An indepth look at the key trends, products and colours for Spring Summer 2018.

1. SS2018 FASHION TRENDS 2017

2. We are not a fashion agency and yet the influence of fashion (starting
at ‘Fashion Week’) permeates nearly everything in retail - from the
colours we use to brand through to the clothes or homewares on
sale. We decided to compile a trend analysis for Spring-Summer
2018 in the hopes that you - as retailers - find it of use and a means
to stay abreast of the larger trends effecting the industry and most
importantly the consumer + the culture they live within.
2
Pippa Kulmar, Co-Director RetailOasis

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SS2018
Retailoasis inaugural report on the key
trends and colours from NY, London,
Milan + Paris fashion week. We expect
these to hit Australia from the mid next
year (in time with the North Hemisphere’s
Summer) - although there will be hints of
these sooner in fast fashion collections.

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CONTENTS
p 32-69p 5 - 31
Colour
KEY COLOUR WAYS FOR
SPRING SUMMER 2018
Trend
KEY TRENDS FOR THE
SEASON
p 70-78
p79 p 80
Product
CORE ITEMS FOR THE
COMING SEASON
Overview
ONE PAGER ON THE
SEASON
Contact
MORE INFORMATION
ON TRENDS
how to use this report

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COLOUR
Image Source: Vogue

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SS18 was a big departure from the pastel
softness of previous seasons. There was a
strong move into bold, immersive hues
(primary and secondary colours)- with
more limited use of washed-out tones.
The only real exceptions being the use of
pinks and lilacs. This bravery culminated
in the use of colour blocking across every
major designers show.
Prada

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Prada
SS16 SS18
tones + hues dominant primary + secondary dominant
THE COLOUR SHIFT
pastel to bold

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COLOUR TRENDS
6 core areas
Optimistic Yellow Gen Z Purple
Primary Red
Millennial Pink
Monochromatic Analogous
Blocking

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MILLENNIAL PINK
Tom ord

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It started with the iPhone ‘rose gold’ and
has become the unofficial colour of a
generation. We thought after the amount
of Millennial Pink (Dusty Pink, Rose Quartz
etc) on the runway last Spring it would be
over…but it seems we were a little
premature. Pretty much every show
featured this muted pink. Only thing to
note is as with all colours this season,
Millennial Pink was given richer, deeper
colour boosts in key shows like Tom Ford
and Gucci. Expect to see these deeper
hues come back in SS19.
Sketch London

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MillennialPink
Core dusty (millennial)
pink continues to reign
across catwalks from
Valentino to Dior

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Transitioning
Moving to more intense
peach and pink. We
expect to see these
deeper hues next season

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Fendi Missoni
Kenzo
THE PINK SHIFT
from dusty to deep
DUSTY PINK DEEPER PINK
past seasons and current current and future seasons

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OPTIMISTIC YELLOW
Versace

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Maybe it’s a sign of the dark political times
- and our need for some optimism - or
simply the fact it’s Spring and we’re
breaking out of Winter - but rich Yellows
were all over the catwalk. Used in intense
colour blocks or whole outfits (a la
Versace). In fact when it was used it was
not done sparingly. Yellow is synonymous
with happiness, royalty and optimism.
Unlike millennial pink, we imagine that this
rich yellow will land as accents on
garments and maybe a one off statement
piece in mass fashion.
Balenciaga

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sunnyside-up
Yellow colourways stem
from neon through to a
burn yellow. Often
paired with black

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GEN Z PURPLE

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In the wake of the popularity of Millennial
Pink everyone is looking for that next ‘it’
colour. On the back of this there’s been
plenty of discussion about Gen Z Purple
(get it- the generation below Gen Y). This
showed up on the catwalk as a dusty lilac
(a direct call to the muted rose gold that
is Millennial Pink) through to a more 80’s
nuanced intense purple. Expect this
colour to become secondary to millennial
pink in the mass fashion colour palette,
although we don’t think it will be as big
of a hit as it’s counterpart.
Gucci

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nextgenpurple
From dusty lilac through
to intense 80s power
purple (+ almost
magenta).

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MONOCHOMATIC
Saint Laurent

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Monochromatic - aka the mixing of black
and white - seems to be a hit most seasons
and let’s face it’s hard to get wrong - it’s
totally wearable. This season we were
literally seeing black and white for nearly
half the show at Balmain and Saint Laurent.
We guess what was different from the drama
of past seasons (think Alexander Wang’s last
all white Balenciaga show) was how it was
mixed-up with technicolour across a whole
show. Black and white showed up this
season as colour blocking and even as
checkered patterns (a la Dior - see left).
Dior

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Colourblock
Let’s start with classic
colour blocking and
black + white fabrication.

