Crafting A Rainbow

I watch a lot of makeup YouTube, and many channels make prediction videos each year. (If you are curious, check out this or this!) I’m absurdly out of touch with what’s going on in the sewing community, but I thought it would be fun to try anyway! I hope you’ll chime in with your predictions below!

Overall Trends:

1. Cool Tone Fabric

Makeup is swinging towards cooler tone colours, and I think it’s high time that fabric follows suit. Indie fabric stores have been full of warm tones for at least 5 years. I hope that their suppliers start branching out! 2022’s Pantone Colour of the Year is “Very Peri”, a cool violet blue that I tried to channel in my graphic above.

2. Dressing for Comfort and Confidence (Not Conformity)

No matter where you live, you have probably spent more time at home in the last two years than ever before. We have dressed for depression and days on the couch… for Zoom meetings where no one seems your pyjama pants… and most of all, we’ve dressed for ourselves. I think that will continue no matter how this year progresses. We’ll wear our fancy clothes at home because they make us happy, or our comfy clothes out and about because they feel good on our bodies. I think this is really powerful and positive.

3. Gender Inclusive Patterns

Over the last few years we have seen a few companies doing gender inclusive patterns, and I think this is going to gain momentum. Gender is who you are, not what your body looks like, after all. (If you want to know more, look here.) I think it makes so much more sense to let people decide what they want to wear, not tell them that it is only for certain people. For example, there are ungendered patterns like the Helen’s Closet Jackson Pullover or the Friday Pattern Company Ilford Jacket, both of which are modeled by masculine- and feminine-looking folks. But beyond that, every pattern can be worn by anyone. I predict we will see pattern companies improve their wording and include tutorials to make common adjustments for trans and gender-non-conforming sewists. We chose to sew our clothes so we can have exactly what we want, and we have the power to make any design work for our figure!

4. Established indies pivoting to new styles/focuses

Indie pattern companies started booming ten years ago, right around the time I started sewing. Many of those have faded away, but the once that remain will have to stay relevant. We’ve already seen Closet Core Patterns open their own fabric shop, and what started as Colette Patterns is constantly evolving as Seamwork. Cashmerette published a book and started doing smaller sizes as well. I’m curious what other companies might surprise us with this year!

5. Factory-to-Fabric-Store Transparency

I’m seeing an increasing number of fabric stores share the backstory of their fabrics, and I think this is a natural evolution of the sustainability market. Whether it is greenwashing or accountability, it does feel nice to know where your fabric came from! Merchant and Mills have mentioned where their Indian block prints are made for several years, and more recently Core Fabrics announced some fleeces made in their hometown of Montreal, and Blackbird Fabrics released some denims made in an eco-friendly factory in Guatemala. I’m excited to see this continue, because all of our fabrics were made somewhere!

My Dream Trends

Those were the trends I think will happen… but here are a few more that I’d love to see!

• Every company move to paid testing. If you can’t afford to pay testers, then your business plan is not viable.
• Accessible/adaptable clothing. People with mobility and sensory issues need clothes too!
• Indie patterns for tweens and teens. The children of all my sewing friends are growing up, and I think there is a market for them! From what I know as a teacher, the youth today would expect gender-fluid, modern patterns with a seamless user experience.
• Wouldn’t it be cool if someone can out with a line of denim patterns that had interchangeable crotch curves for people with and without a “bulge”? My husband wears slim stretch jeans just like I do, and we both own straight cut jeans too. I’m thinking how amazing it would be if the Closet Core Gingers and Morgans could be sewn for the whole family!
• I was thinking about what would replace the chore coat trend, and had a brilliant idea: CAPES! Fun to wear, can be layered with boxy or slim fit clothes, and can be as tailored or simple as you choose. Let’s make this the year we are all secret superheroes! (Ok, more realistically, I predict bomber or varsity jackets with sassy lining and statement back patches.)

Specific Pattern Predictions:

OK, let’s put my reputation on the line with some specific predictions!

• I see flared yoga pants making a comeback in RTW, so I predict that Cashmerette will build on their draft for the Belmont leggings by releasing wide-leg yoga pants with a knee-length gaucho view.
• Half-zip fleeces are coming back and I predict Helen’s Closet will release one before long!
• I’ve been wishing for a shawl-collar cardigan like the Thread Theory Newcastle but with a boxier, more modern shape. I think Grainline could do a perfect job on a modernized classic!
• The 90’s are back with a vengeance, and I think that Closet Core Patterns summer release will be a spaghetti strap baby-doll dress.
• Finally, and most controversially… JNCO super-wide leg jeans are coming back with high school students and that means we middle-aged folks are going to be eyeing them soon. I think that Friday Pattern Company would be best suited to make this stylish again.

I had so much fun writing this post, and I’m itching to know what you think! Will any of my predictions happen? What general trends or specific releases do you think we’ll have? Would you wear a cape with me? Pretty please?