Trend.
Brand.
Outcome.
This post features my summative brief essay on Techno Futurism, Doc Martens and Space as an outcome; giving insights into their history as well as my opinion on them. Enjoy.
Techno Futurism is a very eclectic trend in my opinion. Ranging from Retro-Futurism in the fifties to the Cyberpunk trends of the 80s and 90s; a lot of it has also had effects on the film industry that has lead to creating the iconic looks of cult classics like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element. The usual elements found in this trend are transparents, metallics and geometrics that gives the trend a very unique and sharp look.
Retro-Futurism was a creative arts movement that showed off depictions of the future and their influences. Most pieces of design related to this style were characterised by blending old fashion retro styles with futuristic technology. Ultimately it explored the themes between the past and future, but yet depicted their ideal future as peaceful and bright, less of a realism and more of a fantasy.
Eighties Cyberpunk took the humans of the future in a realistic way over how they would like themselves to be. it was focused around new wave science fiction that evolved from its' predecessor Retro-futurism. It had many influences from the city Shibuya in Tokyo, inspiration was also taken from manga and anime such as Ghost In The Shell and Akira. This was ultimately the influence of the stylistics in Blade Runner. Now Cyberpunk is still relevant as designers have turned to a more structured approach to design that incorporates both maximal and minimal, a great example of this is the body suit made by Alexander McQueen that looks straight out of a Tron film.
Doc Martens are a very well known brand all over the world. Originally it was a German brand until a British company bought the patent for the shoe and grew the brand that many are loyal to. Their height of popularity began in the 1960s when Skinheads used to wear them (most co
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mmonly in navy and cherry red) during this time, due to the reputation of the group, they began to have negative connotations. These connotations travelled with the product into the seventies as more youth subcultures, such as mods and rockers, began to adopt the boot. As times moved on the Doc began to leave the reputation created by their consumers and attracted the likes of the hipster culture, and those who just wanted a really reliable shoe. Many people customise their Docs to suit them more; this is a trend developed in the 80s. This period of development is what Doc Martens themselves call the 'Revitalisation' period.
I asked a few people about the brand. A lot of them said they associated the brand with grunge, punk, but also feminist movements. Others also stated that they bought the shoes because of their reliability, however most of them also believed that it was time for the brand to have a revamp. They thought that the brand has been the same for too long. I quote "I just think that they have been the same for years and they need something WOW to stand out and bring people into the brand"
Spaces, in terms of fashion and design have been used in various different ways. From the very first catwalks in Paris during the 1800s to the fashion exhibitions in Seoul that depict it as not just fashion but as an art movement. A space can be used in the most minimal ways or the most maximal there are. A very popular way of using spaces has been pop up shops, a recent example being the Louis Vuitton x Supreme shop. Combining the classic high fashion house with the new street style movement really turned an eye to those of both markets and consumers.
One example of a way that a fashion line has been used in a space is the PEACEMINUSONE x Vogue Korea exhibition. This saw Korean rap artist G-Dragon show off his exclusive range of merchandise in an underground car park, as well as in the Seoul Museum of Art, lighting and murals lay as key parts of the atmosphere for the exhibit. It was an blend of art installation and
pop up. Focusing on aspects of art, philosophy, his ideals and mental health. Many people like events like this that push the ideals and interpretations of what design is. They are also a very good way of enticing the public and bringing them into a brand, especially those from the 'Gen-Vis' era.
I enjoyed this part of the brief. Exploring the background to a brand and trend allowed me to open my eyes to possibilities of using space for a promotional campaign, in a way that is different but true to the brand. In terms of my enjoyment, I love researching and learning new things about a topic so this was a very educational part of the process. Also, collecting images that correlate to information I have never known about brings me to visuals I have never seen, or would otherwise dismiss.
I wanted to look at each part of the brief individually; Techno Futurism, Doc Martens and Space. I delved into the world of each, finding the weird background facts to each, as well as the known facts. Finding the identity of each part. Researching their history, styling, visuals, current relevance and cultural relevance to the world. WGSN was a great starting point for the trend analysis, as it gave me insights into things I would never have seen elsewhere.
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