Seminar series - June 2007
Neil Henson, Fashionbytes, was in New Zealand recently, sponsored by Resene to present his recent research on worldwide trends that will drive future commercial and residential design.

Emotional consumerism
The key is product that offers experience, novelty and excitement... meaning.

We have been encouraged in recent times to 'not be emotional' and have experienced three decades of 'economic rationalism' where if you couldn't measure it... you couldn't place a value on it. Today, we are entering a more holistic world where experiences and intangibles are gaining in value. Why do we buy things that we don't need? Simply because they make us feel good. The challenge is to offer products that ground us in meaning. We don't need any more rubbish in our lives, today we seek out products and experiences that enrich and empower our lives as we continue to use up valuable resources in our unsustainable world. If we offer meaning and value our consumers will come back for more.

Forecasters and designers are engaging people. Marketing is a strong aspect of what we do, colour is the catalyst that allows us to engage people with what we do. Colour is a primary connector between product and consumer - it creates an emotional bond... people relate to colour.

Emotional consumption comes out of engaging the senses, engagement equals a better environment to exist in. People are not just after things, they are wanting experiences. You will never engage them by doing the same things as in the past. Today's consumer has it all and yet wants more seeking emotional engagement. Rather than owning more, they seek out personal sensations and satisfaction.

We are witnessing a new and unlikely synthesis between hedonism and austerity, individualism and altruism, freedom and commitment, living in the present and expressing concerns for the future.

Humans are not ideally set up to identify logic we are highly emotional and emotional values are increasing in importance It is a brave person that can live in a minimal environment, there is a shift away from this to simplicity and paring back but we want to remain very human.

We can divide consumers into two contrasting mindset prototypes: Hunters - ME orientated individuals focusing on life according to themselves and Gatherers - WE orientated individuals focusing on collective values and empowering the group.

It is all about meaning. Looking into the future there is a move towards more intangible abstract notions.

With apologies to Descartes (French philosopher)
I think - therefore I am.
I shop - therefore I am.
To the future: I feel - therefore I am.

In all sectors one size doesn't fit all, we need to understand product categories and consumer mindsets: their skills, talents and psychology and marry them to products that will best engage them.

It is a conceptual age. Over the last 20 years design has been devalued, now design leadership is on the rise - many of the top 200 CEO's in US are creative thinkers looking for new and exciting opportunities rather than building on existing needs.

Today is about connectivity and belonging, we are wealthier but not as happy. Connectivity in communication is engaging people globally; this connection leads to wiser people. Our values are changing on a spiritual level we are finding peace and fulfilment and seeking new ways to engage with others.

Today's consumer types...
1. Rational hunter - the Free styler
These people are seeking new solutions to complex problems, they think outside the square, want to be stimulated by new products and services and will probably know more about your products than you do yourself because they want to empower themselves. They won't wait to be told, they will search out and explore for themselves... knowledge is power!

2. Happy bohemian - Rational gatherer
These consumers are more difficult to market to in traditional ways, they want to be entertained and educated by their engagement with you. They will want to come on a journey with you... not necessarily lead you like the Free styler. They will be engaged if you offer them 'value' and quality. They are concerned with our environment and see many new products as wasteful of our valuable resources.

3. Caring explorer - Emotional gatherer
Highly emotive and expressive people, they are searching out experiences that give them a sense of belonging and connection to this frantic world. If they can't find what they are looking for they will create and tailor their own. They want to create a perfect world for themselves and take you along on their journey. They will relate and partner with companies that marry with their values and vision.

4. Spiritual tourist - Emotional hunter
These people live in a highly intuitive and creative world; they will want to experience sunsets from the top of a mountain and are seeking out the ultimate 'emotional' experience. For them there is not enough time to experience all that they want to. They are searching for a connection to a greater cause... a new 'secular' spirituality, whether it is indulging themselves in rituals and ceremonies around self fulfilment or cleansing their minds. Yoga and meditation interests these people as a way of self-improvement.

