Power in Pink
As the fashion world kicks off the runway season, the NYFW 2025 collections revealed a fascinating dichotomy of subtlety and strength, perfectly mirroring the turbulent political landscape of the world. With ongoing uncertainty surrounding women’s rights, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community, the themes that emerged on the catwalk were a silent rebellion and statement on the times. Designers and street style influencers alike presented designs that felt introspective and purposeful—an echo of the delicate yet determined resilience of those navigating a complicated world.
Amidst this reflective mood, one color stood out: pale pink. It was impossible to ignore the surge of this traditionally feminine hue across both runway shows and street style, signaling a new wave of power, solidarity, and celebration of femininity in the face of adversity.
Thom Browne, known for his creative spin on tailoring, became a major focal point during NYFW for his creative use of pink combined with deconstructed suiting. These elements combined were a proud and subversive statement of powerful femininity. Other designers in the proudly pink camp were Staud and Coach. Stuart Vevers of Coach went ultra-femme with his use of flowy silk pink looks, while Staud took a more casual approach, showcasing a dramatic but simple pink trapeze silhouette dress.
As the runway presentations unfolded, the streets of New York also echoed a similar message among key tastemakers. On this cold winter week, we saw pink elements take form in fun furs, offering a cozy barrier against the brisk weather. Also in the mix: blazers and other suiting elements continue to dominate the street style culture- this time with a pink twist. This subtly powerful color was totally reminiscent of the times, and I’m excited to see how it will take form in the remaining weeks of this fashion-filled month.
With the first month of 2024 almost over, time only seems to be moving faster with every passing second, and Spring is right around the corner. Trends arrive and quickly become viral; items shipping to your door within what feels like seconds. Our closets have been infiltrated recently with pops of bright crimson red, shiny metallics, and pant waistlines that continue to drop. But what trends are subtle, simmering underneath the surface? We're calling it the Jellyfish Effect, and it's the nature-inspired element that is behind all of your favorite feminine silhouettes this year.
The looks coming down the runway this SS24 season were overwhelmingly polarizing. While some designers keyed in on dark tones and masculine, sharp suite-like silhouettes, others like ACNE, Armani, and Christopher Esber opted for an ultra-femme approach. Whites and creams dominated, and transparent organza was the fabric of choice. The theme is airy and whimsical, and the pieces aren't set in place but rather move and flow with the model as she floats down the runway.
We've already started to see the Jellyfish effect infiltrate the looks of streetwear. Steet style is taking a fun and feminine approach, meaning layered and dimensional stringy tops, paired with A-line skirts and contrasting colors. Core colors will be cream and white, with accents of light blue and blush-colored pinks.
So what does this mean for 2024 and onward? In today's fast-paced, viral environment, it's important to not only consider runway and street style themes, but also those with more organic origins in the digital space. In Pinterest's newly-launched "Pinterest Predicts" Trend Forum, they're predicting the Jellyfish aesthetic to be one of the top shopping and search trends of 2024, with searches like "Jellyfish hat" and "Blue Jellyfish" searches up +220% and 155%, respectively. We'll start to see the home environment impacted as well- with jellyfish-inspired lighting, iridescent acrylic furniture, and feathery, whimsical textiles.
Sources:
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/spring-summer-2024-fashion-trends
https://business.pinterest.com/en-gb/pinterest-predicts/2024/be-jelly/
FW 2024; HOME INTERIOR
Lowe’s Trend Research: Holiday Scenes
Charlotte’s Coffee Culture Movement
Charlotte is clearly blowing up with the arrival of trendy restaurants, spacious breweries and packed-out nightlife bars. But what’s next for the Charlotte coffee scene? It wasn’t too long ago that you could spot the iconic green Starbucks mermaid on the face of every other South Ender’s hand on the way to work. Times have changed. We saw 2020 bring a pivotal moment in consumer behavior, one being an appreciation in small businesses- well, those that managed to power through the unprecedented months of lockdown. Small coffee businesses like Stable Hand, Not Just Coffee, and Coordinates Coffee, to name a few, have become innovative with their strategies to stay in the game. Coordinates Coffee has created instagrammable coffee pouches with culturally relevant sayings, “Baby Got Vax'd” and “Black Lives Matter.” Not Just Coffee has followed innovations in technology with apps like Odeko that allow customers to order ahead of time and pickup without even entering the restaurant.
