Trends and tendencies: what fashion trends can we expect in 2022?

Natasha Balabanova , founder, owner of the Beauty salon brand Natasha Balabanova, President of the international organization of elite hairdressers Intercoiffure Ukraine, Fashion coordinator region ICD Europe, Ambassador Balmain Paris Hair Couture, winner of the Highest award Order de la Chevalerie Commander, is part of the Artistic Team ICD Mondial, creating annual global trends

Trend and trend - what's the difference?

A trend is the direction in which change develops. Special agencies have been making trend forecasts for a long time. They analyze the influence of modern art, architecture, predicting tomorrow's trends and helping major brands make business decisions.

The resulting predictions influence everyone - from hair dryer manufacturers to highly specialized companies that create special new technical approaches in the field of beauty to present hair texture and color in hairstyles more creatively.

The most famous agencies are Trend Union (Paris), its founder Lee Edelkoort is the main trendsetter of the world, the company WGSN - World Global Style Network (London 1998) or the fashion industry's favorite Pantone (New York 1950), whose task is to predict the future in the field of fashion , retail, lifestyle, interiors, industrial design, scents, cinema and music.

This is a large-scale and completely controllable process that affects all areas of our lives. The life of one trend, as a rule, lasts from 3 months to 1-2 years.

If a trend lasts longer - from 2 to 10 years, it can already be considered a stable trend. This is something that is tested by time and people.

And not every trend can develop into a trend. Well, if the latter lasts for years, then it, in turn, becomes a “classic”, no longer subject to current trends and remaining always relevant.

How are trends formed?

I will name four stable trends that influence the desire to reproduce in appearance:

1. Personalization

2. Gender blur

3. Creative manifesto

4. Ecolife, human nature

The most interesting thing is the creative mechanism for developing trends. Having experience, I can reveal some information about this.

Every year, based on the trends created by the agencies (always four directions), fashion product photo shoots and backstage videos are prepared, followed by show shows and master classes on the directions of fashion development and the main trends.

Each direction has its own code of self-expression in style, inspiration and its own special dictating energy.

For example, while working on the Fashionista trend for Intercoiffure in 2017, I was inspired by the K-pop music genre, which originated in South Korea and incorporated elements of Western electropop, hip-hop and dance music.

So many combinations! Behind this lies the complexity and inventiveness of an energetic and youthful style, a synthetic sense of the world. As a result, we suggested making the hair bright - neon blue color combined with short and daring haircuts.

Now it’s 2022, and I can say that this trend has firmly taken hold and has become a Creative Manifest trend. The search for combinations of bright colors is still present and supports his spirit of the times.

What trends to expect in 2022?

I would say that a special leitmotif of next year’s hair trends is practicality with a creative personal code of self-expression.

I proceed from my observations of how, over these 2 years, the world of preferences has been driven by universality and at the same time resourceful individual personalism. We are talking about a fast and convenient, comfortable and at the same time extraordinary approach.

What combinations of solutions are possible?

- Very long hair, perfectly even, mono-colored, but all hair is covered with volume powder with fine shimmering shiny effects.

- Low buns at the back of the head, decorated in strands of rope, leather, chains, creating a futuristic effect.

- Very short haircuts with a choppy effect along the entire length, reminiscent of a “cut your own hair” look.

- Curly, well-organized curls with a wet effect, silhouettes of the Latin letter A, with a blunt bob cut to the shoulders, universal as a unisex option.

- Men prefer curls of different lengths, with the effect of negligence.

- Many accessories in hairstyles, jewelry, elements of chic and grotesque.

Today and in the future we will allow ourselves more and more. Hair will become a boom, around which there will be versatility in the use of technologies with hair textures - the search for shapes and color options, variety in a variety of styling.

The familiar bob shapes and graduated layers will give rise to new wearing options. Non-standard approaches to hairstyles - replacing the simple with the unpredictable.