What does color represent in your clothing?

Izzy: I see color in peoples clothing as their vibe or aura. Personally, I think too much about color and when I pick out outfits I dont really care about mood, I could be the happiest person but still wearing all black because that’s what I feel the most comfortable in. I just find black to the best color to wear on the days that I dont want to be perceived. 

How does black make you feel? 

Izzy: Powerful. Hidden some days. Especially winter time in Paris when everything gloomy, I feel blended in. I don’t care for standing out unless my fit is fire. I guess I feel like just myself. 

If you were to incorporate colors into an outfit, which colors would you lean towards?

Izzy: Neutrals. Black. Sometimes light blue for jeans, white shoes. Dark greens, anything dark.

During Covid, did you find yourself indulging in neutral or bright colors?

Izzy: I wore dark hoodies and had maybe one colored. I mostly wore sweatshirts and sweatpants all day, everyday. We weren’t allowed to online shop. I don’t think the pandemic had anything to do with that for me. I didn’t really shop online or look into clothes so I don’t correlate those two. 

Have you noticed a trend in the rise of decline of color?

Izzy: There’s been a rise. Everyone’s wearing color now. But I do think it depends on the season because now with the sun out everyone’s going to be picking colors, like light pastels and bright colors. But if I could wear black in the summer, I would.

How do you think your own self of style has changed in the sense of color?

Izzy: I use to love wearing all blue, light colors but I do feel like my style has changed for the better. I feel more comfortable in grays, black, whites and it just feels easy because you can wear anything with it. 

Do you think neutrals go hand in hand with that minimalism, capsule wardrobe trend?

Izzy: Yea absolutely. That’s kind of how I imagine myself. A minimalist, with a minimalist house, with my minimalist things and outfits. All full of neutrals. I want my future house to be all black if it can be. 

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the media or hectic social world and does it affect the way you dress?

Izzy: No. No matter how I’m feeling, I will never let myself leave the house, looking like my mood. I just 1) dont want people to know or 2) in my mind if I dress well then I feel well. I tried to make my outfits better than my mood so I can maybe feel better. 

Do you ever find yourself trying to wear color to bring up your mood or feel better?

Izzy: In the summer I’ll obviously start wearing lighter colors like white or light blue. But anything thats pink or orange or green green, I dont think I could do - its too bight and its just no me, not my character. 

Is there anybody in your bubble wear lots of color? How do you view people that do wear color?

Izzy: My friend Olivia, for example, always has good outfits, lots of color and I see her as super bubbly, confident and just loves life. 

Do you avoid color when you’re shopping?

Izzy: Yes. If I saw this hoodie in five different colors, I would pick the black one. Even if they had the cutest colors or pastels, I would still get black. It’s just my go-to, for anything. You can never have too much black clothes. I almost feel like I dont have enough.

Do you think color can have an affect on your mental health?

Izzy: Oh yea, absolutely. Sometimes I hate that I do wear all black and wish I could wear colorful clothes but I just feel like I’m not that person. But yea, I don’t know, there’s definitely and up and down side to wearing all black. But if I do wear all black I almost feel like I do have to be in a stink mood. It can alter me to be more gloomy or hidden especially if it matches the weather. There’s so many different factors. 

When did you stop wearing colors?

Izzy: Definitely has to be these past couple of years. I wasn’t like this in high school- I was a bubbly little freak, and wore so much blue. But definitely moving to Paris made me switch up. Especially when we go out, we all wear all black. I feel like it’s a natural thing we all do now, especially in Paris, we just wear all black to go out.

If you were to add a pop of color, what would it be?

Izzy: White. *laughs* Damn, I really don’t wear colors. Maybe dark green and I guess I’ll wear red accents but yea, that’s funny. 

Additional Comments from Izzy:

Cecile: The curiosity I had when I was a kid never stopped. I decided to study fashion and applied art and by chance, I went to a professional fair in France and saw a small trend form which is where I discovered this whole concept of trend forecasting. For me, it was a small revelation because it’s what I was doing all the time: trying to connect things together, trying to understand the pattern, trying to give meanings to things, to actions. It’s what I was looking for since I was a child, trying to understand the things around me and share it with people. At this time, there was no specific courses (on trend forecasting), but what you really needed to have to do the job was curiosity, an open mind, a desire to find new things and to discuss with people. Applying the girt of trend forecasting on really everything in life. When you look at trends and want to make a living out of it, it means your clients are brands. You need to understand what a brand identity is and how a company can move forward in the future without losing their DNA. You are doing two things at the same time, keeping the DNA of the company but keeping it more aligned with the future so it’s a bit tricky.

