Future Strategies

Decorative Accessories
A/W 22/23: Awestruck
Make a statement with decorative accessories in our
Awestruck forecast, which celebrates designs with liquid-
look finishes, gradient effects and eccentric accents

Melissa Taylor
03.23.21 · 8 minutes

Ocrum Studios
Introduction
Technology has enabled us to shrink multiple worlds and identities into
our screens, but has it also shrunk our humanity? Awestruck celebrates a
recalibration towards tech that inspires wonder and warmth, and science
that stirs emotion.
The disruption of the pandemic has fast-tracked technology as both a
necessity and an escape, but it has also offered a glimpse of how much
more it can be. With designers forced to conceptualise digitally, a fresh
creativity is emerging that transcends physical limitations and further
erodes distinctions between real and virtual, ancient and futuristic. This is
the new forefront of fantasy, science, and magic in the metaverse.
Expect more experimental and extreme expressions of personal identity
in this direction, taking in cyborg aesthetics and Surrealist styling, as well
as a more prominent role for friendly tech, ranging from helpful robots
and AI assistants to so er, more tactile devices that are engineered for
understanding. Bold colours, opulent materials and fluid, silky surfaces
and shapes will be key across all product categories, and luxe metallics
and opulent embellishments will feed into a renewed desire for dressing
up.
Whether on- or off-screen, there will be an expectation in A/W 22/23 for Sabine Mezkaze

designs and technologies that expand our horizons, free our imaginations
and enhance rather than diminish our humanity.

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 Studio Roso

@bat.arr @mahalavi Jule Cats Lee Broom

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Colour
Awestruck A/W 22/23

Inspired by utopian visions of a future

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enhanced by technology, Awestruck's
palette is rich with digital tones, ranging
from tonal blues to high-contrast shades of

Gravity Grey
Optic White

Kansa Metal
Soap Suds
Pink Clay
Orchid Flower and Galactic Teal. The
palette is grounded in Gravity Grey and
Black, while Optic White, Silver and Kansa

037-93-00

098-80-12
042-45-01
014-73-08
Metal provide a calming antidote. Muted

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mid-tones such as Pink Clay also offer a
soothing effect.

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Orchid Flower

Galactic Teal
Lazuli Blue

Silver

Black
090-27-16

153-19-00
122-25-24
150-38-31

10105 C
* All colour names are speci c to WGSN

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Key directions
Here are the key directions to explore for Awestruck:
Shi ing light: create wow-factor accessories via shi ing gradients and
diffused finishes that play between fantasy and reality
Phygital dimension: blur boundaries between physical and digital
worlds with surreal contours, smooth computerised finishes and digital
pixelations
Luxe industrial: give industrially inspired designs a luxurious
makeover with refined materials and a more digital and scientific
direction

Liquid-look: revel in soothing, fluid and liquid-look decorative

accessories that replicate the appearance of bubbles, ripples and
waves
Digital ar tisan: combine traditional cra techniques with the latest
digital technologies to create accessories that look fresh and unique

Ancient modern: take inspiration from the mystical and spiritual, with
minimalist designs that are sculptural and impactful
Awesome statements: give accessories wit and personality with
Edie Parker
eccentric shapes, outsized motifs and eclectic colours

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Shifting light
Capture the shifting effects of light
through gradients and diffused
nishes for decorative accessories.

Use colour and light to add interest and

wow factor to decorative objects. Capture Ryuji Iwasaki

these effects with techniques such as

colour gradients, mirrored surfaces,
petroleum fades, and through materials
that gently diffuse light and blur an The Studio Source Evelina Kudabaitė

object's edges.
Digital hues are key, with sharply modern
colour spectrums adding a fresh and
Esben Kaldahl
invigorating feel.
How you can action this: experiment
with materials and colours that can
achieve this digital and modern look.
Keep shapes simple to allow surfaces
and materials to be the focus. Glazed
ceramics and anodised metallics offer
areas for experimentation.
Noom Deknudt Mirrors De Castelli

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Phygital dimension
Blur boundaries between physical and
digital worlds with forms, materials
and surfaces that appear uncanny to
the eye.

Be inspired by digital designers who Teun Zwets

create hyper-real environments online.

Allow designs to take on a surreal,
computerised look by experimenting with
contoured reflections and digital New Works Artilleriet

pixelations.
Surface finishes are key to this look, so
work with glazes, glossy coatings and
Deknudt Mirrors
resins. Appeal to the senses with
colourful, playful tones and so -looking
surfaces that are both tactile and
comforting.
How you can action this: play tricks on
the eye with mouldable materials that
solidify to create unusual shapes and
surfaces – resins offer scope for
Artnet Casa Shop Artilleriet
experimentation. Design with reflective
and frosted finishes to heighten the
surreal look.

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Luxe industrial
Explore a new digital, almost scienti c
look to take industrial aesthetics in a
more re ned and elegant direction.

