What the mix match trend means for designers and consumers
The materials, colors and patterns used in clothes have meanings and messages. For example, leather is seen as a symbol of power and authority due to its robust structure and difficult production process, while lace, which is much more fragile, represents delicacy and elegance due to its fine workmanship. Lace fabric, which also has a vintage effect, also has a romantic and nostalgic look.
Materials whose meaning can change depending on where they are used are reinterpreted by the use of the designer and the wearer. For example, while the timeless elegance of a loose-fitting, long leather skirt cannot be disputed, the same fabric takes on a sexy state when used in a black short dress. Similarly, its stance in underwear is quite different with the stance it creates when lace is embroidered on shirt collars.
When you use materials and patterns together, clothes add a new dimension to its meaning. So, what is the meaning of these materials when used together? Realizing that clothes can express more than one character and feature, designers started to use different materials together and expanded the messages their clothes gave. For example, using leather and lace together in the 2022 Fall/Winter collection, Dion Lee’s design screams power, self-confidence and audacity. On the other hand, Balmain designs, which use tweed, leather and lace fabrics together with filling materials, are created for those who can be both strong and delicate.
One of the rising trends of the 2022 Spring/Summer season, lace embroidery makes even the most ordinary outfit remarkable and adds a nostalgic feel to it. According to the data from trend research platform WGSN, this detail has been searched 28 percent more on social media since last year.
In fact, it is known that the patch trend, which has existed for 5 thousand years, has been used in many places from Ancient Egypt to China. This method, which usually emerges to create clothes by combining old fabrics to save money, comes under the umbrella of sustainability and changes its meaning thanks to the Z generation. The patch method, which has become popular with the DIY trend, especially during the pandemic period, is starting to show itself frequently in our social media streams.
Using both materials and patterns together is one of the trends that emerged with the destruction of cliches in fashion in recent years. Today’s designers and consumers, who boldly add new meanings to materials and patterns with the mix-and-match technique, without heeding the clichés, are breaking the style taboos with their creativity.
