
PERFORMANCE COLORS by Nora Kühner
Spring/Summer 2023
TURNAROUND
The Spirit of the Season
Bounce back or turnaround? Nothing is set in stone any longer. And our yearning to return to pre-pandemic times is just a dream. The New Normal is not the way things used to be before the pandemic. It is the increasing number of catastrophic floodings, heat waves, landslides, wildfires and other unpredictable occurences. Dreams of returning to the familiar comfort zones we lived in before Covid-19 are unveiling a lack of fantasy and will to think anew, to adapt to the shifting reality and to craft new visions of the human future on Earth.
The overarching macro themes won´t disappear. There are no easy solutions on offer. We have to reverse course. Our industry, too, has to reassess its values and revamp the structures and processes. As creatives we have to imagine new viable scenarios and fresh narratives. Where will our creative journey go to? What and how should we create? Clothing is a basic human need – with the outlook for evermore extreme living conditions we have to ask ourselves: what clothing performance will be needed? What kind of equipment?
Our color selection for summer 2023 rises from the growing cautious optimism. The pandemic has left its marks but the pull of life is getting stronger. The result is a lust for color – bright colors radiate ease and energy. But a desire for a slow-down and the search for more silence are also clearly palpable. We see the clear impact of on-screen coloring - the luminescence of digital color cannot be ignored. The more, as constantly increasing business opportunities in dressing-up virtual life become apparent.
Uncertainties and opposition will accompany us on the journey to a future different from what we once imagined. But it is the only way to move forward on unexplored paths and to build a responsible and sustainable future for our densely intertwined world. Let´s dare the turnaround!