On a frigid December day in NYC, our brand marketing team was on a quest to uncover the hottest trends in design and fashion. You may be wondering why a stone company in the mid-Atlantic would trek up to the Big Apple on yet another trend-spotting trip.  If you’ve had a chance to spend time in our spaces in the mid-Atlantic or virtually, on our website,  or on social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter you’re probably not surprised at all.

Before I unveil some learnings and observations for 2012 Spring and Summer design themes, let me share a few words about our passion for meticulous design and setting trends in our industry. It’s very simple. 1) We love incorporating stone into precious, distinctive and collectable designs. 2) Trend spotting fuels our spirit – it redefines our futures.

Charles Luck has a thirst for learning and leading – gaining an authoritative knowledge within the stone industry and also in the architecture, design, fashion, luxury, and cultural spaces. At Charles Luck, we have been focusing on defining stone’s place in the world of architecture and design. Couple our hunger for information sharing with trend-setting, and you end up with Perspectives – an annual design guide we introduced to the industry last year.

I’m not going to list the themes of our 2011 Perspectives, premiering in February, but rather skip ahead to what we heard in New York about 2012 Spring and Summer trends in Fashion presented by the iconic global futurist Li Edelkoort and her company Edelkoort. When you think about fashion, think in these terms – colors, materials, patterns, textiles, styles and silhouettes.

Having said that, as most of you probably know, what happens in fashion has a domino effect on trends in our respective industries including design, architecture, décor and stone.

Li discussed the importance of the Earth and its impact on fashion and design. She gave an empowering speech about our responsibility to preserve and protect the Earth. What does this mean for us? It means that we have the responsibility to edit our collections and to be more meaningful and purposeful in our designs.

Here’s a glimpse of 2012 Fashion- and Design- musts:

-It’s all about tactility and texture

-Lines are going to cross from couture to casual

-The sense of adventure and active sports will be a major influencer

-The acts of kindness to mother nature are also going to play a major role in the fabrication and production

-Revival of beautiful intense colors: Blues will be seen everywhere and Yellow will be the new Pink

-3D Styles and waste will matter. “You will see beauty in waste.”

-The art and design in textile is becoming more important. Creativity in textile. “Tsunami of textile.”

This was just a taste of Li’s observations – are you able to envision how her insights will be translated on and off the runway? What are some things you’re seeing in your quest for the latest and greatest trends? Let us know. We’re always on the lookout.

You may also be interested in:

1. 
   Inspired by Fashion
2. 
   Visioning À Paris
3. 
   Revisiting 2010 and Forecasting 2011 Interior Design Trends