Can you describe the steps you take to forecast trends? How do you remain on top of trends?

Cecile: We go back to curiosity and it means you have to look at many many different things, not just focusing on fashion shows and glossy magazines. Because i’m interested in global trend forecasting for all kinds of activities, I think grocery stores are a great place to see trends, the tube, when people are waiting to enter the cinema, everything is very much a place where you can grab information. You have to follow politics, science and innovation and also must be very open to young contemporary artists. Artists are very sensitive people and feel, what the French all, L’Heure de Temps, which means they are really filtering what’s important. You also have to consider the idea of cycles that you have in trends, like in colors, sometimes one trend or color can be very popular and after some time we don’t want it anymore and are going to change. 

How do you balance between keeping current and developing a distinctive brand identity? 

Cecile: I think it’s easier when the brand’s really got a purpose. That it’s very clear that the brand is really producing something, could be a product or service, that is really helpful and meaningful. So if this is the case, it's easier to move it to the into the future. If the what the brand is doing is somehow a bit weak or a bit like nothing special, then it's much more difficult so.  

What do you believe will be the most significant trends over the coming few years, and how do you anticipate them to affect brand identity? 

Cecile: Well, in general, there was a come back a couple of years ago, first of yellow, then of pink. I think this was interesting because yellow and pink had been put aside for many, many years and and I think it's interesting now to see that the millennial pink is now being seen kind of like a classical pink. Pale, classical pink and that yellow. It is everywhere, especially also in home decoration. And so I think it's nice to see cycles and to see that colors are coming and going but things are evolving. For instance, normally the color that French people preferred used to be blue but, now it is green, which means a lot. It means that people are more interested in nature and are more interested in sustainability than before, so things like that can evolve too. I feel like blue is very common too, the blue jeans are very classic. 

How do you identify different colors?

Cecile: You have a lot of people that have written very good books on the history of colors. 

We also know that, for instance, Black is one of the first colors that humankind has been using. So I mean you have a lot of history of colors that can help you to understand that colors have been going through different times and have been perceived by people in different ways. Some people still say that pink is the color for little girls and that blue is the color for little boys, but it has not always been like that. Black is a very strong color because it's got a very large, symbolic meaning, you know, because it's the the color of the pirates. But it's also the colors of the little black dress. So it can be very cheap, but it can be very punk at the same time. Somehow it's also very linked with religion because there was a time, a long time ago that men were wearing a lot of patterns, feathers and colors. Religion said it was not OK anymore, so they asked men to start to wear black and women to only dress in colors. So every every color has a long history.

Can you describe a trend or brand identity project you worked on that was really difficult or satisfying, and why?

Cecile: The best subject is always the latest one because I'm quite passionate about what I do. There has never been a a subject that I didn't like. I just told myself that I never wanted to work for people doing guns or doing cigarettes. These were the only two things that I never wanted to do. But for the rest, I mean with a curious mind like mine, everything is interesting. Everything is a new challenge. Also, I have an interesting point of view as an outsider. I'm just a trend forecaster outside every of those industries, but using the same grid of analysis and the same grid to try to help people to be more aware of the future and be more ready for changes. So it’s interesting. 

Is there a certain trend that sticks out to you the most?

Cecile: When you have a look in the streets of Paris, or even globally, it's like there’s uniforms. I had a discussion the other day with someone about uniforms. And I said OK, but people are already in uniforms. Everyone is wearing sneakers. Jeans are mostly black during the winter, you know? So it's already a kind of uniform. I think the reason also, is dealing with the idea that you might have bad test and that might be a problem. So you know that you're not going to do something ugly when mixing white, black, grey together. I mean this is. OK, it's not going to be a problem at all, but if you're going to buy, I don't know, a pink coat, maybe everyone is going to look at you. You are not sure of yourself  or your self-confidence on how to use color. For many people it does go together. So it's that and also I would say that it's more about convenience and social impact rather than sustainability.

How do you see the trend of color in clothing especially during the pandemic?