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Patterns
Moving on to prints and
patterns on fabric to add
complexity to the
monochrome trend.

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PRIMARY RED
Alexander McQueen

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It was a throw back to that 80s Valentino
Red on the catwalk. It was red as a
primary colour and a sign of dominance,
exceedingly feminine but in a more
vampish way than the ‘pretty girl’
Millennial Pink. Red fits into a larger trend
in product around the return to the 80s
(pg. 39). Red was used for whole outfits -
from dresses to suits - not broken apart by
other colour blocks. We expect this colour
to show up in mass fashion as part of the
colour blocking trend ie. broken up as a
red top with a muted skirt, but not just as
an accent like yellow.
Alexander McQueen

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seeingred
un-muted, rich and
vibrant, occasionally
appearing in ombre
fades.

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ANALOGOUS
BLOCKING
Prabul Gurung

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Colour blocking is nothing new - it is a
persistent trend. Traditionally, it was the
idea of taking colours that are opposed on
the colour wheel and combining them. But
this season designers broke the rules and
started to colour block with colours next to
each other (think red and pink). The
difference from previous years comes back
to the hues that were used - which were
dense and pure - not pastel. Ultimately
creating a powerful statement on the
wearer - aka. you can’t help but notice that
person. Colour blocking this season is a
power move.
Zero Maria Cornejo

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colouringin
Focused analogous
colour blocking instead
of looking for opposite
colours.

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Preen
Rock Owens Prada Tom Ford
SHIFT IN COLOUR BLOCKING
from opposites to complements
COLOUR BLOCKING ANALOGOUS BLOCKING
past seasons and current current and future seasons

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COLOUR TRENDS
6 core areas
Optimistic Yellow Gen Z Purple
Primary Red
Millennial Pink
Monochromatic Analogous
Blocking

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TRENDS
Louis Vuitton

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SS18 brought forward many trends that will
no doubt effect all areas of retail - the most
notable was the evolution from beautifully
feminine to confidently mundane, as
exampled through the the rise of ‘athluxe',
and the rethinking of basics like the trench
and denim. This trend has been driven by
Demna Gvasalia (of Balenciaga and
Vetements). We were also struck by the
influence of Alessandro Michelle (of Gucci)
- who’s notorious mismatching of fabrics
and ‘ages’ has become his signature. This
has cascaded into fashion in a larger way
through the rise of what we’re calling
‘power clashing’. All in all, SS18 is not a
season about being pretty but one about
self-expression and confidence; embracing
+ making beautiful what would once be
seen as mundane.
Gucci

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TRENDS
10 core areas
Ath-Luxury The 80s
Called…
Power
Clashing
Wonder Women The FringePretty Ugly All Plaid
Everything
Flora Double
Denim
Deconstructed
Trench

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ATHLUXE
Valentino

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Hello to Athluxe - aka the answer to ‘what
next now with Athleisure?’ Athluxe is
basically the elevation of ordinary practical
sportswear (from gym to outdoor) -
reimagined through the use of luxury (aka
less technical) fabrics and styled with more
high-end items like high heels at Valentino
or regal jackets at Louis Vuitton. This is
high fashion’s answer to casualisation - or
how one might get away with wearing
something comfortable to a Black Tie
dinner. We love this trend and expect it to
help boost brands that start to reimagine
activewear for occasions outside of the
gym - in particular a Saturday night.
Isabel Marant

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the‘run’way
remixing active wear (in
high quality fabrics) with
dressedup jackets and/
or shoes to create
athluxe

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HOW TO ATHLUXE?
key components
luxe fabric add heelsmix and match or luxe kicks
Louis VuittonBottega VenetaValentino Louis Vuitton

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THE 80s CALLED
Chanel

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The 80s were back en force - and not just at
Versace, where Donatella dedicated the show
to her brother Gianni on the 20 year
anniversary of his death (the tribute included
the ‘original supermodel’ gang back
together). On top of this tribute, shoulder
pads grew, tailoring got tighter and added to
that colours got bolder (see p.7), all in all this
meant that the 80s were back. What do we
think this means for more commercial
fashion? That nostalgia will reign supreme,
from hints of shoulder pads in dresses to bold
opulent Versace-reminiscent patterns on t-
shirts and accessories. In an ironic turn of
events, the people buying these items will
most likely be those born after the 80s.
Saint Laurent

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ring,ring…
deconstructing key 80s
items like shoulder pads
and puffy dresses or
paying homage to past
house designs.