Key society trends
Today we are living in a world where everything is 'smart' from the car we drive to the way we do our banking. We are concerned with our health and wellbeing. Our society is changing, particularly values concerning our place in the world, we can no longer exist in isolation like previous generations... we live in a global world and can no longer export our problems. Our family make-up is also changing. Today we need to honour and value diversity and 'difference'.

The time balance between work and rest will become more important as work becomes more stressful, as we engage on a global basis, we will require less 'stressful environments' at both work and home. And, today we are seeing a convergence across all disciplines and community.

Key opportunities
To reach tomorrow's people and society demands we must deliver innovative, empowering, empathic and sensorial solutions. We are entering the emotional decade and must restore the balance. Entering a weightless society - luxury lies in the weightless, the seamless, the emotional and the spiritual not the expensive, the obvious and the ostentatious. It is about meaning where corporate image and identity must engage new consumer mindsets.

2008 is a time of ambiguity and paradoxical creative energy and a time for considered application.

Residential colour palettes
Stand out from the bland - simplicity - single statement.
Don't necessarily use them as they are presented, it is how you integrate them.

Key points

• Fashion reflects lifestyle.
  
• Product personality - need to do more.
  
• Individuality is the major trend - so much on offer.
  
• Fun.
  
• Search for spirituality.
  
• Personal luxury.
  
• Search for privacy.
  
• Transparency.
  
• Engagement of nature.

A selection of Fashionbytes Colour Palettes for Spring/Summer 2008 presented in Resene colours.

