Trend Concepts 

A/W 21/22

Materials

Natural, biological and waste-stream materials will

be key innovations to watch for A/W 21/22, driving
seasonal developments towards a sustainable
future

S t ud io Dr if t
 Introduction
A focus on the climate crisis will drive seismic
transformation in the design industry in A/W 21/22, and as
the impact of materials comes under greater scrutiny,
designers and suppliers will be shifting research and
development into circular systems.
Investigative research in fields as diverse as bioscience,
permaculture, waste streams and digitisation are triggering
experimental eco-friendly prototypes across kitchens, labs,
studios and workshops, but a transition from speculative
future concepts to scaleable manufacturing will only be
possible through collaboration and concrete investment.
Aesthetics will move away from the purely frivolous as
science-based sustainability goals impose 'beautiful
restraints' on the creative process, from the raw resource and
processing to the impact of end-of-life de-materialisation.
From a design outlook, materials made in nature will be key,
from cultivated, compostable 'living' materials to natural,
raw, and even brute pre-futuristic textures. Tapping into a
fascination for all things unsettling, we will see visceral,
ephemeral, and horror-inspired textures challenge
perceptions of taste, value and beauty. Haptic products will
also indulge principles of pleasure and intimacy, and creative
customisation will shape waste materials into ad-hoc,
modular and playful products, designed to spark joy and
positivity in times of uncertainty and perpetual change.

Gaspar d Graulich
Cooking Up
Materials

Flo o r S krabanja

Z hekai Z hang

The concept: Resource scarcity will inspire materials

made from food waste.
Surface & materials: Food can be a versatile
ingredient for bio-plastics. Pola Salicka and Ruhan
Reho gar
Chen's Kelapack tableware is made from cassava
tubers and seaweed, and Youyang Song makes
materials from soy milk and fruit waste. Take N ico le S t jer nswär d
texture inspiration from GY Studio's crystallised
gems, made from de-cellularised vegetables.
How to implement: Investigate food as a dyestuff.
The Kaiku Living Colour project uses plant waste for
paints and dyes. Also experiment with waste matter,
shaping through laser cutting, 3D printing, printing,
pressing, modelling or casting.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, footwear, textiles,
packaging, product design, interiors
E lzelind e van Do leweer d Yo uyang S o ng
 Earth Matters

By Walid

Léa Munsch

At elier N L Cind y Vald ez

The concept: Make products with baked-in narratives that link craft back to locality
by digging up soil and ash, firing clay, and taking inspiration from where we tread.
Surface & materials: Earthy materials are reshaped with craft and tech. Cindy Valdez
mixes clay with biomaterial for her interlocking via 3D-printed forms. Colour reveals
a sense of place. Atelier NL's project on street paving, for example, shows a rich soil
diversity via the pigments from each locale, and Stone Island's outerwear has a richly
pigmented look.
How to implement: Source local, richly toned natural materials and textiles, and
develop low-impact prints, textures and glazes with authentic earthy surfaces.
Relevant for: accessories, apparel, footwear, packaging, product design, interiors
S t o ne Island Mat er io
Living Design

Blast S t ud io

Dut ch Design Week

The concept: 'Grown' materials that are made in

nature will thrive in A/W 21/22.
Surface & materials: Mushrooms and algae will be
harnessed into built spaces and products. The
S ho et r ee
mycelium-clad Growing Pavilion at Dutch Design
Week showcased bio-engineered products, and Bio-
ID Lab’s algae-infused tiles extract toxic dyes and N E FFA
metals from water.
How to implement: Biodegradability will be a game-
changer in design. Look to Vollebak's Plant and
Algae T-shirt, made of eucalyptus and beech fibres
and printed with bioreactor-grown algae, and take
inspiration from Blast Studio's mycelium-grown
vases, made from waste coffee cups.
Relevant for: architecture, footwear, product design,
textiles, packaging, interiors, apparel
Vo llebak Bio -ID Lab
Ephemeral Beauty

