Menswear prints and patterns for the Spring/Summer 2020 season take on a dramatic tone wherein we see everything from tropical flora and fauna to exaggerated digital graphics, to ’70s inspired rock-and-roll prints to tie-dye washes.
Athleisure and streetwear feature as key dominating factors, which is not a surprise, given the commercial success enjoyed by these two millennial-approved categories.
The aforementioned influences fortify the season’s print and pattern motifs as ’70s landscapes and festival vibes, circus-inspired graffiti sit alongside summer favourites such as tropical prints.
Typography gains heat as brands and designers experiment with various techniques to emblazon brand monograms. A certain tilt towards optical illusions via abstract and mirrored placement and unexpected distortion is witnessed.
Simplicity and exaggeration feature at the same time, as fabrics appear to become plainer, softer and transparent (sheer is the hottest trending fabric for S/S ’20), whilst prints and patterns take on a more complex route.
Apparel Resources analyses the recent runway collections presented in London, Milan, Florence, New York and Paris and brings to you the top trends in prints and patterns for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2020 season.
Tutti – Frutti
The ongoing and super successful tropical trend looks towards vegetation to tap its latest inspiration for S/S ’20.
Tropical fruits such as bananas, coconuts and pineapples appear as all-over placement prints atop satin shirts, flared trousers, Hawaiian shirts, camp shirts as well as Bermuda shorts.
Dolce & Gabbana went for half-sleeved satin shirts, Bermuda shorts, bomber jackets and trousers that featured bananas, coconuts as well as pineapple AOP placements. The high fashion label also mixed it up with traditional tropical leaves by utilising bananas on the hem of the sleeves.
Lanvin, on the other hand, went for a singular centrally placed motif of cherries over a plain white tee.
Optical Lettering
Slogans and phrases have evolved to an even more compact version, wherein we see streetwear-inspired influences setting the tone.
Designers are seen playing with alphabets, brand monograms, and vertically and horizontally running phrases.
Monograms and all-over typography create optical pattern placements with mirrored text, image on image layering, camouflaged slogans and rotated textual motifs. Colour palettes are stark, yet minimal with an inclination towards minimalism.
Gucci and Dior went for all-over optically defined monogram placements, whilst Virgil Abloh presented exciting stand-out variations for Louis Vuitton, wherein he experimented with quilting and laser cut techniques.
Outlined Florals
Florals are as integral to Spring/Summer collections as the sun is to summer, but after a few washed out seasons of full bloom and ditsy floral motifs, the trend is changing.
The runways of S/S ’20 presented a new take on floral motifs wherein we saw major designers and labels going in for a certain outlined version of florals rather than highly defined and coloured versions.
Jacquemus, which celebrated completion of its 10 years, presented all-over outlined floral prints over Bermuda shorts, whilst MUNN and Fendi went for a print mashup, wherein we saw florals layered atop other tropical motifs.
Interestingly, disassociating themselves from the brighter palettes synonymous with spring, the florals of S/S ’20 are moodier, darker – with tones varying between blacks, mustards and military greens.
Animal Prints
Animal prints take on an updated note this season with key focus prints emerging to be leopard and reptilian or snake prints. Cross referencing is in motion, wherein what works for the Spring/Summer season, is equally viable for Autumn/Winter.
Print-on-prints and tonal head-to-toe variations feature over basic tees, oversized shirts, Bermuda shorts and even trench coats.
Versace and MSGM presented half-and-half version with a half-leopard trench coat, and a shirt and trouser combo, respectively. Dolce & Gabbana, Dsquared2 went for oversized half-sleeved camp shirts, whilst Celine and Dries Van Noten presented animal print bomber jackets.
Fashion East made an interesting case for neons, whilst John Richmond introduced just a running patch of animal print patterns over a tailored blazer.
Top colourways include dusky browns, vintage beige, burnt umber and tangerine tones.
’70s Rock Prints
Psychedelic rock prints translating into hallucinogenic multi-coloured looks bring back the mood of ’70s rock bands.
Details such as the riffing colours of the Dean print–on a djellaba-like shirt, a purple tree, desert oranges, bizarre outcrops and purple haze– served as major influencing elements for a series of jungle prints and fantasy embroideries.
Rock prints with a twist witnessed a fuse of thick jackets and pastels, splash of colours on black T-shirts, extra silky looks and psychedelic landscape prints.
Valentino presented silk T-shirts and experimental prints that signalled a summery vibe. Dries Van Noten featured psychotropic patterns over silk jackets and leather shorts whilst Celine went for all-over prints over glimmering suits.
Tie & Dye
Bleached-out, washed-out and tie-dyed techniques are on the rise as designers and high fashion labels alike, experiment with the resist-dyeing process by binding and compressing textiles.
Both digital and hand-done methods gain popularity as painterly washed out looks, rainbow-esque versions as well as geometric patterns come to play.
Naturally occurring patterns with a distinctly organic feel, irregular running stripes and speckled finishes offer new dyeing patterns while coloured washes introduce a youthful vibrancy.
Tangerine, rust and yellow are top picks, appearing in both topwear and bottomwear categories.