Industrial designs evolve with luxurious

materials and more refined forms that John Lewis

still reference their mechanical and

engineered inspirations.
Incorporate industrial detailing across
Fatboy Henriksson & Lindgren
smaller accessories, but render products
in powder-coated or metallic finishes to
give them a more modern edge.
Elevate basic items with high-shine brass Artilleriet
and mirror finishes, creating functional
yet aesthetically pleasing pieces.
How you can action this: opt for a
refined vision of industrial looks via
simplified shapes, and add detailing
such as ribs and contours to give interest
to these basic silhouettes. Experiment
with both matte or high-shine finishes to Ganci Argenterie Monica Förster Zara Home

create eye-catching accessories.

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Liquid-look
Create mesmerising designs with
liquid-look surfaces that beg to be
touched.

Go fluid with decorative accessories that

beguile and deceive the eye, from Ocrum Studios

reflective contours to complex surfaces

that replicate the impression of bubbles,
ripples or waves.
Tim Teven Pucci de Rossi
Experiment with liquid-look metallics on
freeform shapes as well as twisted and
even collapsed looks. Create surfaces
that are soothing to the eye – Ocrum
Extra&ordinary Design
Studio's Orizon mirror combines tinted
glass with a hand-glazed ceramic,
recreating the feeling of looking out to
sea at a distant horizon.
How you can action this: this direction
will work for a variety of decorative
accessories, both large and small.
Compact table mirrors, for example, are
Adorno Barovier & Toso Michael Aram
an easy way to achieve this look on a
smaller, more commercial product.

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 Digital artisan
Combine craft techniques with digital
processes and aesthetics to create
intriguing new designs for decorative
accessories.

Take inspiration from the digital world

with techniques and aesthetics that blur
boundaries and create entirely modern
Rive Roshan Julian F Bond Studio Buzao forms of decoration. Play with
pixelations from micro to macro scale,
and create unusual forms that appear
digitally rendered, from low-fi digital
cubes to amorphous forms. Art and
design studio Wang & Soderstrom
created a range for Hay using
organically shaped 3D models. The items
were 3D printed and moulded in
porcelain and stoneware at a ceramic
factory.
How you can action this: work with
@nicole_toldi Casey Johnson Studio Wang & Söderstrom x HAY
artisans who can achieve unusual
surface effects and add a digitised
element to designs. Explore 3D printing
as a novel way to introduce short-run
ranges to entice and surprise consumers.

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 Ancient modern
Mix modern design with ancient
symbolism to give accessories a
spiritual and sci- dimension.

Be inspired by the grounding symbols,

materials and wisdom of ancient times,
from mystical rocks and gems to
symbolic shapes such as circles and
Edie Parker Carol Gay Pierre De Valck pyramids. Combine these elements with
minimalist design to create accessories
that are sculptural and impactful in an
interior setting.
Work with clean lines and tactile
materials, from glass, resin and brushed
metals to smooth ceramics and stone.
How you can action this: take
inspiration from alchemy, ancient
symbols and mystical rituals to create
products that will have both a spiritual
Joel Escalona Flensted Mouritzen Nicholette Johnson and decorative appeal. Objects such as
vases, vessels and totems are key items in
this direction.

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Kimberly + Cameron Interiors
Malwina Konopacka
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Awesome statements
Enable consumers to add joy, wit and
extravagance to interiors with
colourful and surreal decorative
accessories.
Take a no-holds-barred approach to
design with accessories that delight and
surprise. Play with eccentric shapes,
Lotta Blobs Réjean Peytavin outsized motifs and bold materials that
are unapologetically loud.
Experimentation with materials is key:
work with plastics, composites and
mouldables that can create unusual and
handmade shapes.
How you can action this: this direction
is ideal for small accessories and gi ing
items – think hard coasters, tray sets,
vases and picture frames. Be expressive
with colours and finishes to add a pop of
Edie Parker Rebecca Korner excitement to more commercial products.
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Action points
Explore digital design
Digital manufacturing and
technology is gathering pace, so
experiment with new modelling
so ware and 3D printing to create
exciting new forms and
conversation-worthy designs, both
real and fake
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Design for the senses
From the spiritual contemplation
of ancient symbols to the fluid
contours of liquid-look shapes and
surfaces, create designs that can
both soothe and excite the mind
and senses
Combine contrasts
Play in the space between
opposites – the ancient and the
modern, the handcra ed and
industrially-made, the real and the
phygital – to create uncanny looks.
The more surreal the better
Embrace eccentric
designs
Tap into consumers' emotions and
bring joy into decorative
accessories with unexpected
finishes, bold colours and
statement details
WGSN macro forecast 2023
The timeline for WGSN's suite of 2023 trend reports, moving from business
strategy to consumer and product strategy

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The trend matrix

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