We will discuss not trends… in the meaning which is popular today due to the efforts of some mass media. Generally speaking, “trend” is not necessary a rising tendency, but a falling as well… with many peaks, recessions, critical points and “anti-laws”, which are called “whims”. Graphic visualization of a trend line looks like a dragon back from TV series “Game of thrones” and some of the curves are impossible to forecast (similar to fires in Australia which changed the Earth climate forever, or election races). Therefore let us talk about Her Majesty Fashion and vectors of its development forecast with scientific methods: fashion as a way of life and social behavior, fashion for verbal and non-verbal communication, fashion for colors and textures, fashion for individualistic approach and self-actualization, jobs and gender expressions, fashion for an image, stylistics and morphologic properties of a costume. The author of this lecture never borrows ideas from trend books of others (like 40 million case with photo illustrations of WGSN and others), stereotypes and concepts that are spread for money by famous trend bureaus. Professor Biliakovych is a supporter of a pure experiment, deep analysis and scientific forecast which is based on 12 methods. And if a honorary company Panton makes mistakes in its forecasts, then Mrs. Liana is not afraid to write about it and justify her opinion.
It is always interesting not to simply outline the directions of fashion development (by the way, fashion “was buried” many times before and was proclaimed to inevitably wreck), but to explain reasons of such changes. By the way, not only fashion is changing, but the attitude to it as well. For example, a well-known quote by Coco Chanel “Fashion fades, only style remains the same” is no longer relevant nowadays. Have you ever thought – why? We will discuss this interesting question during our lecture)))
Besides, we will discuss new strategies of luxury segment’s development and giants of mass market, as well as why these strategies will influence general development of fashion. Fashion marketing is moving towards humanist things: decreasing of harm from production; improving of working conditions for employees; sustainable consumption; ecological (natural) or on the contrary very lasting (synthetic) materials; throwing away the clothes you will not wear anymore or storing granny’s dresses (long fashion). But what harms the planet more – organic cotton on which thousands liters of water, tons of chemicals and hectares of land are spent, or from chemicals (in fact plastic), which need hundreds of years to decompose?.. Contrary views and theories. But we can forecast for sure that one of the most important directions of fashion industry has become recycling and secondary processing of wastes. It may sound strange… but such an excessive assortment on shelves makes one think not how to preserve this beauty, but on the contrary – how to get rid of it! Nowadays when starting to develop new materials people think about the final phase – how to recycle it without any harm for environment.
Rational things start to prevail in fashion: multifunctional use, unification, comfort, attention not to outer form, but to inner content. And the result of it is love to sweatshirts… even with great art prints. And what should creative people who like responding to the mood of the universe and vibrations of their souls with a NEW image, change, simply saying – with clothes. In order to stand out from the crowd, to make the clothes speak for you, or to be silent, or hide something, or be the embodiment of your thoughts… It is a dilemma again.
And here FORECASTING comes in handy. It will foresee the change of the situation and opportunities for optimal solutions in a wardrobe and image. It is a new, but a quick developing science which already has its adepts in Ukraine and abroad. Strange may be, but a Master course in Fashion forecasting was launched at one and the same time in Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University and in Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design and Marketing (Florence). Do you think it is a coincidence? No, it is just a demand of our times!
Lecture by Liana Biliakovych means many slides and videos, music and bright emotions… it is a real plunge into the atmosphere of future and its fashion.
Liana Biliakovych
- Professor of department of fashion design at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University (Institute of Arts), fashion designer, scientist in materials, fashion analyst and forecaster, founder of Scientific School of Fashion Forecasting in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, PhD;
- Member of Union of Designers of Ukraine;
- Head of the first educational program for master degree in Ukraine and Eastern Europe and the fourth in the world one called “FASHION FORECASTING” in Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, which teached designers to forecast fashion for 3-5 years ahead;
- Consults Ukrainian and foreign companies regarding strategic branding and fashion forecasting (Denmark, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Austria, China);
- Is a Head and Jury member at professional all-Ukrainian and international contests in design of clothes, accessories, interior, object design;
- Holds Ukrainian Fashion Industry Award “For considerable contribution in development of Ukrainian fashion industry”.