Cecile: During the quarantine period, what was obvious, is that we were not dressed at all. We were using pajamas, loungewear, joggings… I mean all kind of very easy-to-wear clothing. Socks, no shoes, stuff like that. I think it was mostly about neutral colors, but I think what we see now, in the fashion landscape, is that many brands are trying to come back with bright colors. Like the pink Valentino. Many brands are making statements about colors, or trying to, and it's true that it looks really nice when you see that. But it is difficult to wear out and also it's very noticeable. I mean, if you have a green coat, then you have a green coat. If you see a client, and two weeks after that, you are still wearing your green coat, well then its very visible. You need to have quite a lot of money to have a large part of your clothing be colorful. So yeah, brands are trying to bring back colors, but the street is still wearing no colors. Kind of like that sense of wanting to be comfortable and not wanting to be too loud. You also don't feel like spending the whole day with very bright pink, long sweatpants at home during the confinement. I mean the whole story and the whole situation was already very frightening and difficult. So there was no need to shouting it with bright colors. You know you just want to have something that was, you know, no problem. 

Do you see a decline in color in fashion or a specific time that this trend occurs? 

Cecile: I would say that maybe what is interesting now is that we see a shift around colors because some people started to realize that dying something, whether it's paint or a fabric or a paper, uses chemical products and those products are very bad for the planet, but also for your health. There is this quote that says “if you want to know what color is trending, you have to look at the colors of the rivers In China”. it’s very harmful for the planet, but also for ourselves. I would say a trend is emerging around non dyed products. Blue is a color that is used a lot, and because of the problem with mass production products, natural dyes might not be enough. You cannot dye everything on indigo. Also, the pigment is not very stable. So it means if you have a dress that is has been dyed in indigo, you have a white bag, your bag is going to be blue. So it's it's interesting to see what people are trying to find out. Solutions with non dying or with natural colorants, trying to find alternative to chemical products. 

What does color mean to you? Do you wear colors depending on your mood, trying to portray something or is there no thought behind it

Cecile:  I must say that my wardrobe is mostly made of black and and white and pale blue. I would love to change all the black stuff that I have for more lighter stuff. This is my project, but I don't want to throw away my clothes because that’s not sustainable. So what I'm doing now when I'm buying stuff, I trying to see if I can go for more whites and beiges. I'm dressed in black, but for me, its like a shell. It was like something as a kind of self defense when I was younger, when I was a teenager. I kept it because when you are working in fashion well, it's easy. Everyone is everyone working in fashion is, most of the time, working in black. So I would love to wear more colors, but it means that you have to have a large wardrobe, which I don't want to have. I'm now trying to go more for neutrals because of the energy. Colors that are a bit more soft somehow, and I think because maybe I’m aging myself. I'm looking more for softness than for the violence but I used to love a lot of black because black makes you bold. You know? 

How does the color black make you feel? Is it something powerful or something that helps you hide?

Cecile: I think people look at it one of two ways. You either wear black and feel very powerful and very bold, or you wear black and feel kind of shielded and more closed off. So I think it's very interesting the way that people use black because they're like two complete polar opposites like. Either you wear it to hide yourself or you wear it to kind of pronounce like, “I’m here!”, Like I said before, you can have the little black dress and you can have the Sex Pistols. You can have both. 

Do you find yourself learning towards neutrals or more bright colors when shopping or even getting dressed? Why? Is there maybe a cultural tie to this?

Cecile: Yeah, sure. There is always an explanation behind it. I would say that it’s like jeans, they try to make it different colors, but it always comes back to the blue. There are meaningful colors and I think the fact that the neutrals are called neutrals is interesting. The names you put with the colors are always interesting. And of course there is a history also and we all know that black is a very powerful color, but it's a very violent color. Maybe we are arriving at a time that we are looking at how the world outside is quite dark. The world outside is quiet. Maybe we need to have something that is in between. During the during the 80s and the 90s we used to have grey, but I think now when we're speaking about neutrals or naturals, we are not thinking of a mix of white and black; we are more thinking of something that is like of white, beige, those kind of tones. So it's more neutrals that are a bit more warm than the gray that we used to have during the 90s. 

During Covid, did you find yourself indulging in neutrals or bright colors? Why?

