Structure and Pattern
Pitti Filati 77: Florence, Italy
july 2015
autumn/winter 2016/17
Report: Noel Chapman
Introduction
As ever all the Pitti’ fairs are united this season by an overarching idea:
‘THAT’S PITTICOLOR! is the title-theme for the summer fairs and it will talk about color and colors: the colors we are steeped in, the colors that surround us, the colors that we wear, that are inside us and before our eyes. The language of color is also one of fashion’s basic “codes” and it will take us into a full immersion course on new styles and lifestyles. We will talk about and design this summer’s Pitti fairs in color and look at the world in Pitticolor. Curated by Oliviero Baldini.
Pitti Immagine Filati, the key international event featuring yarns for the knitting industry. - Both a research lab and an authoritative observatory that looks onto the lifestyle trends of the future, Pitti Filati presents world-scale excellence in yarns to its audience of international buyers and designers from the biggest names in fashion who come to Florence looking for creative inspiration. This, the 77th edition, will feature world previews of yarns for the 2016/17 fall winter season, in a unique atmosphere that makes doing business a pleasure, offering a new, original entertaining take on the many ways that fashion, art, sport and design come together.
THE NUMBERS OF PITTI FILATI 77:
- 136 brands at this edition, 29 of which are from abroad (Great Britain, Japan, Turkey, Romania, Peru, France, Germany, China, and New Zealand).
- 33 exhibitors in the Fashion at Work area (14 of which are from abroad: Great Britain, Turkey, Germany, France, and China)
- 20 exhibitors in the KnitClub area
Exhibition area: 20,000 square meters
5,200 buyers / visitors, attended the June 2014 edition, of these, 2,800 (53.86% of the total) were from abroad.’
Skills, Technology, Craft and TECH-CRAFT, are the buzzwords of the season for Pitti Filati; ideas that are creatively embraced and explored in the Spazio Ricerca – the trend area of the show:
‘Evolution and change are the intrinsic features of the Spazio Ricerca, the fulcrum of all creative expression at the fair. The Spazio Ricerca is the experimental observatory where trends are analyzed and launched, and at Pitti Filati 77, the season’s title-theme MAKE IT will celebrate the concept of skills and crafts. It presents a journey through the history of mankind, looking at objects that have survived through the ages. Not only important design objects, but ordinary, commonplace, everyday things in which craftsmanship becomes one with need and knowing how to make do. This is not a trip down memory lane: the “itinerary” starts from the basics, from the roots, to reach the contemporary mode of producing by traveling through atmospheres related to specific crafts that will influence the way we conceive of – and understand – products for the 2106/17 fall-winter season. “Don’t throw it away, repair it”, “Acquire a history, make an item unique” are just an example of the season’s leitmotifs. Presented under the artistic direction of fashion designer Angelo Figus and knitwear expert Nicola Miller; setting by Alessandro Moradei.’
The Spazio Ricerca trend area was the most concise and inspiring it has been for several seasons - celebrating and reflecting many of the key areas of revived and re-appreciated skills and craft-rooted occupations in contemporary society: From environmental and sustainability issues, to our concerns for traceability through artisan grown and processed foods.
‘The 2017-2017 fall-winter season will be strongly influenced by the concept of skills and crafts. Objects that have survived through centuries are like a book of human history. Not only the important design objects, or highlights from the history of costume, but ordinary commonplace, everyday things in which craftsmanship becomes one with necessity and knowing how to make do.
Once we repaired everything and didn’t throw anything away. Each piece of clothing, each item had and acquired a history and a value that increased. Everything became richer and was handed down from generation to generation, extraordinary examples of craftsmanship that have survived to the present, with an added human touch and added value. All this was possible thanks to skills that are no lnger common and crafts that have been lost or forgotten or have become nearly extinct. The cobbler, the umbrella-maker, the water-seller and the calligrapher. And even though we no longer need these crafts, they are still fascinating and we see them as fitting into the definition of luxury: custom water, an umbrella made to order.
