Times have changed. In the past, the most suitable accessories for men were plain colours. Now men’s prints & graphics are the new black. The crazier, the better. We need to keep an eye on the 4-point plan for men, which shows how menswear has transformed.
Patterns for the Experimental in You
The first pointer in men’s prints & graphics is to channel the digital era, as men should invest in filter. Soft-focus, gamer graphics, artificial colour and glitchy weirdwideweb graphics mimic this new reality.
The second is the investment in global craft. Especially nomadic luxe with its detailed patterns adorning premium pieces as well as dressed-down streetwear variations as young men migrate towards elevated style.
The third is champion artistry and tradition. There is a shift towards a grown-up aesthetic which is driving a renewed interest in vintage furnishing florals, classically painted landscape and refined, textured animal skins in men’s prints & graphics.
The fourth and last, but not least, stands on the idea that different patterns create different people, thus one of the most important of these being the furnishing floral. Called out in our forecast and crossing over from womenswear, interior florals also emerged in key collections on the men's S/S 20 catwalks that carries onto the A/W 20 collections.
The gamer graphic also plays an important role, as AI and gaming culture builds, digital aesthetics are entering the mainstream consciousness. One of the most important growing looks is the nomadic pattern with its rich prints throughout assortments, with matching accessories for high impact look men’s prints & graphics.
The mundane type is another pattern that comes with the evolution of time. These stripped-back typographic renew staples for statement minimalism. As we have entered the digital era, the digital abstraction is becoming more and more popular. This versatile all over becomes a fashion print in artificial bright and soft-focus techniques, able to do the job of camouflage, abstract skins and even non-prints.
The Fashion of Graphics A/W 20
For the last several years, the artistic scenic look became more and more popular, landscape scenic are tracking on the Fashion Feed, and will prove to be a key statement print for hero pieces. Augmented reality and generative art is paving the way for new digital aesthetics, which can be applied to both men’s prints & graphics.
Called the weirdwideweb graphic, it comes with the establishment of the internet and its rise in the last few years. The last, but not least, is the soft-focus graphic pattern. Magazines and emerging graphic designers are championing this look, which will inevitably filter down to fashion with staple cut-and-sew as prime targets.
The soft focus blur techniques offer easy ways to update graphics with a directional, avant-garde aesthetic and tap into this growing trend. The latest achievement in the fashion industry is the use of textures skin. Spotted as a leading trend at Comocrea and London Print Design Fair, and crossing over from womenswear, the overwhelming success of animal print continues within menswear.
Softened with natural texture, these artistic skins are ripe for A/W transitional drops, with dalmation, leopard and zebra all renewed by irregular markings. Broaden horizons by looking at new animal markings, while also using hand rendered techniques. As there are in every era punks and people against the system, the newest trend includes the graffiti print. Graffiti and customised graphic prints are emerging as part of the punk army look.
Catwalks backed this aesthetic, as well as trade shows. These prints are great for youth deliveries, moving on grunge and punk trends. Initiate graffiti collaborations and one off, custom piece to discourage disposable fashion and champion creativity. Digital manipulation emerges as an important development in multiple print categories, while craft and artistry act as an antidote to the aesthetics of new digital media in men’s prints & graphics.
Balance ranges accordingly to cover all bases, and consider lower-impact production alternatives. See our Shirt Fabric Design & Development page for custom fabric prints and designs.
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