Think natural materials (often organically produced), loose silhouettes and earth toned colours. Environment friendly produced fashion reaches in 2010 the level where it becomes stylish. Brands like Kohzo denim, Howies, and Kuyichi are (all in different ways) just as sexy as their lesser conscious competitors. The last hurdle these New Eco labels have to take in order to truly reach the masses, is that they have to work on True Transparency. Just claiming environmentally friendliness is not enough. You have to tell where the clothing ingredients come from and how they are produced.  This is not only a positioning necessity but could be seen as the heart of a new lifestyle: Honest, true and connected to the best of nature & the land.  In real life ‘urban farming’ is one of the most outstanding manifestations of this trend, being self-sustaining and gaining control back over our food production is ‘folkish’ but in fashion too. It all stimulates cool stories – for the right brands to tap in to. The New Eco never looked so good!

The rock star is controversial and inspires us with dreams of rebellion and authenticity. Rock, that violently and often self destructively uncompromising attitude has become scarce in youth culture with media displaying mainly the talents of those who aspire planned and marketed careers via avenues like Idols and Next Top Model. Mainstream music industry made the religion of rock into an parody of itself, while producing entertainment for the masses. Each era has a new type of rock star. These days it is: back to DIY, but then 2.0 style. In fashion this trend translates into designers like Rick Owens (the dark side) and Jeremy Scott (the bright side). True rock is neither blasé nor cynical. It’s about abandon. It’s about taking risks. The look, be it dark or bright, reflects this. 

The 1930’s saw the rise of surf clubs in major surfing areas of California. By the 1950’s Dale Velzy opened California’s first surfboard shop in Manhattan Beach. Soon after, surfing exploded in popularity. Its growth never stopped. The extreme sports graphic/skate punk style look was the biggest in the 90’s and first years of the millennium. Surfing apparel companies in the US were being outplayed (with Volcom as the only exception) in their own game by casual label Hollister (owned by Abercrombie and Fitch) that made up a fictional surf hero (Hollister) situated at the core of the brand.  Action sports industry became trapped in its own success: the progressive surf-image was traded off for a conservative one (ever heard of a gay surfer?), soul was swapped for ‘loud and louder’. True DIY and punk spirit have been lost to a large extent. Surfing as a style phenomenon is here to stay though. The cool surf look for 2010 is the result of clever mixing and matching. It’s be a sixties inspired, preppy, toned down look. V-necks and chino’s. Loud is out. Simply buy a board, get yourself a wetsuit and you are out there. It¹s probably the most affordable experience of true freedom available. The new sound is: loud is out.

Curating is mainly a men’s trend. It is about meticulously selecting your clothing ingredients, based on extremely thorough knowledge of context and history. This is about distinguishing by knowledge. Think the crew behind the Brooklyn Circus (a store based in Brooklyn), Swedish label Our Legacy (one of the most interesting Swedish menswear labels of this moment) or Danish premium menswear label Mr. Who Says Hi. This menswear is inspired by traditional menswear, but their styles / collections are remixes in the best sense of the word.
After several decennia of vintage clothing, the contemporary generation - well, its cool avantgarde - has developed an extensive vocabulary and knowledge of fashion history. These sophisticated clothing buyers develop equally sophisticated personal styles with extensive attention to detail. Therefore  we call them the ‘curators’. They effortlessly mix the old and the new. With extreme depth and knowledge.

Workerwear is back after a period of hibernating.  Now we see general workerwear brands return after years of  low key presence. Leading cool brands in Europe: Dickies, Carhartt, Wrangler. In New York Adam Kimmel clearly is the face of premium workerwear style. We call it  the ‘Nuts and Bolts’ trend.  Related to shoes Nuts & Bolts means that sneakers are not the only choice anymore. Think sturdy, workerwear boots for feet. 

The growing recognition of the beauty of raw denim is now reaching the masses while at the same time remaining an underground phenomenon. It’s a mainly European/Japanese trend, slowly conquering the Northern American market – and more. The notion that denim is the sole material which ages with beauty AND becomes more beautiful when treated savagely, makes it an eternal style element. The hand-woven and hand dyed denim varieties in which the Japanese excel are the cream of the crop. Those who have ever bought premium Japanese raw denim undoubtedly and instantly feel the difference. Think  jeans by Momotaro, Studio d’Artisan, Sugar Cane etcetera, but also the jeans of Canadian newbie label Naked & Famous which are made with the most beautiful sorts of Japanese denim. This is a cult product with long lasting capabilities. 

