The main colors in menswear emphasize health trends

Dark red, navy blue and energizing green are the top three menswear hues for spring/summer 2024, as trend experts Carlin Creative, WGSN and Nelly Rodi predict. The forecasts align with trend reports provided by international textile trade fairs Premiere Vision and Texworld.

In the run-up to Men’s Fashion Week in London, Milan and Paris, it seems that the guiding theme is the pursuit of health, or inner well-being. It should be noted here that the sudden changes in the post-covid era have disrupted the lifestyle habits of consumers and the moods of society that have accompanied them. According to WGSN, the SS24 color reflects a period of realignment, in which consumers will adapt to rapid changes in society and technology. But uncertainty will remain a dominant force due to the ongoing economic, political and environmental crises.

Red indicates the current difficulty

Efficiency no longer dictates our world. The straight is no longer the highest. If the route is still unknown, we know that it will look winding. Pencils often have to be allowed to wander for designs to take shape,” Louis Grin & Grgory Lamaud, artistic directors of Texworld, explain.

This “winding pathway” is characterized by the deep red color that signifies the Dusk of the Future in 2025. Uncertain and uneven tones, ambiguous pigmentation and twisted hues bear witness to this change in state. They “generate chaos and turn doubt into creative force”, says Premiere Vision.

Visually, this translates into a predominance of crimson, carmine, brick, purple, garnet, tile, dark, and so on. Emotionally involved, it underscores the importance of being encouraged/stimulated. According to the WGSN, the color red is directly related to the economics of care. “Radiant Red” embodies the need to cultivate a more compassionate, caring and compassionate culture.

But red, of course, also represents passion, as Catherine Basquin, director of textile studio Nelly Rodi points out: “Red is energy, a feeling of warmth, the idea of ​​getting into a collective fever, of moving away from the conceptual to reconnect with primal instincts and authenticity. “.

Blue eases the transition to the world of the future

Diving into a sea of ​​freshness quite accurately encapsulates the groundbreaking blue that we have identified so clearly at the Premiere Vision exhibition in February 2023. Here, it’s about updating the colors traditionally associated with the male gender to move towards fluid, genderless tailoring, as the masculine/feminine distinction is no longer quite in the air (despite the rampant refeminization of women’s wardrobes).

Various types of blue indigo, klein, denim, electric, french blue, azure, and so on. – explores the need for stability and moderation, as consumers seek the right balance between work, leisure and the impact of digital technology in everyday life. This search is influenced by the impact of sport on spring/summer 2024 lifestyles. Maybe because of the 2024 Olympics?

That’s what the trendsetters at Carlin Creative envision: “The 2024 Olympics, being held in Paris, will be a spokesperson for consumer expectations and brands need to follow these values ​​by proposing an athletic-chic lifestyle.” Hence, urban diving is related to the desire for a fair game culture based on inclusivity, environmental responsibility, and accessibility. “Sports culture provides access to better well-being for all.”

Blue, from indigo to azure, also denotes a need for perspective, space, in the face of today’s turbulence, and a sense that we must continually respond to immediacy and alertness when, paradoxically, everything takes more time. According to Nelly Rodi, this is marked by the rise of outdoor tourism and the need to move.

Ultimately, the second exhale triggered by the ocean vapor translates the principle that “nothing dies, we only change form, use, sometimes name. We must learn to see again. Let ourselves be carried away. Accept the new contours of the world”. (Texworld).

Green reflects the return of calm

Here, multiplicity of possibilities is the only rule: let go, let things happen and give power to the imagination. Green trails, like ski slopes that are the easiest to walk on, signify our ability to adapt. Of course, this color can be associated with the green economy, the green capitalism (products designed to be environmentally friendly at the source) that will make this world viable.

But be warned, in spring/summer 2024, it’s about going beyond the limits of greenery inspired by the plant world sage, moss, olive, cypress to move towards strong chromatic vibrations, radiant green, intense, and brilliant that amplifies the joy of gathering. to celebrate shared values ​​of respect and equality.

WGSN calls it “cyber lime, near neon that can stimulate and energize the body and mind.” This signifies a strong connection between nature and technology. It invites us to be more concerned with nature, which is at the origins of new innovations in colors and biological materials.

Hence, an energetic, minty, lemony or yellowish green (especially for denim fabrics) but also lime green, to echo this Everything Clean, where physical and digital reality are interchangeable, blending organic form and synthetic realism.

This sharp aspect is combined with celadon and jade green explored by Nelly Rodi. From precious stones to fine ceramics, these colors go hand in hand with lithotherapy, which is believed to rebalance vital functions and contribute to the harmony of body and mind, or with the Latin American healing arts. They reminisce about “the grandeur of the ancients that brought joy back into modern society”. Pipe dream? Maybe, but we’d like to believe it, which is why this green stance is probably endorsed by the fashion industry from top to bottom.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and editing from French to English by Veerle Versteeg.