Friday, 30 November 2012

Bubbles and bankruptcy: Financial crises in Britain since 1700
-Nov 29th 2012- 5th May 2013
http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/press_releases/2012/bubbles_and_bankruptcy.aspx

*Money Crisis- an theme that continues into next year... (Laura)

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Trend brief



This trend shows how our own difficulties along with the anniversary of WW1 influences a colour pallet of more neutral tones of greys and browns but with the promised hope of a brighter future we see metallic colours coming through with a subtle but striking effect.
The materials are more raw- such as woods, stone and old metal. Fabrics will be a lot tougher
Prints will be a much softer element in this trend; worn mis-prints as though eaten away over time, light floral or vine-work, like damask patterns of old.
Handmade, restoration and DIY are also aspects within this trend making a simple homemade creation a unique bespoke design piece in the world of urban living.

Laura Dobson 20/11/2012

Saturday, 17 November 2012

Trend brief

Here's my first idea of what my trend is about; now I just need to shorten it down into a synopsis...



Everywhere you look these days there’s always some advent or another telling you of great ways to save or make money, in the news- headlines of debt crisis and how we are now at last finally out of the never ending recession. But is this true? Are the roads ahead clear or have we still got some rough terrain to travel first?
August 2014 welcomes the 100th anniversary of the First World War; looking at a crucial point in the worlds history not only for the soldiers in battle but at the ordinary people back home working to keep the nation afloat.
This trend is inspired by some of the comparisons between now and then in terms of spending less and using what you’ve got to save up for a better tomorrow.                                                      
During this time Britain had to ration its resources in order to fund the war; investing in the country’s future on grounds of victory ahead. This meant that people didn’t have much in terms of money for lavish items as what little they had went on food and necessities for survival, fabrics for clothes and furnishing were also out of the question and so the phrase ‘Make Do & Mend’ was born. People had just about enough money to cover threads and nails, so would use them to fix up worn clothing and furniture; the same with any repairs needed to a house- wood and other found materials from old sheds etc would do.
It’s with this phrase in mind that this trend is envisioned; though we are by no means in such a dire event as war, we are in a similar situation of having less funds than normal to spend how we wish and even though we are supposedly out of a recession there is always a possibility that we may fall back into one. At this time our hopes are that it is over and we can start to look ahead to a brighter future with less money worries but the cautious amongst us know we are not there yet and the saving and reduce spending needs to continue for a little while longer- but why not make the best of it? Just because we’ve been in a recession doesn’t mean we’re at rock bottom; let us do as our ancestors did in times of similar crisis but let us do it in style- old is the new chic, handmade is back with attitude and vintage is yesterdays’ style of tomorrow.

Laura Dobson 17/11/2012