Top 5 Trends from the SS19 Berlin Trade Shows

Trendstop gives FashionUnited readers an exclusive look at the top 5 trends from the SS19 editions of Seek, Bright and Premium trade events in Berlin.

Incorporating three of the season's key trade shows, the Premium Group events once again took over Berlin for a trendsetting showcase of iconic brands, cult labels and emerging designers. At Seek, over 250 progressive and contemporary exhibitors focused on elevated sportswear, all-terrain outdoors and crafted classics. Destination was the theme of the show with hosts and hostesses on hand to promote the Club Tropicana vibe, and an Enter through the Gift Shop sign leading visitors to a limited-edition range of Seek merchandise. Next door at Bright, skateboarding culture was king as brands, retailers and athletes came together to create a community-minded streetwear space. Art and fashion in partnership was the story of contemporary fashion show Premium. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, over 1000 women's and menswear stands were interspersed with a series of inspiring installations and interactive artworks.

Outerwear remains a key element across the Berlin trade shows with brands exploring innovative new ways to adapt to the ongoing transseasonal trend and the changing weather conditions. Performance technology and unexpected fabrications brought exciting possibilities to the sector, enhancing and updating classic styles and translating product capabilities to both landscape and cityscape. For SS19 vibrant colour and bold print lifted apparel and accessories to elevate summer staples, while experiments with scale and proportion in both silhouette and print categories produced a wave of creative new forms and expressive patternation.

Translucent Waterproofs

Protective outerwear is reworked for SS19 with ultra-lightweight qualities and translucent finishes. Frosted plastics and sheer, flyweight, performance wovens give rain mac and windcheater silhouettes enhanced suitability for the warmer weather. The season's vibrant brights are tempered by semitransparent fabrications, creating softer pastel hues that have an easy wearability.

The Sculpted Sole Sneaker

A key component for SS19 footwear, The Sculpted Sole Sneaker, sees exaggerated proportions take sneaker profiles to the extreme. Sporty sculpted lines and contours are scaled-up to heavier and chunkier dimensions with flared heel silhouettes and moulded pod treads. Panelled uppers in single colours or vintage sportswear tones, put a contemporary, minimalist spin on popular retro 90s styling trends, ensuring statement sole units remain the focus.

Hyper Hawaiian

Hawaiian tropics are infused with vibrant energy, creating maximum impact through hyper contrasting palettes and all-over placement. Photoreal florals, stenciled palm leaves and hibiscus motifs in vivid colour-ways, amplify the exotic mood, re-energising a high summer staple print with a modern take on vintage and retro patterning.

Nautical Tech

The classic maritime look is reinvented for SS19 as performance elements add a high-tech sophistication to apparel and accessories. A bright palette of yellow, blue and fresh white emboldens nautical colour-ways while blocking techniques create a cleaner, more minimalist look. Cropped length outerwear offers a more fashion-forward approach to sailing-inspired jackets, refreshing traditional silhouettes.

Logomania

Statement branding is enjoying a revival as designers develop strong logo placements and all-over prints for a new fashion era. Clever positioning and small scale and compact compositions update the look for footwear with handwritten graphics on soles and woven into sneaker laces. For apparel, bigger and bolder are better as large scales and broken-up lettering in stark monochrome offer a fresh, abstracted alternative to previously straightforward styles.

Exclusive Offer

FashionUnited readers can get free access to Trendstop's Fall Winter 2018-19 Berlin Trade Show Overview, featuring comprehensive coverage of Berlin's trade show scene. Simply click here to receive your free report.

Trendstop.com is one of the world's leading trend forecasting agencies for fashion and creative professionals, renowned for its insightful trend analysis and forecasts. Clients include H&M, Primark, Forever 21, Zalando, Geox, Evisu, Hugo Boss, L'Oreal and MTV.

Images courtesy of Trendstop, both: Seek Trade Show Spring Summer 2019 | Rains, Elka, Colmar, all Spring Summer 2019 | Royal Republiq, Clarks Originals, Kaotiko, all Spring Summer 2019 | Herschel Supply Co, Slydes, Alpha Industries, all Spring Summer 2019 | Napapijri, Sandqvist, Elka, all Spring Summer 2019 | P448, Ellesse, FILA, all Spring Summer 2019