Spring/Summer 2024 is shaping into seasons of saturated colors and carefree attitudes. At least, that’s what some forecasting companies are calling for.
Creative research firm specializing in forecasting consumer trends, Trend House, and trendbook company MoodSign teamed up at Texworld NYC to showcase the top trends for Spring/Summer 2024.
Harmonious
“This is a story about getting back into harmony. There’s been so much discord, so much disharmony, so it’s this real desire to just exhale and be at peace,” Nicki Gondell, trend director at Trend House, said. “It’s a little bit of the cottagecore mindset, we get a sense of what it feels like to slow down, like an idea of everyday romanticism.”
The colorways for this trend category include fresh and clean meadow shades, like sage green and peachy pink, as well as latte tan and sky blue. The mood board presented included workwear pieces executed with a more sophisticated edge, such as botanical and pin-tucked details.
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“If you look at the styling details, there’s just those little touches of something that makes an ordinary piece seem somehow more romantic and pretty,” Gondell said. “You can see a lot of macrame and crochet details.”
The fabrics featured pay homage to regenerative architecture and this idea of old-world charm. When it comes to patterns, look no further than stripes. Pajama-esque stripes were particularly strong, evoking the concept of instant relaxation.
“It’s just about relaxing in the country, being at harmony, being at peace,” Gondell said. “[Like] the first few days of spring when winter is over and there’s that palpable sense of relief and anticipating of looking forward to summer.”
Rebirth
The second trend, dubbed Rebirth, was about connecting to the wild and letting go of technology. Mushrooms were a big influence, Gondell said, thinking about the fungi as undergirding the earth as the mycelium network connects everything around it.
“We thought a lot about the roots that are underground that [connect] all of us together, all of humanity,” Gondell said. “It’s much more nurturing than the Ethernet which is like a great purveyor of toxicity.”
This color palette favors soil-based, vegetal pigments, leaning into the natural dye’s movement of beetroots, vegetable colors, khakis and natural shades. Deep indigo was also prominent, as well as what Gondell described as ancient print and pattern techniques.
“It has an ancestral soul but it’s also familiar at once,” she said. “You can see for the prints and patterns that it works itself into boho basics; it’s just great for your gypsy boho styling.”
Underwater
For a refreshing third trend, Underwater features aquatic blues and sea-inspired greens.
“We’re talking a lot about translucency and shine, there’s metallics because they interfere as they’re translucent, they’re iridescent,” Gondell said. “It’s really the way that light hits water and how we translate that into fabrics and prints and patterns.”
Trend House referenced Scarlett Yang, a UK student who did her senior thesis project on a biomaterial dress she developed out of algae extract and silk cocoon protein to bring home the idea of sheen and shine and translating garments into water.
Another interpretation for this trend was aquatic camouflage—marine blues and greens tie-dyed to appear as though the wearer could blend right into the bottom of the ocean.
“It’s like you’re in ‘Avatar’, you’re in your underwater kingdom and everything is so relaxing, so refreshing, so calming—a beautiful summer story,” Gondell said.
Tropical Lush
“Tropical Lush is really a celebration of pleasure,” Gondell said. “We were calling this Willy Wonka in the Garden of Eden because everything is edible, it’s so delicious. The colors are fragrant, gorgeous, they’re deep, they’re saturated, and there’s just so much comes from exotic florals—there’s just something almost magical about the story.”
Think mangos and papayas, Pantone’s magenta pink, citrusy shades that emulate fruits and brilliant sunsets for the color palette.
“They’re just these oversized hallucinogenic florals,” she continued. “The idea here is that we wanted it to be like you feel as if you’re being enveloped in flowers. That it’s just like you wrap yourself in this big coat of flowers and you’re just surrounded with color and beauty, so they’re meant to be very immersive.”
Birds of Paradise were a big inspiration for prints and patterns and the classic Hawaiian resort floral wear styles.
“Of course, our footwear inspiration just sort of slithers on out of the jungle paradise,” Gondell said. “You have a lot of the reptilian prints and patterns.”
Color Me Happy
The last trend, Color Me Happy, is just that: colors.
“It’s used in this way that it’s playful and cheerful and inspired you to get in touch with your inner child,” Gondell said. “So it’s like you get dressed without thinking about if it doesn’t look good together. It’s purely instinctual, there’s a lot of gorgeous, fun, playful color.”
The color palette is cheery pastels and Miami poolside-inspired shades of blues, greens and yellow. Think hypnotic fun, pop art and joyful tartans.
“It’s full of vitality and energy and fun, you know, let’s have a pool party,” Gondell said. “Let’s just get going, throw that flamingo in the pool and pour yourself a Mai Tai.”