The distinction between dosposable, conservable and inheritable makes the difference between luxurious and non-luxurious, between value and non-value, the difference is guaranteed by the skills associated with the object itself. But be careful: this is not a question of nostalgia. The journey starts from history to reach the contemporary mode of producing traveling through atmospheres related to specific crafts that will influence the way of conceiving – and understanding – next winter’s products. Nothing will be thrown away, everything will be repaired. Repaired and enhanced. Acquire a history, make an item unique. Hence the crafts and the skills:
The refreshingly simply-formatted presentation consisted of swatches, a single outfit and an inspirational video montage for each of the 10 interlinked and overlapping themes that when contemplated evoke and inspire the following associations:
Theme 1 – tic tac – horology, timekeeping, chronometer, precision, detailed, calculated, calibrated, digital, numeric, accurate, regimented.
Theme 2 – barber – hairy, tufted, pile, fringed, shaved, bald, cut, wild, natural, hirsute, bristly, stubble, shorn, groomed, shaped, tamed, controlled, parted, plaited, twisted, curly, straight, looped, smart, manicured, confident, trimmed.
Theme 3 – mattress – padded, quilted, pocketed, stuffed, filled, encased, structered, layered, light, lofty, stretched, upholstered,, dimpled, rippled, pleated, concealed, revealed, double-sided, insulated, supported, tensioned, impressed, embossed, stitched, tufted, buttoned, held, released.
Theme 4 – binding – bibliology, books, bookcovers, intricate, miniscule, printed, bound, header, folded, laced, taped, marbled, end-papers, titled, labeled, interleaved, impressed, inked, laminated, embossed, latticed, knotted, double-faced.
Theme 5 – meat – butchery, bloody, fibrous, veined, marbled, soft, yielding, wet, shiny, matt, tough, muscular, robust, fragile, impermanent.
Theme 5 – mechanic – Engineered, tough, metallic, complex, skilled, structured, geometric, mathematical, ribbed, oily, greasy, pristine, shiny, corroded, organized, skilled, patinated, reinforced.
Theme 7 – charbon (charcoal) – burnt, charred, singed, blackened, scorched, destroyed, torn, frayed, remains, crumbly, dry, metamorphosis, transformed, distorted, disguised.
Theme 8 – cracks – joined, linked, broken, disjointed, pieced, separated, lace, laced, combined, fragmented, re-aligned, tracery, restored, mended, repaired, fixed, seams, joins, pieces, missing, spaces, gap, incomplete, mismatched,
Theme 9 – rug – tapestry, craft, handwoven, pile, fringed, textured, rich, folky, lofty, heavy, thick, crafted, hand-dyed, crimped, woven, undone, unraveled, double-sided, ribbed, ridged, rippled, patched, finished/finishing, washed, edges, selvedge, ends, traditional, complex, knotted, richly-pattered, multi-patterned.
Theme 10 – mending – Japanese Boro, repaired, patched, layered, indigo, utility, jeans, workwear, necessity, decoration, regenerated, up-cycled, washed, worn, old, valued, loved, heirloom, frayed, broken, mended, surface, multi-textural, sashiko, stitched, darned, patchwork, composite, mismatched.
Woolmark showed several stylish trend themes that echoed and expanded upon many of the themes in the Spazio Ricerca;
Androgyne – Cool primarily minimal looks exploring traditional menswear looks for men and women.
Into The Wild – A modern rustic and country theme.
Normdecor – Everyday couture inspired luxury looks.
Compliments – a folk inspired, pure and simple modern craft theme.
New Makers – Clean and radical cutting and construction for new modern couture looks.
Metropolitan Chalet – a white-based monotone theme exploring texture and surfaces.
Posh – Refined modern grooming based on traditional and enduring style.
Four main colour groups were presented; many of the spinners also showed a group of pure bright flamboyant colours, that I will list as the fifth group (all my titles):
2. Not Black – Wintery dark shades, including Espresso, Darkest Ivy, Ink and Woody Olive, Deep Plum, Stormy Grey, Grey-Blue, and sharpened by a light Minty Green.
3. Subtle Mid-tones – Sand, Fawn, Stone, Mid Grey shades, a soft Dusty Pink, and Old Fashioned Lavender, Faded Teal, and soft Blue-Grey.
4. Rich Not Bright – Aubergine, Maroon, a soft Pimento Red, Carmine, deep Marmalade Orange, Vicuna Tan, a warm Honey Beige, and Cameo Pink.
5. Bright – The Cobalt and Workwear Blues of recent seasons continue here, with; Violet, confident Sunshine Yellow, optimistic Bright Orange, Lipstick Red and several shades of Hot Pink. This group for younger or sporty looks, for highlights and pops, or for bold accent pieces in an outfit.