Trend awareness: Heimtextil 2020

The focus is on the self: "Where I belong" – that is the short, concise motto with which Heimtextil is looking to the future. For its next outing, the Frankfurt Fair has once again presented a trend forecast. The result: questions about identity determine the present. Never before have we perceived identities in so many different ways as we do today. Inspired by this, in January 2020 the fair will present five trend worlds: "Maximum Glam", for example, will combine glamour with our fascination with technology, "Heritage Lux" celebrates history and tradition, and "Multi-Local" poses questions about the global influence of regional cultures.

"The idea of identity is changing and we can observe how people layer and curate their identities," says Anne Marie Commandeur, trend researcher at Stijlinstituut Amsterdam. "Companies need to keep pace and find new ways to respond to these multi-layered, more complex identities.” Trend Council, a trend forecasting organisation formed by Commandeur together with the London studio FranklinTill and the Danish agency Spott, have drawn up a global interior design market forecast for Heimtextil. Commandeur is responsible for staging the Trend Space at Heimtextil and also compiled a Trend Book prior to the fair, which is now available.

And so at Heimtextil in January, the forecasters will get to see their predictions unfold: In Trend Space in Hall 3.0, visitors will find the trend worlds "Maximum Glam", "Pure Spiritual", "Active Urban", "Heritage Lux" and "Multi-Local" live and in 3D – in conceptual installations derived from the exhibitors' products and arranged by Anne Marie Commandeur. "We believe that stories can be conveyed better in an experience-oriented and immersive way," she says, "in addition to detailed information and space for reflection, we also use humour, and in one or two cases, ‘shock tactics’ to convey the message.”

The link between the complexity of contemporary identities and interior design is obvious for Anne Marie Commandeur: "Interiors play an important role in our experience. A diverse range of textiles for the interior enables us to reinvent our surroundings and cultivate our personal identities. To create a world in which we find ourselves." The guiding theme "Where I belong" alone shows that there can be no single, suitable concept for everyone – regional and cultural ties, gender and origin all have an influence.

But the Trend Space 2020 offers even more: Studio FranklinTill, as a member of the Heimtextil Trend Council, has compiled a "Future Materials Library" in which sustainable material innovations for the household textile industry are presented. Each of the exhibits is presented with information on the origin of its raw materials, its manufacturing process and its potential service life. "This project was born out of the feeling that we often no longer know where materials come from or how they are made," explains the trend researcher. "In view of the dramatic levels of destruction to our environment, we need to rethink how we use resources."

And Heimtextil is no exception: together with the members of the Trend Council, the fair has developed a "Material Manifesto". The aim: to document the resources used during the event and also to avoid new materials being thrown away after the fair has ended. Anne Marie Commandeur wants to set a good example in the trend worlds and has selected the materials used according to the criteria of the circular-flow economy. After all, sustainable action is also a determining factor in contemporary identities.

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