ELEMENT Women’s Streetwear FW 2021 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Women’s Streetwear FW 2021 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Element
Interviewee: Rey Gautier, Global Creative Director

How is the Women’s Streetwear market in Europe and where do you see the development going?
A long-awaited visible focus on combined men’s & women’s as a primary presence vs what was in the past much more male dominated on the face of it.

Less barriers and archaic codes applied, therefore much more interesting landscape across both women’s and men’s products.

For whom are we really designing? Youth. The consumer decides and the youth have always led the way in questioning any and all applied codes and rules temporary or long term defined by industry, this in turn creates a much broader, varied and interesting dynamic to the design process & market. Its fast and unpredictable. Unbalanced and yet contradictory in its stability in that one predictable aspect is that it is unpredictable, as it should be.

Skateboarding has been booming, does that coincide with more demand for streetwear?
There has been an evident increase in skateboarding and by default, this also draws a parallel with apparel and affiliated products. However, the beauty of skateboarding is that it evolves independently extremely fast, so whilst the demand for streetwear may benefit in some respects from the demand, the boom does not define the direction of either.

Have your supply chain and delivery schedule been impacted by the pandemic?
Fortunately, we have been able to work around this in finding solutions with suppliers we have strong and long-term partnerships with. Of course, adapting to new business models and rethinking what and how we do and reacting accordingly in the best interest for our consumer is a priority.

What are your main price points for next season?
The brand is doing strong commitment toward a more sustainable offer. Having Printable tees using 100% Organic cotton starting at 25€ is a strong call. Same on jackets with Recycled polyester using Repreve label starting at 130€.

Are you designing any specific products for the pandemic (facemasks, etc.)?
Our focus has remained on staying our course through skateboarding, culture and outdoor vs designing pandemic specific products. Sure, we designed and provided the necessary masks for staff & consumers, however, this is not the primary focus for the brand.

We spend a lot of time outdoors whether it be skateboarding or other activities, therefore the product is designed with this as its priority and as part of that natural process, protections from the elements is engrained within the process.

What are the main marketing stories and themes in your women’s streetwear line for FW 21?
The marketing stories are across the brand vs gender focussed.

What colour palettes are you working with?
Muted & Subtle.

What is the “must have” boardsports look (head-to-toe) for girls next season?
Oversized casual outdoor – a pragmatic approach the current climate, designed for purpose around the spirit of local adventures and analogue technicity.

How are fits evolving in tops, bottoms, outerwear?
I guess it depends on the brand.

With Element, comfort and utility has encouraged increased oversizing for the purpose of comfort & dual-purpose solution finding approach to each garment.

Is unisex the main trend or are there new expressions of femininity in streetwear?
Unisex is present, however, we purposefully lean towards femininity within streetwear. The women’s collection, whilst treated under the same brand story-telling, using crossover fabrics with the men’s collection has its own look and feel. It’s important to have that distinction and degrees of separation where each universe becomes complimentary rather than one look for all. Sometimes, this can be very subtle in detail or fit.

What are you doing with materials, colours and textures during the colder season?
Mixing a lot of insulations, Sherpa fleece, Oversized Checked Wools, Heavy Cord, Heavy Brushed Fleece and Recycled outerwear yarns. Interesting textures created by mixing fabrics together. We like playing with traditional and modern fabrications together, bridging old world outdoor classics with modernist utility performance & workwear fabrics.

What are the trends in prints, graphic designs and patterns?
We tend to work with a lot artist on creating graphic art for skateboard decks & printable’s like tee shirts and fleece, heavily linked to seasonal themes and overall creative brand direction. Some transfer to apparel when appropriate.

Specifically on garments we design all over patterns often inspired by nature & the elements.

Equally working with a selections of young team riders who also have substantial skills as artists provides unique opportunities to create specialist collections featuring their art. We also work with collaborators each season, providing artistic opportunities creating capsule collections in line with the brands primary pillars, skateboarding, culture, nature.