Blanketstudent fashion magazine

created by Fashion Prodct and Promotion studentsat the University of Sunderland

Contents

Editor’s letter

Cover story: Rebelling against the image

Interview: Are you on trend?

Trends forecast: Closer to origins

Phooshoot

Editor’s

“Blanket” is an an-nual magazine pro-duced by the Fashion P&P students at the University of Sun-derland. It will follow them on their path to find their place in the fashion world as either designers, ed-itors, photographers or promoters. Since it will be published in time for the Graduate Fashion Week, it can be considered a col-lective portfolio and an advertising tool for

the course.

The magazine gravitates around the idea that fabric is the most important aspect of fashion as with no fabric there would be no clothes and therefore no fashion. Also, “Blanket” is a new statement in the fashion world as it promotes modesty and practicality above anything else. A wom-an should feel confident and beautiful without having to dress promiscuously. For this reason “Blanket” envelopes the

body, letting it be free and comfortable.

LetterInside the mag-azine you will find trend an-alyzes, styling photo -shoots, interviews with peoples from the industry and most im-portantly, stu-dents’ work.

Fa s h i o n c a n b e w a r m a n d s o f t .

Fashion is a special kind of art, through which the wearer can express their personality, status and beliefs, by combining practicality with beauty. There is a reason why fashion still hasn’t been accepted as a work of art: because it implies practical considerations. So why are we trying to overlook this important aspect?

Why are people so eager to wear the latest trends and buy the most expensive brands even though they do not feel comfortable wearing them? Why would they wear that skin-tight dress and those 15 cm tall high heels when you cannot dance or have fun at a party? Have we really lost ourselves in the bombardment of “must have” and “the hottest trends”? Do we really want to look like clones of a fabricated, unrealis-tic image created by the media?

Rebelling againstthe image

Is it surprising that a fashion magazine doesn’t have a pretty face on the cover? That it doesn’t promote per-fect skin, shiny hair and voluptuous body? Fashion it’s not about having the ideal look that everyone will envy. It is more than that…

Tell me, who can live your life, but you? So why not chose wearing something that makes you feel beautiful and empowered every time you put it on? Tell me, have you forgotten that you are a unique individual with an authentic perspective on beauty? Show the world that you are YOU and not a clone of the image.

If you are the kind of person who wants to think for himself and dress as himself, please do not give in to the pressure. ‘Blanket’ magazine is here to support freedom of expression, originality and fashion as a receptive industry.

What can be better than feeling confident and comfortable in your own clothing decisions?

Joanna FeeleyManaging Direc-torJoanna is found-er of Trend Bi-ble with over 15 years of experi-ence as a trend forecaster and brand strategist for home inte-rior, electronics and fashion com-panies.

Prior to setting up Trend Bible, Joanna was head of trends at Tesco, and trend advisor to brands and retailers including Nokia and New Look.

Are you on trend?1. What is your definition of ‘trends’?

A trend simply reflects what seems to be going around at any given time. A trend can be in any area and doesn’t only reflect fashion, pop culture and entertainment. It can describe a shift in attitude, behaviour or taste.

2. What is the role of Trend Bible in the industry?

Trend Bible is a home and interiors dedicated trend agency, working with inquisitive, recognised brands to predict change. Whether it’s social, cultural or taste-driven, our job is to find out which future trends will impact the business and help cli-

ents capitalise on them.

3. Why are there some trends that are more popular than others?

We’re all different with different needs and tastes so some things resonate more with the individual than the next person. Sometimes a trend has several emotional aspects so will have a broad-er hit rate with a larger group of con-sumers.

6. How can we predict future trends?

There are many different methodologies used, we have fu-ture trend panels, ask interesting thinkers to share their research and opinions with us, then use our commercial ex-perience in the brand and retail industry to define exactly what will work for each of our clients.

4. How do trends develop?We have several methodologies for spotting weak signals and figuring out if and how they will build into a big story with lots of commercial appeal. We monitor the pace of change from the mo-ment a trend comes onto our radar. Trends morph and shift, explode and die off, so it’s important to track how influence spreads.

5. How long does a trend last for? Why?

There’s no specific time, it can be a season or even 8 years. It de-pends how well the trend resonates with an audience emotionally.

Closer to originsIn 2017 technology would have been improved even more and been implemented in every aspect of a person’s life. No one can deny the advantages and progresions we’ve achieved thanks to smart gadgets and devices. However, there is a trend becoming more and more prominent in the days of machinery. That is the nostalgia of old days.

The more humanity ad-vances technologicaly, the more is longing for its origins, for the re-lationship with nature and the simplicity of life. That is an aspect which would have been reflected in fashion more than anything

else.

A combination between boho chic, hip-pie and vintage inspired looks is the reminiscence of the beautiful past. The girl embracing this trend enjoys spend-ing time in nature and is open to adven-ture.

The emotional aspect is what made of this tendency a trend as even though nostalgia is nothing new, the fact that it spread so widely across the globe it makes it new for 2017.