Pitti Filati

The 64th edition of Pitti Filati was held last week at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy.  Upon entering the yarn fair, we found ourselves submerged in an urban setting conceptualized by Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller.  Their research of colors, yarns, and trends for Spring/Summer 2010 was revealed to us through a cityscape entitled HUMANIZE-ME.  Starting with a sporty street and graphic inspiring area, we then moved our way to a city spa, a city park, a gaming area, and finally to the workforce.  Of these area's the most directional inspirations were from the following categories:

Monopoly - the 1935 board game published by Charles Darrow after the Great Depression is a strong source of inspiration for 2010.  It was developed in the early 1900's in order to explain the world of finance and taxation which has again become our global fascination today.  For further affirmation of this societal movement, in recent years McDonald's ,Hasbro, and most recently Shell have been using McDonald's Monopoly as a sweepstakes advertising promotion.

Men at Work - think stimulus plan and bank bailouts.  In this area the trends are directed towards workman's clothes as well as corporate suits.  We are already beginning to see this trend with the return of the jumpsuit in women's wear.  Recycling, deconstruction, and heterogeneous materials are an important part of the M.A.W. mix.  

City Spa - a place of zenful ease and luxurious self-indulgence from the frenetic city dweller's lifestyle.  This is the area where inspiration for materials in high demand can be found such as linen, organic cotton, milk, and bamboo. 

The direction for Spring/Summer 2010 is about global and self awareness.  A strong interest in the environment is ever present in the demand for organic materials and a soothing color range with an emphasis on pastels in blue and green.  At the other end of the spectrum, Spring 2010 is influenced by pop culture and the decisive colors in shades of yellow, orange, and red.  Overall, there is a continuation in crystals and sequins, pleats and origami, and feathers and fringe.

Looking forward to 2010!