Jewelr y Making Jo ur nal

Jet ske Ko r enr o mp Lind a N ur k Mar cin Rusak

The concept: The creation of impermanent materials that decay and

de-materialise will shape new surface aesthetics for A/W 21/22.
Surface & materials: Embedded flowers are a key focus. Linda Nurk and
Marcin Rusak encapsulate flowers in biosynthetic textiles and resin
furniture. Ignacio Canales Aracil's Fragility of Time pieces reinterpret
the ancient tradition of flower preservation, and Jetske Korenromp
gives left-over flowers from florists a second life in her Rebloom
packaging.
How to implement: Upcycle faded blooms for composites and hand-
made papers, and create delicate botanical dyestuffs for textiles.
Consider trapping dried flowers in glass and resin jewellery.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, textiles, packaging, product design
Co lo ssal Mar cin Rusak
 Brute Surfaces

Bo m N o h

S hahar Livne

Benjamin Mo t o c Amo s Fr icke

The concept: Engineer materials to appear raw and excavated, shining a light on the
pressures mining puts on the earth's resources, inspired by pre-futuristic aesthetics.
Surface & materials: Metal, marble and stone offcuts and even plastics shape this
brute aesthetic. The recycled silver jewellery of Queen’s Wood Studio has a frost-
bitten quality, similar to the hefty presence of Benjamin Motoc's furniture, which is
created through water and wax casting. Shahar Livne's Anthropocenic pieces
speculate on a future where plastic can only be mined.
How to implement: Create rawness via casting and chiselling for responsibly sourced
stone, marble, wood and oxidised metals, emulated also in textile construction.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, textiles, packaging, product design, interiors
H igh S no biet y Q ueen's Wo o d S t ud io
Natural Radiance

@no o rayau

The concept: As shimmer continues to intrigue, nature

will inspire deep research into ecological bio-radiance.
S hahar Livne
Surface & materials: Elissa Brunato’s Bio Iridescent
Vincenzo d e Co t iis
Sequins and Noora Yau's Shimmering Wood use
crystalline, light-refracting tree cellulose for non-toxic,
compostable structural colour that doesn't fade.
How to implement: Work towards sustainable metallic
materials, finishes and embellishments that avoid
toxic pigments, plastics and metallic foils. On an
aesthetic level, look to the ethereal luminosity of
Vicenzo De Cotiis's Murano glass and iridescent metal
furniture for softer shimmering finishes with a tactile
appeal.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, jewellery, footwear,
textiles, packaging, product design, interiors
E lissa Br unat o @alpjewelr y Mat er io
 Visceral Shine 

n l kav

Danniela Jane Wild e S chö n Clemence Gr o uin-Rigaux

The concept: Fear feeds into a fascination for all things unsettling, with
material textiles inviting reactions from fascination to horror.
Surface & materials: Take cues from bodily textures to create surfaces
with a visceral and strange presence. Clemence Grouin-Rigaux uses
waste from the animal slaughter industry for her slick furniture, which
calls to mind congealed blood. Iron oxide-dotted bloodstone quartz
inspires mineral composites and jewellery stones.
How to implement: Take inspiration from the urushi lacquerwork pieces
by Japanese master Genta Ishizuka. For textiles, leather and ceramics,
use low-impact glazes, lacquers and plastic-free coatings.
Relevant for: apparel, beauty, accessories, footwear, textiles, packaging,
product design, interiors, architecture
H elen Clair Gent a Ishizuka
Luxuriant Texture

Mar land Backus

The concept: Byproduct feathers, natural animal fibres

and even human hair offer sensual, tactile materiality.
S arah Ama Duah
Surface & materials: Take inspiration from unusual
Bar o n & Bar o n
waste materials. Look at Jing Jiang's feather-waste
jewellery, and Plumology, which is a new feather
material development made from cellulose. Hair
textiles bring a sense of luxuriance. For example,
Sarah Ama Duah's Le Chevelure Bleu fashion collection
integrates silky fringing made from artificial hair.
How to implement: Feathers and hair should be
consciously sourced or otherwise emulated through
textiles techniques for natural, luxurious materials.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, footwear, textiles,
product design, interiors