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POWER CLASHING
Prada

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Oh power clashing! Let’s start with what is power
clashing? According to the Urban Dictionary it’s
‘combing clothes (+ patterns and colours) that
according to style etiquette do not go together.
Doing this as a powerful figure will result in
people unquestionably approving of your
fashion sense’ lol! As reference the term came
about on the TV show 30 Rock (written by Tina
Fey). Anyway it’s hit it’s stride, thanks for
Alessandro Michel’s (of Gucci) unconventional
way of bringing patterns and ideas from
different historical eras together. After a couple
of seasons of doing this very successfully, other
designers have followed - ditching the fashion
rules and showing that bravery and confidence
are a must in order for this trend to work. It will
be a hard one for mass fashion to truly pull off
without directly copying an existing reference
like Gucci or Prada.
Valentino

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clash!bang!
Mixing and matching
patterns so they totally
clash - animal print and
flowers, oriental prints
with checks…

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who did it best?
Prada Dries Van Noten Balenciaga Gucci
HOW TO POWER CLASH?

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FLORA
Marni

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It’s a bit like that famous line from the Devil Wears
Prada, where Miranda says ‘florals for spring…
groundbreaking’, well it seems that SS18 didn’t
disappoint and lay on the florals thick and fast.
From large prints at Prada to soft feminine flowers
at Alexander McQueen, it’s a definitive and, dare
we say, perennial trend for Spring. In mass fashion
we expect this to show us as patterned fabrics, as
well as graphic treatment on t-shirts and
accessories…perhaps mixed with the more
masculine ‘Wonder Women’ trend to create
something quite unexpected.
Alexander McQueen

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timetoflower!
Flower embroidery and
prints from stockings to
heels. Using florals the
way they’re always used
in Spring!

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DOUBLE DENIM
Dior

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It’s been a while since denim has really been a
big thing, maybe because of our obsession with
athleisure (which is now athluxe) - but it seems
it’s back and in a big way. Not only was denim
brought to life as jeans, but the Canadian
tuxedo (aka double denim) showed up as well as
the occasional denim dress. This season was
about taking a wardrobe staple fabric and
rethinking it’s use. Expect denim to show us with
renewed interest SS18, and perhaps giving lycra
a run for it’s money.
Chanel

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indi-go!
Denim showed up
across the catwalk from
Chanel to Tom Ford, no
one was afraid to
double it up either.

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PRETTY UGLY
Vetements

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Pretty Ugly is a trend that does what it says. It’s all
about making the mundane fashionable. Made
famous by Demna Gvasalia designer of Vetements
and Balenciaga - who collaborated with DHL,
Reebok, Juicy Couture, Champion, Hanes etc to
turn everyday, mass brands into high-end
fashion…Oh and we nearly forgot to mention the
Ikea bag he designed for Balenciaga. This
collection hit the fashion world a couple of years
ago and since then the idea of ugly fashion has
taken shape. We love this trend because it shows
that anything can be fashionable when it’s worn
with confidence and individual creative direction.
Probably the single biggest shock this season was
Gvasalia’s reworking of the dreaded Croc for
Balenciaga (see left) which will no doubt help this
brand come back into fashion. This trend requires
mass fashion brands to take a chance on ugly and
use creative direction with confidence.
Balenciaga

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beautifullyugly!
Appropriating what’s
considered
‘unfashionable’ or ‘ugly’
to be high fashion and
acceptable!

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it’s mainly about the appropriation
old school collabs shoes +socks Crocs Bum Bag
HOW TO BE PRETTY UGLY?
prada Balenciaga GucciVetements

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WONDER WOMEN
Versace

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Fashion is often influenced by culture and politics
- it’s a great indicator of the Zeitgeist. Thanks to
movies like Wonder Women (which presented a
strong female role model not afraid to use her
femininity as well as fight) and issues like equally +
the March on Washington for female rights etc. it’s
no surprise that this next generation feminism
showed up on the catwalk - dressed for battle in
studded shoes and dresses that almost doubled
as armour. We expect this to be the start of a
longer trend in fashion (and culture) where the
female is represented as almost a model Athena
(Greek Goddess of War). This will show us through
the clash of masculine and feminine - like corsetry,
Greek mythological cues, studs on accessories,
boots, knuckle rings, fabrics that look like metal
and shirts that make political statements .
Dior

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GoGirl!
Gearing up for battle -
lots of greek references,
and accessories +
highlights that look like
armour.