Cecile: The easy answer is to say neutrals because it's easier to use and it could be produced without dye, which we still have a very huge problem with. A sustainable problem with chemicals products for dying. People are not completely aware, but I think there will come a time that they will be aware that also having fabrics that are dyed can be very bad for their health. So maybe neutrals are going to win, but there there will be always. You know, this is life. These are human people. There will always be people that love bright colors. People there are,  I don't know, Extroverted, you know?  I'm not sure that we will be very happy with just one choice. I mean there will be a time where we will have no other choice but maybe in the future, when the materials are going to be hard to get. You will need to keep things for a very long time, when you will need to repair them to keep them for a longer time. We human beings are not very clever, and sometimes we need really to be, you know, to have the world just there to say, “OK. We can't do it anymore”. But until then, I think people are thinking that fashion is a way of expressing themself. And so if they still believe that, they still also believe that colors is also a way to express themself. So I think until we arrive at the moment where we don't have any more raw materials, any more chemicals or any more people that have money to buy stuff, then we’re going to have bright color as well. We're going to have colors. It's not going to go completely away. 

Do you think neutral colors and minimalism/capsule wardrobes go hand in hand?

Cecile: I mean Coco Chanel was wearing capsule wardrobe. Gucci was wearing capsule wardrobe. I mean, many people, Steve Jobs, you know, with the turtle neck, the black turtle neck. Mark Zuckerberg, with his very expensive Gray T-shirt. I mean, there was always for a certain number of people that liked the idea of it. It should be easy to dress up every morning so that you don't have to make so much of a choice so that you know what you're going to wear and you wear it. I think also, the idea of capsule wardrobe is, still very much here. But people are still shopping at Bershka, buying stuff at Shien and so on. I mean, it means that the vast majority of the world is not in capsule wardrobe. People are a bit more aware of the problem with fast fashion, but for many people, there is no problem, so they still go and buy the stuff that they are going to wear for, I don't know, one summer and then, you know, they just get rid of it. Or maybe they try to sell it back on Vinted. I would say that the capsule wardrobe, for me. is is a very good solution and I think it's something that is very peaceful. But you have to be OK with it, and you have to have enough self-confidence to know that it's not because you are not following the latest fast fashion trend that you're going to be out of the game, you don't need to follow that latest trendy whatever jeans, whatever top crop, whatever. I think the problem is that globally, the society in our Western world, is not is not given the tools of self-confidence and so that's why the situation is bad; because they are in a bad mood because they are depressed or whatever. They go and they buy, for a couple of euros, whatever kind of small garments. You know, new T-shirts and new shirts, whatever. And this is the part of the problem. So until we are working on self-confidence and people can’t be independent in the way they dress themselves and not following trends. 

Do you feel overwhelmed by the media or hectic social world and does it affect the way you present/dress yourself?

Cecile: People may feel overwhelmed by the media or just by the outside world in general. That kind of transcends into them, presenting themselves and dressing themselves more. I had a talk the other  day with a psychologist. She told me that somehow, our brain is not made to deal with so much information. As many as we have now, I mean, we know everything- we know what's happening in Ukraine, we know what's happening in China. So we know so many things. Somehow too much information and we get drunk with this information. We are seeing it in home decoration, but at the same time we are seeing two large trends; one towards more minimalism, a but like the Marie Kondo style, you know, to get rid of stuff, try to have really things that you need and not too much, and more neutral colors and so on. At the same time, we have a trend which is about maximalism. So you have minimalism, but you have maximalism. I think some people are thinking about sustainability also as something that you can bring into your own place. So that your own place can be more sustainable. So it does not mean that it all needs to be natural colors, but it's means that you don't have too much information. Not too many objects, so that at least your own place can be a a place where you can slow down. To have something that is not too bright and and you know sparkling, that it's a bit more peaceful, that you have a place where you can rest. 

Additional Comments

 I see my job as helping people to be more aligned with what we all need, which is a sustainable future. So I think the problem is that now, by using this speedness in fast fashion and ultra fast fashion, the world trend is  meaningless and it's even dangerous. And I think also patterns can be also an interesting way for women to impose themselves. Patterns is something interesting because it's bringing colors but not just one flat color,

Laura: I studied fashion design in Madrid and then moved to New York and ended up in a company, that starting off selling scarfs. We were designing the prints and they were really bright and colorful which is why I really liked that company. Then, we started a women’s wear collection which was amazing. I then moved to London and ended up in Fyodor Golan, which actually closed up a few years ago. They were also super bright and colorful and played a lot with colors.

How would you describe your sense of style? Who/What has influenced this?

