The emerging theme for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2023 season falls in line with what is happening around the world with regard to highlighting environmental or social issues. People around the world are wearing their heart and mind on their sleeves as they are not shying away from expressing themselves and what they feel. This comes alive in statement graphics and stand-out typography over eye-catching pieces.
Moreover, upcycling and crafting techniques find their place in the print department with designers and fashion brands alike choosing to focus on recycling and repurposing patterned materials to create new, modern motifs. Nature is celebrated as humble botanicals provide the inspiration for contemporary florals whilst boldly emphatic graphic statements bring personal and social causes to the fore.
In this feature, we highlight the key prints and graphic trends to note and implement for the menswear segment for Spring/Summer 2023 season. Read on to discover!
Upcycled 3D craft
Injecting a three-dimensional vibe to prints, we have designers and brands getting creative with printed deadstock patches and rare objects repurposed onto garments. Vibrant stripes and plaids are overlaid with contrasting cartoon graphics or colourful household items for print-on-print relief effect that lends a fresh take with its blend of classic patterns with youthful urban motifs. Crochet pieces are upcycled into pockets, and a splash of colour and a handcrafted feel are added to simple wardrobe staples.
Childlike wonder
As the world reels under the current state of affairs, be it on a political front or health front, people have been left yearning for their younger days when everything was simple and full of love. We see the emotion being gratified on the runways with youthful nostalgia occupying centre stage. Prada brought forth the emotion via oversized gingham, Louis Vuitton presented numerous looks in vibrant primary colours coupled with childlike chunky beads, whilst Dolce &, Gabbana came up with sports fan T-shirts, and JW Anderson went quite literal with a stripe-on-stripe print juxtaposed with a boy biting into an apple – all reminiscent of adolescence.
Say it with wild flowers
Florals are symbolic with Spring and this season is no different with fashion brands and designers taking inspiration from nature, botanicals eschew hot-house and cultivated flowers, in order to translate the beauty of wild flora into clean, statement prints. Unexpected, overlooked plants such as dandelions are in focus. Sunny yellow blooms with a photorealistic or graphic quality, are placed with care on basic sweats, tees and knits. Contrasting backdrops offer a contemporary, genderless take on floral motifs.
Expressing with social statements
At a time when now more than ever before, people all over the world are amplifying their voices with regard to social change and a new wave of protest movements, graphic statements on fashion pieces make a comeback. Simple, bold, one-word prints are applied to the fronts and backs of tees and outerwear in exaggerated proportions for maximum impact. Vertical placements allow for even bigger statements to be made on longline pieces whilst contrast backgrounds amplify outsized lettering.
One with nature
The fashion and textile industry is currently regarded as the second-most polluting industry in the world – a fact that has been coming to light more and more with every passing day, so much so that consumers are now positively reinforcing brands to take action to tackle fashion’s waste problem.
And as is the case with the industry, anything on the minds and lips of consumers finds a direct outlet in terms of seasonal trends.
The urgency around waking up and acting dominated the runways with Loewe’s statement-making coats spurting with grass, to Dior’s whimsical garden-inspired collection, to Giorgio Armani’s life-like prints.
