Vacation attire was a defining theme during the Men’s Spring/Summer 2022 and Resort 2022 Fashion Weeks. It was so prevalent throughout designers’ collections, in fact, that our fashion experts labelled this theme “Vacation Mode” with varying criteria outlining the theme itself. Some brands opted for a psychedelic, funky twist on typical beach attire, while others reflected an outdoorsy, bohemian sensibility inspired by the outdoors with a renewed appreciation for freedom.
As a sneak peek of Vacation Mode, let’s look at a few trends from this theme and how they’re forecasted to behave during the Summer 2022 season.
Trendy pants: Bleached denim for SS22
Bleached Denim was quite popular during the men’s collections this season, evidenced by brands including Isabel Marant, Louis Vuitton, and Balenciaga adopting this wash for all of their denim garments. This large-scale push away from darker shades is reflected in our forecasted data for Summer 2022: bleached denim is predicted to rise in visibility by +7% compared to Summer 2021 among men in Europe. Combined with its big magnitude — in other words, its big market demand potential — we consider bleached denim to be a safe bet.
Additionally, its segmentation leans towards mainstream and trendy audiences, which signals an already widespread adoption of the fabric among consumers. This is most likely due to the easy adaptability of silhouettes among the men’s bleached denim garments from these SS22 and Resort ‘22 collections. Indeed, pants are the top product category for bleached denim for the Summer 2022 season, with some leeway for outerwear.
Diffusion dye is the ideal vacation print
Tie dye has reigned supreme for many seasons now, but this Summer 2022, there’s a new version to freshen up brands’ collections and consumers’ closets. Our fashion experts call it diffusion dye, a take on tie dye which entails subtler colors who are seemingly “diffused” together on the fabric. This trend, with its soft color transitions, seems to have been adopted quite readily by the menswear market, as evidenced by our data: diffusion dye is predicted to remain flat among male consumers in Summer 2022 compared to last Summer at a growth rate of -2%.
Additionally, the print appeals to all consumer segmentations, indicating to brands that they can get creative with their iteration of the print regardless of their audience. Brands such as OAMC, for instance, expertly combined diffusion dye with the pastel trend, while brands such as Louis Vuitton opted for diffusion dye in more fluorescent hues. With the wide array of color options for diffusion dye in mind, brands should opt for pants and tops in this print for the Summer 2022 season.
Thong sandals for the Summer
Thong Sandals were the footwear choice for many designers in the Resort ‘22 and Spring Summer ‘22 shows. Borrowing from their original beachy purpose, brands like Sunnei and Lanvin opted for classic flip-flops, while Jil Sander opted for a more luxurious woven leather version.
At Officine Genérale, however, the thong sandal was featured in a more grecian style with a leather corded lace-up around the ankle, while other brands opted for a thong sandal with a sling-back heel. Sandals are of course the ultimate Vacation Mode shoe, perfect for hot beaches and sweltering city days.
Vacation mode: The top trend forecast
There are more trends to the Vacation Mode theme, including varying colors, prints, and silhouettes. The takeaway, though, is that:
These SS22 Fashion Weeks radiated the current collective sentiment of the fashion industry: excitement.
For the first time in many months, designers are creating clothing designed for going out, showing off, and feeling good. It’s no wonder our forecasts indicate trends like diffusion dye, bleached denim, and thong sandals — consumers are enjoying themselves, and their clothes reflect it.