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FRINGING
Loewe

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More an embellishment than a straight up trend
but fringing was everywhere from Celine to
Chanel. It was featured on dresses through to
accessories. We particularly love Raf Simon’s
homage to cheer leader pom-poms at Calvin
Klein - turning them into bags (left) and crazy
dresses. We expect that fringing will pop-up in
mass fashion in a big way, whether that’s small
detail on tops or jackets or on accessories to
give them a more seasonal feel.
Calvin Klein

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getfringed!
adding fringing to basic
items - bags to dresses -
to make them more
seasonal and give them
movement.

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ALL PLAID
EVERYTHING
Marc Jacobs

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It’s a season of plaid and tartan. The fabric was
used to power clash with other opposites (like
animal print, stripes or flowers) or for entire outfits.
It’s an interesting pattern to show up in Spring,
given it’s connotations with colder weather
because it’s typically made of wool. Expect to see
plaid popping up in Spring in new darker tones -
with little reference to it’s famous forefather
Burberry. This is an easy trend to adapt and copy -
or even mix and match different colours on tops
and bottoms.
Balenciaga

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Plaiditup!
Plaid from jackets, to
dressed to whole outfits,
making Spring look like
the Scottish Highlands.

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DECONSTRUCTED
TRENCH
Maison Margiela

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It was interesting to note how many
reinterpretations of the classic trench turned
up on the catwalk. It was deconstructed and
re-appropriated with new materials. It seems
that the trench will be a ‘must have’ item for
SS18 and beyond (perhaps replacing the
bomber). Interesting to note that Burberry
underplayed it during their AW17 (buy from
the catwalk) presentation - when really it
should be theirs to own. We expect to see
brands making more of the trench and
playing around with it’s fit and fabrication
Alexander McQueen

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newtrenchwhodis?
The classic trench was
torn apart, embroidered,
given new fabric etc.

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how to deconstruct a trench
Maison Margiela Loewe Celine Balenciaga
OUR FAVOURITE EXAMPLES.

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TRENDS
10 core areas
Ath-Luxury The 80s
Called…
Power
Clashing
Wonder Women The FringePretty Ugly All Plaid
Everything
Flora Double
Denim
Deconstructed
Trench

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PRODUCT
Image Source: Vogue

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KEY PRODUCTS
6 core areas that are more focused than trends
go go boots luxe kicks shoes + socks
short shortspower suit sheer dress
accessories
clothing

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GO-GO BOOTS
boots got flat and knee high
Dolce + Gabbana Paco Rabanne Chloe Dior
Chanel Dior Saint Laurent Tom Ford

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LUXE KICKS
luxury adaptations of the common sneaker
Rock Owens Loewe Alexander Wang Louis Vuitton
Valentino Louis Vuitton CelineDolce + Gabbana

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SHOES + SOCKS
add socks to luxe shoes
Fendi Dolce & Gabbana Missoni Preen
Rock Owens Prada Kenzo Tom Ford

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Ralph Lauren Christian Dior Haider Ackermann Acne
Gareth Pugh Versace Chloe Dries Van Noten
POWER SUIT
power pose in a power suit

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Saint Laurent Prada Louis Vuitton Bottega Veneta
Prada Saint Laurent Dior Gucci
SHORT, SHORTS
Shorts getting real short and a bit sporty

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Mui Mui Calvin Klein Gucci Maison Margiela
Sonia Rykiel Balmain Y/Project Fendi
SHEER DRESS
layering dresses using sheer fabrics

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KEY PRODUCTS
8 core areas that are more focused than trends
go go boots luxe kicks shoes + socks
short shortspower suit sheer dress
accessories
clothing

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Spring
Summer
2018
OVERVIEW
COLOURTRENDPRODUCT
Millennial
Pink
Optimistic
Yellow
Gen Z
Purple
Mono-
Chromatic
Primary
Red
Analogous
Blocking
Ath-Luxe 80s Called Power Clashing Flora Double Denim
Pretty Ugly Wonder Women The Fringe
All Plaid
Everything
Deconstructed
Trench
Go Go Boots Luxe Kicks Shoes + Socks Power Suit Short, Shorts Sheer Dress

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