I’m With The Brand
Trends in the creative industries have always been like a large river flowing to and reaching the same general destination. There are worked symbiotically with movements in the fashion world.
Always eager to cause a stir, fashion designers delve deeper into their personal knowledge and experience to express themselves through the medium of fashion and runways are typically rich in showmanship and drama.
While residential interior designers don’t generally use people’s homes as a canvas upon which to make waves or shock, colours, shapes, patterns and other concepts are inspired by the direction in which the fashion world is evolving. Of course, wearing an outrageous outfit for a day does not represent quite the same commitment to a particular style as a room being decorated in a manner which can be in place for years.
In the not so distance past homes would have been decorated very simply – aesthetic was not necessarily a priority or even necessarily attainable. Recovering from a devastating world war and only able to find certain items in small amounts, people made do. Saying such as ‘cut your pattern to suit your cloth’ were very much in vogue, while painting your house, for most, might have been a treat afforded every decade or so.
From the Arts & Crafts movement, which affected fashion in the early 1800s, to the colours and pattern used in modern day catwalk shows, styles inevitable creep into the world of interiors, whatever the economic situation. Homeowners are then able to enjoy some freedom and artistic license rather than being dictated to by a rather more austere past.
As the fashion world becomes more ‘edgy’ it feels as though we are subliminally inspired to attempt the risqué in our homes as well and, rather than living in a sea of beige, we take pleasure in embracing experimentation in various creative ways.
Inevitably the influence works the other way round as well, with trends in interior design dictating leanings in the fashion world. It has become a kind of chicken or egg situation, as both fields revolve and the course of this aforementioned rapidly running river can be changed dramatically by the smallest of details. It is a delicate balance and one that is constantly entertaining and thrilling, which is possibly why we have seen the emergence of so many fashion and interior design bloggers who dedicate their lives to sharing images and ideas.
For fashion houses that gain in strength and popularity it seems like a very natural migration from clothes to interiors. Missoni made the leap to commercial and residential interior design with a natural elegance and understated Italian glamour by implementing the same rules they had adhered to while designing clothes, in other words don’t make something decorative merely for the sake of it – do it because it looks right. This ethos has left the brand with a legacy which is timeless, far reaching and of a very high quality.
Many other fashion houses have done the same. Staying faithful to their style they have instituted their own qualities, setting them apart and creating a trademark that begins to be easily recognized, whether it’s a skirt or a cushion cover. This kind of genius branding only serves to strengthen the fashion house in question even more and gives them the kind of longevity that means people will still be talking about their designs in generations to come.
Style is not something that can be easily explained or quantified, but understanding both fashion and interior design well means that you can successfully direct the relationship between the two and create that ‘je ne sais quoi’ upon which it is so hard to put one’s proverbial finger.
Have you been inspired by a particular fashion and want to take it from the catwalk to your home or business décor? Our interior design firm located in Marbella has an expert team with the passion and knowledge to get you there.