Clogs are in the spotlight. Think Sanita’s clogs, mostly known for their functionality during work in hospitals and farms. Now they are taken to a new, next level. The Danish clog label has added heels to its traditional design -  without losing the original look and feel. These heelded clogs, produced by more brands than Sanita alone, were a big hit in Japan, found their way to catwalks worldwide and were featured in the upcoming fashion flic, Sex and the City nr 2’. 

Too many mass luxury labels ‘betrayed’ the consumer by offering an average product for a premium price. Yes, they served us glamour via advertising, but real exclusivity and true quality got scarce. This is where the Ueberpremiums come in: with the guarantee that their items and collections are made to last a lifetime and will never be out of style. Think Hermes. Or think the US 850,- cashmere sweaters of Danish menswear designer Mr. Who: everything he makes is the best of the best of the best. Or Hussein Chalayan a designer who applies true craftmanship in his designs to breach the border between fashion and art. 

Bloggers have definitely turned the fashion world upside down. Their influence has grown to such an extent that they are hired by large media companies and fashion brands to shoot campaigns, produce editorials, design products or just give input. For instance Sea of Shoes designed shoes for Urban Outfitters and Garance Dore designed shirts for the GAP. Age or experience is not the crucial matter. Sea of Shoes is written by 17-year-old Jane Aldridge. Another kid making it big in fashion is Tavi . This 13-year old self-proclaimed geek has been sitting front row everywhere during the latest New York Fashion week.
Tavi and Jane Aldrigde are as young as they are passionate. With them a new professionalism shows: stick stubbornly and passionate, but also flexible and free-floating to what you like and to what you are really good at. To extend this trend a bit more: An advertising agency can launch a successful self-designed jeans collection, publish an underground magazine and organize great events in the same time. Which is all done by the Swedish company Acne. Graphic designers can start their own fashion store, a full blown fashion label and a club in Sao Paolo, which is done by Paris/New York based brand Surface 2 Air.

Amsterdam is the city where denim label G-Star originated. 20 years ago G-Star released the Elwood: A ‘revolutionary’ denim designed by French designer Pierre Morrisset and the new start of tailoring in denim. Right now tailoring is the latest word in the world of jeans.  It’s the skill which separates the boys from the men. Using the techniques traditionally reserved for English or Italian suits, Amsterdam based denim companies seem to be the forefront of this trend. The first name that comes to mind when speaking of tailored denim is Jason Denham. The owner of Denham the Jeansmaker is the personification of the trend. From a family of English tailors he introduced techniques that derived from classic Saville Row tailoring at Blue Blood in 2003. After he left Blue Blood to establish his own label, he ventured even deeper in the world of tailoring. But think also G-Star, Intoxica, Firetrap or somebody like Mr. Freedom in LA.

Sportswear is clearly back in fashion. However: think niche sports. Niche sports are more cool because they haven’t been claimed yet by commercial interests and mass consumerism. Great example is ping pong (http://www.spinyc.com) becoming a hip, urban underground sport in New York and Berlin, including gala tournaments and special events (endorsed by Fred Perry). Other examples are fishing (quite a few Scandic brands connecting to traditional design ranging from SNS Herring to Mads Norgaard) and roller skating.

This is a trend for young girls/women. It is dark. It is not the realm of hope and optimism. But it is a fact of life and it can look pretty cool.. Think leather fashion (for example Kova & T leather leggings). Think the huge comeback of the biker jacket. Think metal studded high heels. Think over-knee boots, dramatic make up, black/metallic nails etcetera. In music the line can be drawn straight from Trent Reznor to new emerging British bands like The White Lies and The Ulterior. In fashion Rick Owens is the icon.

Azzedine Alaia is a worldwide respected fashion designer who passionately avoids the fashion circus and all the p.r. tricks involved. He only brings his shows when he decides it is perfectly finished: no pressure from the world’s fashion show agenda.  ‘Bakker Made with Love’ is a new beautiful fashion brand that says in the label:  ‘Proudly made in Indonesia by’ or ‘Made With Love by’ followed by the handwritten name of the person who actually sewed that piece of clothing. With Love. 

Milan catwalk fashion for summer 2010 is all about transparency, sculpting tight dresses (Herve Leger), body cut-outs everywhere, nude colors, tight high hemlines, lingerie as outerwear and, in the end: getting laid. Plus the return of the corset at Dolce & Gabbana. We expect a new fitness hype, when women want to dress like this.

This is the territory where outdoor and sportswear meet tailoring and urban wear. It’s mainly menswear. Technical materials from the outdoor world are combined with the cuts and styles of the fashion world. The result: Extremely versatile clothing which looks great and is weatherproof. Brands who are pioneering are Arc’teryx Veilance, Acronym, Stone Island, North Face Purple Label, plus cycling brand Rapha and Joe Casely Hayford. The collective dictate for these designers is purpose first. But style is equally important.