Instinctive Nature explores a growing urge to tap into our intuition and reconnect with nature. This theme for A/w 2018-19 channels the power of instinct: Gut instinct, Emotional instinct, and Creative instinct.
In a world increasingly driven by data, 2019 will see a push back to trusting our intuition, as new research re-validates the power of instinct, with the global economy set for a slow down, the instinct for many will be to think long-term, to develop sustainable resources, and to look to nature and other species for solutions.
Colors are raw, earthy, and autumnal, and hold within them an emotional pull, whether it be offering a sense of familiarity and comfort, or a jolt of energy.
Seasonal Statements:
Sulfur tones enliven the palette. Yellows are both warm and acidic, with tones such as Scorched Saffron and Rusted Gold echoing minerals and chemicals. Rusted Gold adds the heat and spice.
Yellows are essential in this story, which combined raw, pigmented tones of Scorched Saffron and Rusted Gold are balanced by greens and browns, such as Fresh Pine, Hiking Green and Misty Dawn, as well as Navy.
Highly saturated Heather Red and Amber Ash have a sense of warmth, particularly when mixed with this season’s palette of yellow and brown tones.
This hot and heavy mix is inspired by the stranger side of nature. Amber Ash and Heather Red create a fiery combination reminiscent of lava.
In a folklore fire, the warm and flat reds compliment each another. Raw Clay, Amber Ash, and Heather Red recall connections to rocks and raw earth. Balanced with Saffron Yellow creating beautiful totalities that reflect natural landscapes.
Exotic travel continues to inspire the story of Instinctive Nature, which reflects the soldier side of nature in an unexpected way. Heavy, dry blues and greens are enlivened with the addition of Performance Blue.
A cooling effect tempers the richness of this palette. The specific tone of this wild purple pairs with Performance Blue to create a rich autumnal story. The purplish tones are key, due to their versatility. They are flattering and ageless.
Purple tones add depth and emerges as an important hue for the Instinctive Nature season. Though barely perceptible, these veiled purples have a foraged feel, and connect back to nature in an intuitive way.
Browns in this palette have a fruity, purple tint. Frosted Fig is dry and earthy, while Burnt Aubergine has a deep sheen.
These smokey purples are rich and delicate. Purple becomes a key focus for the season, with tones that are enriched yet cold. These flattering tones vary between heavy and featherweight.
Physicality:
As we tune into the power of the body, visceral experiences will come to the fore. A growing focus on instinct as a driving force will lead to renewed interest in physical, hands-on methods of making, molding and experiencing.
Meat, and the importance of meat in food culture, will be increasingly questioned, as awareness of animal rights and sustainability issues build.
According to Giulia Soldati , today’s food culture is rather one-dimensional. “We simply spoon pre-prepared morsels into our mouths, then we chew and swallow. By bringing us back in contact with our food, the eating experience could be so much richer.”
New Words, New feelings:
Innovation and creativity cannot be achieved with data alone. Emotional diversity is growing. Consumers will be looking for new feelings and sensations, and new words to express them.
North Sense, the first commercial product from tech brand Cyborg Nest, introduces an entirely new sense to the body. The device fits underneath the skin and enables the wearer to feel the magnetic pull of the earth. Wearable tech will tap into new sensations, giving consumers a physical sense of orientation and connection to earth, akin to that felt by humans of ancient times. Instinct is the new frontier in the trend towards sensory awareness and engagement.
EMOTIONAL DIVERSITY IS ON THE RISE, AS WE LOOK FOR NEW WAYS TO FEEL, AND NEW WORDS TO EXPRESS OUR FEELINGS
In 2019, emotional awareness will become increasingly important across the board both for feelings known, and those that are harder to pin down. Lucy McRae is examining the feelings that we could experience in the future. In The Institute of Isolation, she pushes her body to its limits, to see what impact this has on her perception. The result is a study of future living scenarios such as space travel, anti-gravity, and extended isolation, through the lens of feelings and emotions.
As science proves the complex intelligence of animals, the issue of personhood vs. animalhood will gain prominence.
Perfect Imperfection:
In an imperfect world, we will embrace the beauty of imperfect surroundings: surfaces that have aged, products that speak of handicraft, and spaces that are designed to be felt, as well as lived in. Making is becoming more spontaneous, and achieving perfection is no longer the end-goal of design.
The human-made will connect with the natural, while the raw will contrast with the refined. Thomas Missé’s Minerae lamp explores this interplay: instead of using a switch, the only way to turn the aluminium lamp on or off, or adjust its brightness, is to pick up and move the chunk of iron ore that sits at its base.
In an imperfect world, we will embrace the beauty of imperfect surroundings: surfaces that have aged, products that speak of handicraft, and buildings that tend to the soul.
TANK’s new Xchange Apartment in Tokyo uses the Japanese art of kintsugi to this end. After the installation of the apartment’s cement floor, the cracks that appeared as it settled were not removed, but highlighted – filled in with gold-pigmented resin – to turn them into precious details.
Mass Influencers:
From The Bookshelf- The Vegetarian:
This novel won the 2016 International Man Booker Prize. Written by Han Kang, it is about a girl who wants to become a plant.
POP-UP!- Museum of Feelings:
Cleverly sponsored by Glade, this NYC pop-up explored the connection between scent and emotion in five fragrant rooms, each representing a different emotional state.
Food For Thought- Lufthansa:
Inspired by the German word heimweh, which means “longing to travel to a place where you feel at home,” this film is a great example of emotional advertising.
The Main Event- The Season’s Canon:
At Paris’s Palais Garnier in 2016, Crystal Pite presented a primal ballet that translated complex human emotions into animal nature-inspired dance.
the clementina project 