Jing Jiang Aalt o -y lio pist o N clo t hing

 Simply Natural 

Isabel Fer rand

Pauline E spar o n T he S o f t Wo r ld H ild a H ellst r ö m

The concept: Ancient materials are revisited in their humble simplicity,

crafted into locally-made artisan products that are steeped in tradition.
Surface & materials: Look at Sun Lee's traditional Korean Hansan Mosi
fabric and hanji paper garments, and The Soft World's felted
homewares for inspiration. Focus on naturally coloured special-breed
wool and noble fibres. Pauline Esparon's scutched flax furniture and
parchment lighting embrace natural imperfections and colour
variations.
How to implement: Source hand-made paper, matte earthenware,
bamboo and wood responsibly, and use traceable, organic animal hair,
flax, jute and peace-silk for crafted, hand-loom textiles.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, footwear, textiles, packaging, product
S un Lee, Design
Pauline E spar o n Acad emy E ind ho ven
design, interiors
 Embodied Tactility

S ebast ian Brajko vic at

Car pent er s Wo r ksho p
Galler y

Mar ija Puipait e

S t ud io Fo am S t o f t S t ud io

The concept: Creating intimacy through tactile engagement is the focus of this story,
which embraces pleasure through products with luxurious, skin-like materials.
Surface & materials: Build softness into shape and surface. Look at Studiofoam's
Carnation vessels with draped, velvety, petal-like collars in a new leather and
porcelain material, echoed by Sebastian Brajkovic’s sumptuous French furniture in
sinuous, lifelike forms. Also look at Marija Puipaitė's ergonomic accessories
collection, which is designed to connect with the shape of the wearer.
How to implement: Build indulgence into responsibly sourced or vegan-equivalent
leather and suede, velvet, warm-touch ceramics and composites, and milky glass.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, textiles, packaging, product design, interiors
Laine + Alliage H ild a H ellst r ö m
Conscious Colour 

N ike
RE N S S eo k-H yeo n Yo o n
Clara Le Gr elle

The concept: Colour will be considerately embedded, stained and

glazed within the design process to offer sustainable tints and tones.
Surface & materials: Recolour to renew your offer. RENS' Re-vive project
with Desso carpet tiles reprints old stock for a second life, while Clara
Le Grelle's furniture and textiles are infused with indigo. Glazes can
make ceramics un-recyclable, but Seok-Hyeon Yoon uses Korean ott
wood resin to lacquer his vessels instead, and Nike x A-Cold-Wall's non-
PU protected sneakers are designed to change colour through fading.
How to implement: Use water-free, low-toxicity and organic dyes for
textiles. Recyclable colour finishes and recoloured deadstock items are
also key in this direction.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, footwear, textiles, packaging, product
design, interiors
RE N S RE N S
Digital Crafting

Rive Ro shan

The concept: A mix of craft and technology will drive

Clemence Plumelet
Fault Lines Design
digitally-made products and optical 3D surfaces.
Alexand ra Fan
Surface & materials: Look at collaborations such as
Rive Roshan and Moooi's moiré colour gradient rugs,
and A+N's innovative Fringes and Floats 3D weaves
with EE Exclusives. Update materials with digital
visuals, as seen in Ward Wijnant’s faceted inlay veneer
furniture, as well as Clémence Plumelet's pixelated
brocade and marquetry jewellery box, and Alexandra
Fan's innovative fashion collection.
How to implement: Integrate manual craft, digital
fabrication, and computational design in your
products.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, footwear, textiles,
packaging, product design, interiors
War d Wijnant Alissa N ienke
 Articulated Form

Pr ecio us Plast ic

Flo o r S krabanja UAU Pr o ject @juliet t e.ber t ho nneau

The concept: Materials are engineered into sculptural forms through

diverse means to create super-tactile, modular and versatile products.
Surface & materials: For textiles inspiration, look to Juliette
Berthonneau's 3D-pleated spacer textiles, with sound absorbing,
cushioning and self-supporting qualities, or Floor Skrabanja's pliable
knitted furniture, which can be unbound for modularity. In materials,
look at UAU Project's 3D-printed vessels, which make use of
biodegradable plastic in left-over colours for mix-and-match versatility,
and Paola Paronetto’s paper clay objects, with unique pleated textures.
How to implement: Exploit 3D-printed extrusion and corrugation for
solid materials, and textile pleating, padding and ribbed knitting.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, textiles, product design, interiors
Pao la Par o net t o Yu Mei H uang
 Playful Re-Hack