Laura: My sense of style is “wear everything”. It doesn’t matter if it matches or not, if it makes a little bit of sense then it will be great. It doesn’t matter if people on the street turn around and criticize you, its okay- Its actually better. So wear absolutely everything. Big headbands with big earrings and a colored necklace, everything, everything is gonna be great. I was vert influenced by my mom since I was little. She always told me everything was fine and that it didn’t matter if you weren’t like your classmates. They’re basic and you are a star, basically. I do also have my grandma that literally wears everything, every single day so it makes me feel great. It makes me feel like colors and mixing and matching and having a bomb of color for everyday is amazing.

What does color mean to you?

Laura: It’s a way to sell, it’s a way to show emotions. It’s how we live, how we perceive our life. It’s a way to cheer me up. I really love bold colors and when you live in the south of anywhere, whether that be Spain or Italy, wherever it’s warm, the brighter the color, the brighter you are. It’s very sunny in the Canary Islands, where i’m from and live ,and it’s just not the same wearing a bright jacket in London as wearing a bright color in the canary islands. The colors are never the same and when the sun hits, the colors are exceptional, like you’re shining everywhere. 

Do you wear colors depending on ur mood?

Laura: Yes definitely, there are times that I feel blue and I literally wear navy blue because i’m not feeling myself. Normally I wear a lot of colors and depending on how happy I am, I wear more colors. There are also times where i’m not feeling myself but I use colors to cheer myself up because theres no way i’m living that day as sad as I am inside.

What colors do you indulge in the most?

Laura: Bright blue, hot pink and green. I think right now whites as well but its a matter of trends. Whites just attract me a lot. Mixing all these colors can be a bit of craziness that makes other people look at you. I don’t mind, and I do understand that people use more neutral colors, like browns or blacks, grey, but i’m not anything like that.

How does the color black make you feel? Is it powerful or something that helps you hide?

Laura: I use a lot of black. I’m not gonna lie, I really like black. I think because of my background (in fashion), i’ve been taught that black is a sober and very sophisticated color that you must be wearing all the time. Although, I don’t use it as much as people in the (fashion) industry use it. 

Do you find yourself leaning towards neutrals or more bright colors?

Laura: I’ve definitely had my times. There was one period where I was always wearing neutral colors and always buying neutral things, but over the years, i’ve learned that you have to be playful. You have to wear what you’re not going to wear tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what people are going to think of you. So right now, i’m more bright colors, more patterns, more whatever. Could be checkers with flowers or flowers with stripes; everything goes.

Is there maybe a cultural tie to the way you dress?

Laura: I dont think so, I think it’s just a way of living. It’s when you’re getting inspiration from instagram or wherever you see it. I tend to be more attracted to those people that wear everything, where it makes no sense but it does make sense. All bright colors are okay, everything mixed is greater than neutral colors. I do love neutral colors but I don’t think Im able to pull them off just because of how attracted I am to bright colors right now. I can’t see myself wearing neutrals. 

During covid, did you find yourself indulging in neutrals or brighter colors?

Laura: I dont think i’m the best example, since I did actually have to go to work every single day. It wasn’t a moment of showing off, people were either working from home or not working at all. There are moments to show up and this was not that moment. Anything was okay but not everything was okay, meaning like okay dress up but don’t exaggerate. 

Have you noticed a trend in the rise or decline of color in the fashion industry?

Laura: Im not sure if it’s because of covid but yes, definitely . Right now, there is a trend of really bright colors. Bright orange, bright blue, bright pink. There is clearly a trend of bright colors and textures and prints. 

Do you feel overwhelmed by the media or hectic social world and does it affect the way you present/dress yourself?

Laura: I don’t feel overwhelmed but I do check it all the time. I see a lot of things everyday and there’s a point where you can feel overwhelmed. But in my case, it’s a platform for inspiration and for what’s next or new. I think there are trends that are moving really fast all the time but I think that can be great. It just shows how the world is moving right now. There’s of course times that I wish the world were moving slower but people are presenting themselves on social media all the time and I think its great that we can find so much inspiration on a daily basis There are times that I envy people who are wearing new stuff all the time but I don’t think thats a regular person life so you can’t compare yourself to  a social media influencer at all. It’s not real life so I dont feel overwhelmed but I do find inspiration in it.

Any additional comments:

Elliot, Andrew J., and Markus A. Maier. “Color and Psychological Functioning.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 16, no. 5, 2007, pp. 250–54. JSTOR, http:// www.jstor.org/stable/20183210. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.