Cool Hunting

Repetition, Repetition We are often told that everything repeats itself.  It is one of those half truths that slips out easily, when what has really happened is someone with skill or serendipity has placed an old item into a new context that is amazingly relevant to the moment. For example: not many expected Doc Martens to come back quite so quickly.  They are not made in Northampton any more, but in Asia.  Their headquarters, with design, marketing, sourcing and logistics still sits in England so it was no surprise to see the student collection at this year’s University of Northampton Fashion Show heavily featuring these iconic shoes. The Fashion show really excelled this year, with great garments, bags and footwear. All, with the exception of the Doc M’s, are made by the students themselves.  Mixed with the fantasy was a high level of commerciality, with many in the audience making comments along the lines of “I would wear that”, with a strong degree of surprise. This “shock and awe” of wearability has passed through all the shows in Europe this year and raised even more the appropriateness of using very slim models.  It is not so much an issue of health or the wrong sort of role model for the young but more a question of recognising where the final audience will be for fashion and luxury.      Now that the industry has to look to India, China, Russia and even the “-stans” is it correct to continue using such thin western models?  Now you do not expect the fashion show at the University of Northampton to reflect these changes yet, but we must anticipate it in Paris, Milan and Florence.  If they do not watch the rise of Shanghai, Mumbai; or even Astana, the glittering new capital of Kazakhstan. New Zealand takes over from Spanish Royalty One area of the world where the luxury market will not grow so fast is New Zealand which seems ready to lead the world into recession. One aspect of the NZ economy which is doing well is the merino fibre, the fibre that was developed, promoted, and monopolised for centuries by Spanish Royalty.    A small New Zealand based sports and outdoor company, Icebreaker, has been developing fine New Zealand merino for light base layers through a wide range of outerwear.  They view the merino hill stations as their “fibre factories” and none is better than the Lake Hawea Merino Hill Station that has been in the ownership of the Rowley family since 1912.  After nearly 100 years of producing merino for fine men’s suits and pullovers they have suddenly found themselves at the leading edge of the smart fibres business. Non-itching, growing warm when damp, with an ability to offer comfort through its ability to hold humidity, and with careful shepherding available in extra fine weights merino wool is very smart fibre. And to understand it all you can stay at Lake Hawea Station in one of the original, but beautifully renovated 1912 musterers’ huts. A wonderful experience. It would seem that the sworn enemy of merino is polyester, the biggest synthetic fibre. Yet interesting companies like Patagonia put both merino and polyester in their ranges. We all took note of polyester when David Shah told the APLF seminar earlier this year that “the future is polyester; there will be new technical products beyond our comprehension.”  The reinvented polyester is now starting to be seen. Not scratchy, very lightweight, as fine as a hair from your head, it is already being defined as “luxury polyester.” It offers designers some fine new options and is leading a re-examination of all synthetic fibres. Reinventing Leather? Of course polyester uses oil, and oil even at today’s high prices is so cheap that it is still easier to make virgin polyester rather than recycle,  but there is just not enough natural fibre to supply the world’s needs. So looking at the future we must expect both polyester and merino to have to co-exist and should not be surprised to find them occasionally in the same garment.   Re-invention to fit the 21st century is an appropriate theme for many things.  Perhaps leather has stood still for too long? Michael Redwood July 08 If you wish to contribute to the APLF News, with your experiences in the industry, your observations, or general thoughts on the direction the industry is going, we would like to hear from you. Email: aplf-news@aplf.com How long has your company been attending APLF? If you wish to be involved in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of APLF, we would like to hear from you. Email: aplf-news@aplf.com. Subject Headline: APLF 25th Anniversary