Heimtextil Trend Council sets guiding principles for 2021/22

Never has looking into the future been of as much interest as it is at present. The coronavirus crisis is changing our future with huge societal and economic consequences. Markets are shifting drastically and our coexistence is undergoing fundamental changes. The Heimtextil Trend Council recently had an online meeting to forecast how the pandemic is influencing interior design, which innovations will enrich our lives going forward, and which trend themes the group will focus on over the next year.

Every year, the Heimtextil Trend Council’s springtime meeting marks the launch of preparations for the next January’s trade fair. At the same time, the trend researchers give an initial glimpse into where the interior design journey will take visitors next season. This year – right in the midst of the peak phase of Covid-19 – the meeting took place in special circumstances. In a series of video conferences at the end of March and intensive rounds of bilateral exchanges in the weeks that followed, researchers and those responsible for the trade fair laid the foundations for the global trend analysis.

Trends with a Scandinavian touch

Once again, the Trend Council comprised agencies Spott Trends & Business (Denmark), FranklinTill (United Kingdom) and Stijlinstituut Amsterdam (Netherlands). For the first time, Anja Bisgaard Gaede and her team from Spott Trends & Business are in charge of the project, thereby lending the Heimtextil Trends a Scandinavian touch. In addition to the conception of the Trend Space, the Danes’ range of responsibilities include the compilation of the Heimtextil Trend Book, which is used as a work tool by textile producers, interior designers and decorators in creating their new collections and furnishing concepts.

Effects on interior design

“Across all sectors, the current situation means that retailers and industry are facing what are probably the greatest challenges our society has had to overcome in peacetime. The situation is emotional and has far-reaching implications for our way of furnishing and living,” says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. “In its function as a global trend barometer, Heimtextil is charged with and always strives to recognise, name and outline what is likely to happen in the future at an early stage. Even in these turbulent times, our trend researchers do not have a much sought-after crystal ball. Instead, they observe the global markets and use the methods and tools of trend and future research.”

New: Digital Innovation Lab

During the video conferencing session, the council identified four design and colour trends that will be showcased at the Trend Space in hall 3.0 during the upcoming Heimtextil using exhibitors’ products. Visitors to the space will experience a première in the form of the new Digital Innovation Lab, which highlights the possibilities and additional market opportunities of a complete digital textile value chain, from the design to the purely virtual product used by the end consumer. Furthermore, the ‘Future Materials Library’, launched at last year’s show, will be continued in the coming season and once again curated by FranklinTill. The library showcases a range of selected, innovative materials with a sustainable basis and thus demonstrates their specific potential for applications in the field of interior design. Recent examples include a veneer made from the bracts of Mexican corn and a vegan wool alternative crafted from cellulose fibres sourced from pineapple leaves. The trend researchers also agreed with trade fair organisers to continue the Material Manifesto and to use resource-saving materials in the planning of the Trend Space.

Recognised instrument for the industry

The Heimtextil Trends, which Messe Frankfurt has been announcing annually for more than 30 years, are regarded as a trendsetting instrument for the global textile furnishing sector and the Heimtextil flagship project. The overall concept includes a large service package for manufacturers, users and dealers – Messe Frankfurt first invites the sector to prepare early for the upcoming season at a preview presentation in late summer. The designers responsible present the new Heimtextil Trend Book as part of this event, including current colour combinations and in-depth information on the individual design trends, before exhibitors receive the publication ahead of the trade fair as an orientation aid for product design and collection building.

The next Heimtextil will take place from 12-15 January 2021.