Images Magazine Digital Edition February 2019

www.images-magazine.com 30 images FEBRUARY 2019 Dyeing to be different MARKET INTELLIGENCE A t a time when politics is fraught, distrust of people in power is at a high and protesting via slogans on T-shirts is a part of everyday life, it makes sense that our choice of clothes reflects this by opting for a colouring technique that was made famous in the 1960s and 1970s by peace - loving hippies who wanted to rebel against being ‘part of the machine’. Creating unique patterns on fabrics and secondhand garments allowed them to express their individuality and rejection of the capitalist system. Last seen en masse in the 90s, when it was adopted by the surf community and uni students riding the ‘baggy’ wave, tie-dye has been slowly infiltrating the fashion scene in the past couple of years, reaching a crescendo at the SS19 shows. Sharon Bell, product manager at the wholesale tie- dye brand Colortone, comments: “The spring 2019 catwalks were peppered with the popular rebel print, from Prada’s dresses, blazers and hoodies to Stella McCartney’s T-shirts and two-pieces.” R13 went full-on rainbow with its blazers and T-shirts, Calvin Klein teamed tie-dye-lined wet suits with Jaws-inspired tees, and Eckhaus Latta showed dip-dyed and tie- dyed denim. The high street has been quick to pick up on the trend. “We’ve seen the likes of Converse, Zara and Urban Outfitters tapping into the tie-dye trend for 2019; Asos has also been selling tie-dye T-shirts, Champion is offering tie- dye hoodies, and Stüssy has a full collection of tie-dye styles ranging from socks and hats to shorts and shirts,” says Sharon. Paul Godfrey, director of group sales at Tshirt Group, which has a trade dyeing facility in Stoke-on-Trent, comments: “All of the major design Colortone’s Rainbow Tie-Dye Hoodie is available in three colourways Tie-dye, intrinsically linked with 1960s hippies, was splashed across the SS19 catwalks. We take a closer look at what promises to be a defining decoration technique of 2019