@st ef ano .sant illi

Chr is Wo lst o n

Daan Veer man Alicia Ro wbo t ham

The concept: Creative problem-solving will take remaking to a new level, reinventing
products through human-hacked technology and waste-stream materials.
Surface & materials: Benjamin Benmoyal weaves defunct VHS cassettes to create
disco-like textiles. Give digital products a human intervention, as seen with Daan
Veerman, who overrides his 3D printer manually to allow freeform outcomes, or
Stefano Santili who overloads digitally-rendered wood vessels with paint.
How to implement: Focus on sustainability. Take inspiration from Alicia Rowbotham’s
Waste Not Want Not project, which turns factory offcuts into accessory trims, and
Chris Wolston's table lamp, which features surplus melted plastic beads.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, textiles, packaging, product design, interiors
Benjamin Benmo yal Juli Bo laño s-Dur man
 Reclaiming Junk 

Q iang H uang
Levan Maisurad ze and
Alicia Ro wbo t ham T ina S habur ishvili. Lucas Muno z

The concept: Creative circularity will be an increasingly important

Design Acad emy E ind ho ven
approach, with junk providing a valuable resource for remake and
repair.
Surface & materials: Discarded trash can be used for everything from
interior spaces to useful or decorative objects. Gerd Rohling's oil
canister art or Max Machaidze's art-jewellery of found objects from his
Soviet-era childhood provide inspiration, as well as Qiang Huang's Bike
Scavengers furniture bases, made from discarded bike parts.
How to implement: Repurpose waste garments, accessories and ad-hoc
items into new pieces, incorporating production surplus and offcuts
from wood, metals, ceramic and textiles to design out waste.
Relevant for: apparel, accessories, footwear, textiles, packaging, product
Ger d Ro hling
design, interiors
 WGSN Macro Forecast 2022
The report timeline for WGSN's 2022 trends

FUTURE DRIVERS
Annual
November 2019

The global macro- Seasonal A/W 21/22:

Annual Oct 2019 – Feb 2020
economic drivers that

FUTURE INNOVATIONS
November 2019 Annual
will shape 2022, and Seasonal S/S 22:
January 2020

TREND CONCEPTS
strategies for success Apr 2020 – Aug 2020
The 12 areas of

BIG IDEAS
innovation that will lead Future Drivers and
transformation across Future Innovations Trend Concepts present
industries in 2022, and contextualised for the the seasonal design
their implications for Fashion, Beauty, and directions for each
FUTURE CONSUMER

Annual business and culture department, with more

Lifestyle & Interiors
January 2020 than 40 reports
industries
published twice a year
The key consumer
sentiments and
profiles that will Fashion / Beauty / Lifestyle
disrupt industries in Fashion / Beauty / Lifestyle & Interiors only
2022 Insight / Fashion / & Interiors only
Lifestyle & Interiors only
Insight only

Business Strategy Product Design

 WGSN Macro Forecast 2022
The trend matrix, from Future Drivers to Trend Concepts

The Fear Factor Climate Urgency Degrowth for Good Balancing Age Mass to Micro Global Power Shift Migratory Patterns

Digital Identities Digital Identities The Pleasure Digital Identities Made in Nature
The Pleasure Principle The Pleasure Principle Principle
The Tactile Internet Decolonisation
Survival Mode The Tactile Internet Creating Intimacy Pre-Futures
The Horror De-Materialisation Time Affluence

Tech-Celleration Design Resolution Leverage

Selling Survival Pleasure With Purpose the Local

Phantasmagoria Conscious Clarity New Mythologies

FUTURE DRIVERS FUTURE INNOVATIONS BIG IDEAS TREND CONCEPTS

Business Strategy Product Design