The Futuring Dispatch

Our focus this month in the Trend Atelier Community has been “Wellness everything” as part of 2021's theme for the Trend Atelier community: "The biggest innovation is philosophical". As we were preparing for this month and trying to get the the bottom of what we truly believe Wellness is all about, syntropic farming is something that came to mind, a system created by Ernst Gotsch.

Back in February, the Trend Atelier community launched its Monthly future theme curation, kicking it off with "Rewilding", as part of 2021's theme for the Trend Atelier community: "The biggest innovation is philosophical". Rewilding set the tone for all of our events in February, from our Future Vision interactive presentation, our Reading club, Live Session, to our monthly workshop.

February 2021 it is and time is already flying by. Dip into some of our research and see what we have been loving here at the studio, from innovative sportswear, thought provoking lectures, photosynthetic skin and vertical farming.

For our first Happiness Futures edit of 2021 we are focusing on resilience. We do not underestimate the tough outlooks we have for this year and some experts say this decade, but the same way we would aim to lift a friends’ spirit up during tough times, we feel it’s important to remind our community at large to focus on the good that is happening in the world because there is a lot of it too. It’s encoded in our brains and survival mechanism to focus on the negative, but true survival instincts would also have you engage with hope and innovations pointing to a better future.

Welcome to our last edition of the Not-So-Weekly edit for 2020! Immerse yourself into our latest inspiring research, where we took a squiggly journey from what defines things as ‘normal’ to how technology will impact the future of food and wellness.

We wish you a good end of what has been a tumultuous year. It’s been packed with changes, some good, some bad so from our studio in London to wherever you are take good care and whatever you do, enjoy the present!

Is it time to ditch seasonal trend reports and transition into a new fashion trend insights calendar? Much like the seasonal fashion calendar has been questioned, should we also be re-evaluating the corresponding rhythm and cadence of fashion trend reports?

As future trend forecasters who focus on delivering strategic insights for the fashion industry, how can we face the fact that being a part of a model that delivers ‘newness’ 2 to 4 times a year, often more, is contributing to exhausting our planetary resources?

By Laura Weatherburn

Communication through photographs and videos plays a dominant role in our lives, and as Geraldine shares in her ‘How to Research the Future’ course, “What is valued in a photograph is something that is constantly shifting”. As infants, we learn to understand visually long before developing the skills to speak, read or write.

Our relationship with waste and what is considered trash has been slowly changing out of necessity to rethink material sources and their planetary implications. In this week's research diary we focus on trash and why it is one of the most important materials of the future. Discover the projects we have come across from pioneering make up artists, interior designers, fashion designers and writers using waste as their palette.

As we come closer to the end of 2020, we are hearing an overwhelming amount of negative news regarding global health, failing governments and social injustice. This edit was created to help foster positivity, without ignoring the hard stuff, but shifting the focus to inspiring innovations, to remind ourselves of the good out there, and continue taking positive action towards a preferable future.

Get inspired with our new edition of the Not-So-Weekly Edit! Dip into all of our latest links and inspirations over on the blog, where this time we'll be talking a lot about inclusivity, as well as keeping our eye on sustainability and the latest technological advances in creating AI deep fakes.

Deep social transformations have re-occurred these past few weeks and months, since the unfortunate murder of George Floyd. Not that police brutality is a new phenomenon. It has happened several times in the past without necessarily being shown or filmed. The violence and injustice towards Black communities existed prior to those events. Today, the question around institutionalised racism has made its return in the public space and it is hard to ignore the social racial issues it brings to light. - OP-ED BY KOURA ROSY-KANE

As we finish May 2020 and enter into Summer, here's what has been inspiring me at the studio. This instalment, as always, focuses on sharing tools to inspire you, help you create change in a world where we need to learn to thrive again.

Hello April 2020. You’ve been quite a month in the world! One we will remember. Here's what has been inspiring me at the studio here in London as we get ready for a next phase in society. I hope this will keep you inspired and provide support.

Using fashion as a medium to discuss mental health is not a new phenomenon. At the beginning of 2000, Alexander McQueen, tied between addictions, mental disorders and anxiety, used his shows to translate his inner thoughts to the world. His suicide at the end of this decade rattled the industry. This dramatic event shed light on the necessity to talk about mental health in the field. However, we would need to wait until the mid-2010 to deeply tackle this issue and bring it to the mainstream.

