A Big Prediction ... !

A BIG PREDICTION ABOUT THE NEXT 10 YEARS OF MENSWEAR
By Richard Jones

In his 1989 classic Back To The Future II, filmmaker Robert Zemeckis attempted to predict what the world might look like 30 years ahead and in fashion terms, he wasn’t massively far out. Self-lacing Nikes, automatically heated jackets, virtual reality shades – sure, they might still be in the prototype stage or not work as slickly as intended, but they’re there. We have them. We are the future.

The foundations of ‘our’ future, at least what we can reasonably expect to happen in the next 10 years, have been built already, it just depends on how far they’ll go. Artificial intelligence is taking over the way we shop online, clocking our purchasing habits for a subtle (or not so subtle) tailored shopping experience.

Global etailer Farfetch is helping develop a cryptocurrency that in some roundabout way could stamp out designer counterfeits. Luxury fashion overlord Gucci has created its own augmented reality platform that allows customers to try on its Ace sneakers. All three certainly show a pathway into what fashion gadgetry will be developed and around in 2030. So far, so Minority Report.

In terms of the actual fashion, past decades of style are likely to return, new brands will come into the sphere while old players will grow or flounder, and the rapidly changing work dress codes will have a huge impact on the suit. The sustainability agenda will play probably the most important role in fashion in the next decade, as recycling technology becomes proliferated among brands and designers. Expect all your rainwear to be made out of recycled fishing nets and milked bottles, basically.