For the first part of my FCP summative project, I've had to research the emerging trend 'Native Nomads'. The trend has emerged from influences such as the Wild West, Clint Eastwood, western films and Pendleton. I actually really quite enjoy researching into trends and finding out where they've developed from. I've never focused on menswear either, which made it even more interesting.
In general, the trend is quite folky and includes neutral tones, layered styling and aztec-style patterns, which include geometric shapes and are consistent in colour with pops of reds, greens and yellows. The tones are quite saturated "with hues that appear burnt out, as if faded by spending miles under the sun", for example, the yellow shade 'Apple Cinnamon'. The materials appear to be strong and long lasting, such as the Krammer & Stoudt spotted jacket and are quite rug like, such as the Gyspy Sport striped shirt.
When styling the trend, you can accessories through boots, bags and hats, which are all very typical of the Wild West due to the fact that they are made out of brown leather and the hats can be seen as an extension of the cowboy hat.
I then looked beyond my general trend and began to look at influences. These included the actor and director Clint Eastwood, the film Django Unchained (directed by Quentin Tarantino), the artist Georgia O'Keeffe and the family owned business Pendleton Woollen Mills. Each of these has clearly influenced the trend in some way or another. For example, Clint Eastwood is practically the face of the Western film genre, Georgia O'Keeffe's famous skulls have been replicated in motifs within the Dolce & Gabbana A/W 16 catwalk and street style, and Pendleton directly studied the colour and design preferences of local Native Americans.
Once I had gathered enough research to see a steady link between the trend and historical and cultural references, I started to see how the trend had been communicated within the media and through street style. I can definitely see that the trend has been noticed, due to the fact that Vogue.com, GQ magazine and Fortitude magazine have all reported on it, as well as various blogs. However, in terms of street style, I don't think that it's particularly popular. When I asked people what they thought of the trend, many said that they couldn't see themselves buying into the trend, and some said that they'd probably wear elements of it, e.g. just a patterned shirt or a scarf, rather than going all out. After also having a look on street style websites such as lookbook.nu, I found that it was most popular in A/W 15 rather than this current year. This could possibly be because the trend is a bubble-up one ('essential' on WGSN), meaning that men on the street were wearing it before it hit the catwalk.
Overall, I've really enjoyed researching into the trend and being menswear it was a new challenge for me. I can confirm that the trend definitely exists, however it isn't as prominent as other menswear trends, such as a roll neck with a long line coat or skinny jeans with shearling jackets. It's quite a bold trend to wear and buy into, with only the most confident dresses choosing to style their clothes this particular way.
Georgia.xo
* Top photo is from WGSN, the rest of the photos are my own.
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