London is Going to the Dogs

On a retail trend-spotting tour of London last week, dogs seemed to be everywhere. They were seen in the shapes of items from giant erasers to flocked busts. Used in pattern, dogs popped up on aprons, tea towels, plates and platters, baking dishes, bedsheets and lots of cushions. They were the subject of books, greeting cards,…

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Earthy Hues at Guimarães Home Fashion Week

The first-ever Guimarães Home Fashion Week took place in Guimarães, Portugal in late June. It featured home-textiles products from 29 manufacturers that call this region home. Every company exhibiting at this event exuded a passion for textiles. They talked about the high quality towels, bathmats, robes, throws, curtails, kitchen towels, table linens, aprons quilts, sheets and…

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I’ve Got a Thing for Lambs

OK, I’ll admit it. With a last name like Lamb I’ve had a predisposition to loving these soft, wooly creatures all of my life—I’ve got a thing for lambs. But you don’t have to be one of my siblings or cousins to recognize that there are more lamb and sheep in the market now than there…

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The New Look of Red

Reds are getting a new look for 2017 and 2018. So says textile maker Sunbury Textile Mills. At the recent Showtime upholstery textiles market, this company revealed their forecast that future reds will trend toward their orange side. The Trend Curve agrees. Why? Because the foundation that drives everything in the world of color—neutrals—has already begun a…

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Stone-Washed Textures at Guimarães Home Fashion Week

Guimarães Home Fashion Week took place in Guimarães, Portugal in late June. It provided opportunities to see some of the newest and the best products from some 29 home-textiles manufacturers, who participated in this first-ever event and exposition. One Trend revealed in Guimarães was a stone-washed look. It came in colors like dark navy and…

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Bath Towel Update: Border Treatments at Guimarães Home Fashion Week

Pousada Santa Marinha, a restored 12th century Augustinian monastery, transformed into a luxury hotel, served as the trade-show venue for Guimarães Home Fashion Week. A group of 29 Portuguese manufacturing companies based near Guimarães showed their newest and best textiles there for more than 50 international buyers from around the globe. No matter the category—whether…

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Pucker Up!

Dimensional weaves were an important part of the 3-D story at the Showtime upholstery-textiles market. As related in the August 2016 issue of The Trend Curve, that included high/low weaves and cut-velvet looks. It also included incoming matelassé and other puckered constructions. These dimensional weaves are expected to build. They will not only add more…

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Yarn To Towel: A Story in Pictures

How does a towel go from yarn to finished product? Editors from Germany, Egypt, South Korea, Greece, Japan and the U.S. were invited in June to Guimarães, the most-important area of Portugal for household-textiles production, to see for themselves. It was all a part of Guimarães Home Fashion Week, a first-ever event dedicated to showcasing…

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Pompoms are On-Trend

Call them craft-inspired or Boho Chic. Either way, pompoms are getting lots of attention lately. The Trend Curve believes they are poised to get even more. Pompoms have already appeared as details on apparel, shoes and handbags. Now they are popping up on baskets, throws and cushions. They have appeared on products at the High Point…

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How Do You Say Blue?

How many ways are there to say BLUE? At the Ambiente 2016 trade fair, held in Frankfurt, Germany earlier this year, an exact number was difficult to pin down. That’s because there were so many types and personalities. They were found in products from dinnerware and decorative accessories to textiles and food-storage products. Almost every…

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