wool move into a "Casual Friday" look. "Comfort" is incorporated into everything. Clean amalgamated colours in a range of light to dark tones, or papery masculine shades suggest a soft metropolitan style. The feminine tones are pearly and silvery, or go back to the 701s where they are rediscovered in coordinates or combine in tone-on-tone for more graphic designs and optical effects. There's a resurgence of prints from geometrics and figurative designs to cashmere printed paisleys. Delicate or festive patterns and designs, flowers and geometrics are combined or are mixed and "taken apart". Flowers, ethnic patterns and tie-dyes as well as transfer prints, hand painted fabrics and informal "all-over" embroidery on openwork fabrics are in abundance. Checks, over-checks, Vichy, plaids, pied de pole, Prince of Wales, and Madrashave all been elaborated on. Matelasse' with embossing or minimal quilting is soft and precious. Fabrics are fancy and decorative, or have a handmade look. Heavy or double face basics in natural silk are bright or dull. Aged and stressed effects give dark shades a homespun quality while new dyeing and washing techniques reinvent many shades.
Hollow fibers provide insulation, yet are light. Gauze and lightness can be found in hydrosoluble double weaves that open when they are washed, releasing a structure of irregular double layers, sometimes with papery filament inserts. Besides being used for waterproofing and coating, some of the new synthetic fibers work as defense mechanisms against magnetic fields, UV rays and stress. There's a whole new world of technical textiles from biopolymers to imitation leathers. Smooth optical effects, creases, and washed, worn looks in fabrics are the result of advanced treatments and finishing processes. A whole new approach to yarns, weaving and finishing techniques has been the result of extensive research and the application of new technologies. The evidence is in the collections so expertly and creatively developed by the mills for the Spring/Summer 2001 season.
The next edition of Prato Expo will take place September 14-16 in Florence.
By Cinzia Black
Contributing Editor