1. Midnight at the oasis - "... a lush and overgrown garden comes to life under a midnight sky"
Reminiscent of desert oasis at midnight. Uptrend of purples and plums, pink is starting to downtrend. Teal is on the increase and green has become almost a basic core colour, along with yellow and orange - energy. Deep colours say to us - luxury. Foil print and foil effects in metallics. Lush garden under midnight sky. Colour coated by black. Shadow play. Black/white major trend continuing - fabrics. Works across all fabric types. Still mixing eras. Almost black and almost white -a little more sophisticated. Vintage flora. Dramatic black solids. Luxury - black. Huge over scale design (using prints). Vintage prints looking newer by re-colour. Black and white then adding plum tones. Deep purple and plum together - deep indigo and watery teal uptrending. White used as an accessory.
Resene Ab Fab Resene Alabaster Resene Allegro Resene Black Rock Resene Havana Resene Indian Ink           Resene Middle Earth Resene Nero Resene Ravishing
2. Shifting sands - "... summer breezes sway the stalks of wheat & barley in this semi-desert landscape"
We are used to working with these for a long time. Soft grey colours. Colours of wheat. Greyed up neutrals moving away from black. Bring in brushed metal effects. Black looks sharp brought into the palette. Bring in deeper neutrals. Black as base or highlight colour. Bring in softer blues and deeper neutrals. Simple and organic - engage with nature. Timber is being treated as the precious commodity that it is. Throw in red and green to give 50s retro feel. Chocolate is becoming a base colour. Imagine beaches, French provincial. Geometric prints crochet. Abstract floral laces. Soft grey tones - air brushed and subtle. Broderie Anglaise. Grander than other palettes. 50s type prints - chocolate undertones. Black as a highlight to neutral schemes. Metallic as highlight to neutral schemes. Texture. Honey coloured timber.
Resene Brie Resene Imagine Resene Incognito Resene Pale Slate Resene Paperback Resene Popcorn             Resene Ricochet Resene Urbane
3. Sweet dreams - "... the ephemeral beauty of blossom and sun bleached grasses blurs the horizon in this dreamy landscape"
Pretty, feminine and dainty. Create light and shade in print. Shadow play and highlight. Nostalgic look into the past - vintage - antique. Lace type effects. More metallic into fabrics to give life. Work ideal back with naturals. 1950s Parisian vintage prints. So pretty you could eat them. Layered with deeper tones. Combining saturated highlights like lime. Important palette to combine back into others. Soft pastels almost white. Use with black/chocolate. Feminine textures. With metallic to give robustness. Iridescent and silky shine. Soft watery florals. Colour layering play on shadows. Combine saturated highlights - lime yellow. Soft blue with red - contemporary.
Resene Attitude Resene Cut Glass Resene Island Spice Resene Moon Glow Resene Orinococ Resene Pale Rose           Resene Pot Pourri Resene Sonique Resene Sweet As
4. Strawberry fields forever - "... fragile fields of wild flowers dot the countryside, mixed with the abandon that only nature allows"
Soft pretty colours. Pink taking in coral tones. More floral coming through. Softer level of brights. Continuing trend of orange. Palette works in two ways - cool cast and warm cast. 50s kitsch. 80s extravagance. Beautiful black with white - white highlights. Traditional with green. Build palette by introducing metallics. Primarily about fun. Work with white and deeper colours. Green - grass tones. Green - relaxation - feel at ease with.
Resene Cabaret Resene Goddess Resene Lucky Break Resene Mandy Resene Mellow Yellow Resene Niagara             Resene Parachute Resene Subzero
5. Imagine - "... windswept and rugged, clouded in mist, these subtle and dusty tones become the new neutrals"
Magic. Dusty tones become the almost new neutrals. Traditional looks. Can be soft, feminine, flirty. Art nouveau with deeper tones and quite retro. Contemporary when used with brighter colours. Soft plush. Traditional folkloric prints. Works as highlights in multi-coloured stripes. Smoky played down colours. Used in nostalgic looks. Dusty tones become new neutrals. Traditional look. Arabesque influencing the western world - fabrics. Stripes trending down and florals are on the increase.
Resene Aphrodisiac Resene Bounce Resene Colonial White Resene Escapade Resene Hopbush Resene Iko Iko       Resene Lumberjack Resene Marionette Resene Villa White Resene Woodstock
6. Girl from Ipanema - "... the rumba and salsa inspire these high energy brights for fantasy and excitement"
High energy - salsa dancing, tango, mardi gras. Large bold abstracts. Deep purple and plum uptrend. Soft teal adds coolness. Lime and purple uptrend. Bright red. Lime green - major player in colour. High energy Brights. Used on black/white backgrounds. Colour for fun and fantasy. Team with teal.
Resene Belladonna Resene Christalle Resene Funk Resene Hyperactive Resene Jalapeno Resene Wild Thing
Commercial colour
Today there are no boundaries between fashion, home fashion, interiors or product groups. 2008 colour groupings...
1. Future tourist Clean and crisp. Delicacy and strength (earth and air). Moody and atmospheric. Natural details provide relief. Positive negative - level of white. Sculptured and kinetic. Soft misted and diffused. Ergonomic and efficient. Story about space. Sculptured and weightless. New metallics. Colour palette 'Midnight at the oasis'
2. Free spirit bohemians Moody and shadowed. Or clean and crisp. Heathered tones. Greens are a base of core colours. 2D graphics flourish. Organic feel makes us feel secure. New precious objects. Tailoring product for individual environment. Integrated technology. Nature engaged. Timbers add relief. Familiarity in retro looks. Sense of nostalgia and humanism. Bringing nature inside. Sculptured. Soft and cushioned. Colour palette 'Imagine'
3. New age explorers Ideal for hospitality and commercial. Feminine and flirty. Deep and intense. Flashy and bright. Stand out from the bland. Confident and sophisticated. Hun and humorous. New geometric shapes. Colour palette 'Girl from Ipanema'
4. Luxury hunter Highly polished. Layered textures. Transparency. Marble reflects. Colour palette 'Shifting sands - the new neutrals'
View 2008 seminar notes View 2006 seminar notes View 2005 seminar notes