I’d be remiss to not mention one other major global effect of the Pandemic - remote work. With work-from-home being forced upon us, Charlotte locals have largely taken to using coffee shops as their secondary remote work location. The casual scene of being out of the house, but not in the formal environment of the office is a major perk for employees.
I, for example, particularly love Not Just Coffee on Jay street in the West Side of Charlotte. Ironically, the coffee shop shares a space with Hygge, an actual business built for coworking space (think We Work vibes), but I much prefer to work at NJC instead of Hygge. That’s when I got to thinking…why is that? Well, for starters, Hygge charges a fee, starting at $20/day. Why not spend that cash on a locally roasted coffee and a smashed avocado toast right next door?
Some may argue coffee shops don’t always offer enough private space, reliable wifi, and the security of having a spot. Fair, but Charlotte is often behind the curve compared to its larger, older counterparts. Look to cities like New York and Chicago, where coffee shops are literally branding themselves as a “for here mug” type of place. Chicago’s Kusanya coffee shop asks customers on their website to “sit and stay a while.” Another leader in the movement is NYC’s Daughter cafe- a “community space focused on a family table concept, a constant dialogue.” The space has an insane interior and exterior design concept that draws customers in, and cozy nooks, reliable wifi, and plenty of space that invites them to stay. Take this concept one step further and you have Freehold cafe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which gives the vibe of a trendy outdoor brewery. These genius owners have branded their restaurant as a working space by day, casual drink spot by night.
All that to say, Charlotte’s coffee scene has a lot of growing up to do. Coffee shops are the new modern workspace- a less formal location than We Work and Hygge, but more structured than, say, your couch. On the horizon: multidimensional cafes that provide a variety of functions for their patrons- from wifi-plenty communal tables and private nooks by day, to bar scene by night.
Sources:
https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/business/divide-between-employees-bosses-work-from-home-forever-return-to-office-after-pandemic/275-a613a82a-2992-490a-a2d3-664229b34aa9
http://www.kusanyacafe.org/#restaurant-section coffee-Joe embodies the art of lingering lazily in a café all day.
https://www.gayot.com/restaurants/joe-new-york-ny-10014_1ny110412.html
https://www.gayot.com/restaurants/best-newyork-ny-top10-coffee-houses_1ny.html
https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/guides/coffee-shops-nyc-for-doing-work
The Future of Fashion Collabs: Transcending Trends
Fashion history will never forget the 2017 revolutionary collaboration of the iconic luxury designer Louis Vuitton and trail-blazing streetwear brand Supreme. This move sent the internet into a tailspin, spectators in awe of two once separate worlds in fashion colliding. But according to Kim Jones- former LV Menswear Director, joining forces was “the logical response” (source: the Fashion Law).
Well-known fashion brand Vetements, founded in 2014, set the stage for this type of thinking. The designer changed the way the industry thought about casual clothing, and culturally relevant sensations.The game-changing piece that got Vetements on the map was it’s DHL shirt. Critics of the brand were confused by the 245 euro price tag, on what could be mistaken for merely the merch of an international shipping brand. What they didn’t know, however, was how Vetements was cleverly utilizing Capitalist branding to force on us a new way of thinking.
Fast forward to today, you have Joe Fresh Goods collaborating with (dare I say, brand?) 7/11, a move so ironic that it’s almost brilliant. Why are we so intrigued by these partnerships? Names like Bounty (another one of Vetements crazy flips), DHL, and 7/11 are so commonplace in the American lifestyle, seeing them juxtaposed so closely together is thought-provoking, interesting, and leaves us with a feeling of nostalgia so sincere we are captivated by it.
Makes you question, what really is fashion? It’s exciting to think that a whole new realm of fashion can be reached with these incredibly creative & revolutionary collaborations. They say fashion is cyclical, and what lives in the fashion world today in some form or another, had a past life. However, we are in an unprecedented era of technological advancement, and cultural shifts come hard, strong, and fast. Fast Fashion has put a warped spin on the consumer mindset. We’re impatient, de-stigmatized, and easily bored. Designers have to try harder than ever to keep their brand alive and continue to captivate their audience. What I’m trying to say is this: fashion is more subversive than ever, and these wild collaborations are just the beginning.
https://www.thefashionlaw.com/the-louis-vuitton-x-supreme-collaboration-is-here/