DZHUS is a conceptual womenswear brand I discovered in 2015 when I was invited to Ukraine Fashion Week as a speaker. Launched in 2010 by Ukrainian designer and stylist Irina Dzhus, the namesake label strikes as avant-garde and fundamentally utilitarian. DZHUS is known for its innovative cuts, multifunctional and experimental garments underpinned by an austere and industrialist aesthetic. The brand’s ideology stands for consciousness and humanity and is ethically manufactured using cruelty-free and vegetarian-friendly materials.

Hello November 2019. Here's what has been inspiring us at the studio as we get ready for the next decade.

Lemon Jelly is a PETA-approved Vegan footwear brand turning our notions of plastic upside down. Through sustainable commitments and playful design, the brand is becoming an agent of change and innovation.

In our interview we discuss the driving forces that led Lemon Jelly to modify its manufacturing systems to be sustainable, how the company is making the transition to a circular model and the truth about plastics.

Psychedelic imagery is increasingly being used by designers as a way to explore new forms of reality that are shaped, warped, shattered and expanded by technology such as AR (augmented reality) and MR (mixed reality). The psychedelic experiences of the 60s resonate with a generation thoroughly absorbed into a disorientating network of sensors, filters, simulations, avatars and virtual connections.

Cecile Poignant is a Future Trends “Guru” working across industries for several decades. She started her career when trend forecasting was still a very obscure role, unknown to most people.

Cecile and I discuss how we think Trend Forecasting is changing… and MUST change. The cycle of trends is out of step with the stewardship of a healthy planet and urgent detoxification of the fashion industry.

What is our role as forecasters? What does the designer of the future look like? And which mindset change is needed? Design is about questioning. Find out more as we navigate some fundamental issues and solutions.

In our new interview series we sit down with Tina Gorjanc, an interdisciplinary designer whose futuristic work sits at the cross roads of Speculative Design, Fashion, Science and Sustainability.

On the back of Earth Day, The Global Climate Change protests and Fashion Revolution Week, this month’s Edit will focus on all things Circular and Sustainable. Here is our compilation of resources and thought provoking articles.

If I had been told in 1999 when I graduated from design school in Paris that 20 years later I would be a futurist, public speaker, writer and teacher, I never would have believed it. All I wanted was to be a fashion designer. But on the sinuous road of life, one opportunity led to another and today I am regularly asked: “how can I become a forecaster?”. I don’t have a straight forward answer for this. But it was my passion for research that helped evolve my career from designer to futurist.

This is a very personal mini-series about my path and it starts with talking about the importance of research in my life and why I teach what I know now.

Yes — fashion trends have always been circular. They move in ecosystems, return in cycles, and repeat the same colours, silhouettes and themes season after season. The inconvenient truth the industry refuses to act on is this: we are not inventing new trends. We are recycling them — while manufacturing as if we aren't.

September starts with a bang. Here's what has been inspiring us at the studio and fresh off the press.

One week after World Environment day we have focused our Edit on all things concerning Mother Earth. With a special focus on Beating our Plastic addiction. We still can't shake off the image of a whale found with 17 pounds of plastics in her stomach. In an era charged with ethical, technological and environmental concerns,  we must reshape how we use, make and re-use. Here are some recent facts we came across in our research.

Is our title telling of what is going on here? Our goal of publishing a weekly edit of our research has not turned out to be so weekly! Sorry not sorry as your inboxes have probably been overcrowded with GDPR emails anyway. Well say no more, we are back! Enjoy this week's sound bytes, with a new layout. Let us know if you like it at hello@geraldinewharry.com

2018 started with a bang! Traveling around for projects has been great and I have missed sharing inspiration with you. Here's a selection from my research into Micro and Macro trends. Have a read and get inspired!

Supporting creative futures, the Textprint programme on July 5th and 6th 2017 presented a curated selection of the most talented textile designers graduating from the UK showing their pieces and creative process from weaving, knitting, print, embroidery to mixed media techniques.

Emerging in beauty is the concept of smeared lips, advocating for the beautiful ugly, lipstick after a kiss, the end of a night out or the makeup of a performer.