Carte-blanche

The show organisers commissioned French female designer, Claude Vuillermet, to put together the next season colour and trend area for designers, buyers and stylists to view when attending the show which was held in Paris. The show formed part of the larger Premiere Vision Pluriel exhibition also featuring textiles, components and accessories.
The five colour themes, highlighted below were a result of round-table discussions derived from the textile industry colours and trends forecasts of which Vuillermet was a part. ‘I want to start this seasons collection off with a blank page’ she told Leather International. ‘Because of this time of economic uncertainty companies are looking to start with fresh new ideas and concepts. It is a good moment to get the pencil out, erase old mistakes and start on a blank page.’ The five themes, which are mainly for footwear, garment and leathergoods, were as follows:

Frugality
(la frugalite)

Following on from the blank page this collection featured a selection of white or pale minimalist leathers in beige, sand, grey and pale blue. Many of the samples featured creases or pleats to give texture to leathergoods, particularly handbags. Many of the samples highlighted featured pearlised finishes in pale colours which gave a classic, classy look.
Frugality also included the use of parchment as a material to be used to accessorise bags or be used with other items such as labels or lampshades. As thin as paper but with rigid feel, parchment leathers gave designers a different material to consider.

Performance
(la performance)

This theme was centred on natural human colours such as soft pink skin tones and pale blues. Some of the leathers featured a stretchy component which gave spring and bounce to the leather.

Complicity (la connivence)

‘A theme inspired by precious stones and antiques reminiscent of an old Venetian palazzo’ say the briefing notes. This theme blended new and old designs such as tartan patterns with plain contemporary and neutral colours such as taupe, olive green and beige. As with other themes a touch of gold was seen with petrol blues or greeny blues. Other blends with leather included traditional herringbone patterns usually seen in mens suits and velvet.

Disturbance (le dereglement)

Described by the design team who put together the five themes are the most ‘out of the rules’. Strong lime greens, acid orange compared with duller more subtle tones of the same colours. This theme featured lots of real and mock-croc leathers in purple. There were also lots of squares and symmetrical patterns either printed or embossed on the full grain, corrected or suede surface.

Self-demanding (l’exigence)

Strong, dark colours such as purple, burnt reds, greens and browns dominate this theme. It is the richest of all the trend themes and features tones with lightly brushed gold or bronze embedded in the surface given a subtle flash or fleck of colour caught in the light. There is less strong metallic leather on show in this seasons collection but subtler metallic gold, silver and coloured tints are more prominent. This theme also features leathers with what the designer Vuillermet calls ‘raw lux’ which is a blend of high quality leather, which has a total or partially roughed, buffed or damaged surface appearance. Ideal for upgrading lower quality raw material stock.