APIC trends offer an ode to joy and optimism
Designer, artist and trends consultant João Carvalho has worked with Portugal’s national tanning industry body APIC to prepare a trends presentation for autumn-winter 2021-2022.
As always, the aim is to help tanners prepare ranges of leather articles that should tie in well with the mood footwear, apparel and accessories brands are likely to want to strike in their collections for the season in question.
With restrictions continuing in many parts of the world because of covid-19, APIC has sought to adapt by making the new trends available online as an e-book and broadcasting João Carvalho’s comments on YouTube. Clicking on individual swatches on the e-book will reveal details of the tannery that supplied a particular article.
Mr Carvalho said that having trends books at the moment is more important than ever. Because designers and brands are unable to travel to industry exhibitions, their need for information and ideas about materials is urgent.
He added that buyers of leather are also able to order a physical copy of the book from APIC and he said he realised the importance of this. “Leather is a natural material, and we have to be able to touch it and feel it,” he explained. For the time being, though, the e-book is available for them to begin to reflect on the possibilities for autumn-winter 2021-2022.
He highlighted five main themes for the season: Natural Substance, New Romanticism, Optimism, Ethnic Harmony and Dark Statement.
Central to the reasons Mr Carvalho gave for picking these themes was a need he says consumers feel now and will still feel a year from now to inject glamour, colour and joy into their lives post-covid.
Perhaps this is clearest in Optimism, which he said represented a more urban and more joyful style. “You can see more and more colour in our urban centres,” he explained. “There are more gardens, more flowers, more street-art and this will be reflected in people’s desire to wear more colourful clothes and shoes.”
He said designers would show “no fear” of mixing colours, even if classically styled products. He said there will be shoes that show “exuberance” and the joy of being able to go out at night, attend cocktail parties and other social events again. “People will want to go out and express their joy about this,” he said.
