From hibernation to metamorphosis: Jos Berry discusses lingerie and colour trends for AW25/26

The trade fair season has quickly circled back round again and, over the course of January 20 to 23, took over the fashion capital of Paris, where WSN hosted its slew of multi-category shows filled to the brim with established and emerging brands. One of these events, Salon International de la Lingerie, brought with it an expanded iteration of its sister fair Interfilière, where renowned trend expert Jos Berry, founder and creative director of Concepts Paris, took to the stage to present a selection of anticipated AW25/26 market trends.

It was during her talk that Berry noted “colours have become a major ingredient in the storytelling” of macrotrends. She reiterated: “You cannot say the key colour is red or green or brown. You have to say: for what? Where is it going? What is the story behind it?” Together with her team of trend specialists, Berry curated the storytelling colours that are to impact lingerie, activewear and loungewear for the coming season and shared them with the Interfilière crowd.

Hyper-reality and beyond reality: 5 Colour trends leading the way

Hibernation

“The first group is very, very pale, but you have to see that pale in relationship with gorgeous changes of volumes,” Berry began. And indeed, ‘Hibernation’ was all about beiges and pastels in tandem with big, cosy surfaces and delicate decoration. Berry noted that such colours could also work with metallics, such as a modern pearl effect.

Beyond reality

On the more mystic side, ‘Beyond reality’ is centred around the contrast between light and dark, with optical illusions and shadow effects being the prime characteristic of this trend. While Hibernation was linked to delicacy, for this theme decoration was on the heavier side, shifting between transparent and opaque.

Metamorphosis

For ‘Metamorphosis’, Berry said the commercial flower pattern was to enter a new age. As such, she recommended re-printing, re-embroidering and re-adjusting the standard design, while putting a particular emphasis on the colour purple. “Purple is one of the colours that is tipped by everything,” she concluded.

Fragments of love

Family and the family home are core inspirations for ‘Fragments of love’, seeing the merge of lingerie, fashion and homeware becoming more and more evident. For Berry, such a shift is being driven by younger companies that “step over the boundaries between classification”, bringing fashion and lingerie into an individualist lifestyle movement.

Going beyond time

There is no denying that the impending Paris Olympics is to have some influence on the fashion capital’s fashion world, and this could only be a positive for Berry, who said that such an occasion will only push the essence of newness already adopted by the industry. Here, design will go ‘Beyond time’ in the form of ‘pop’ colours and bright activewear with enormous expressions as a result of multicultural mixes.

Loungewear, warmwear and contemporary constructions: Categories defining the future

For the final part of Berry’s presentation she looked into wider details of various upcoming trends, highlighting the possibilities for fabric and merchandise through potential category expansions.

Knits, lounging and ‘warmwear’

“Knits are driving the crossover market,” Berry began, noting the mix was evident between ready-to-wear, luxury and loungewear, the latter of which is also moving into a more casual space. Textures such as Jacquards, blister effects, quilter knits and puckering are leading the way in terms of materials here, while on a more global scale, enormous temperature swings have also been incremental towards the shifts.

As such, the newly rising ‘warmwear’ market is on the up, influencing the comeback of Merino wool and heat technology. Yet, as Berry notes, there is still a reliance on lightweight materials, which she said were an “important measure of modernity at the moment”.

Multi-wear evolution

These voluminous, lightweight garments, according to Berry, are to be combined with multi-wear, a category bolstered by the likes of Skims and has seen an influx of camisole and T-shirt dresses onto the market. “That is when we talk about the 24-7 wardrobe,” Berry noted. This trend ensures our wardrobe adapts to our needs and changing lifestyle, with travel-easy requirements and an intertwining of casual and seduction.

Dark romance and contemporary constructions

In fact, according to Berry: “Seduction is back.” While this is defined by the use of black lace in design, for which there have been a number of more sustainable production innovations made available, Berry said that it was also in the way such a trend was communicated. Imagery of lingerie has become less about a woman seducing you and more about an active, alive and feisty woman that is empowering for the viewer.

There are to be references of traditional lingerie, however, yet these typically French decorations styles are either updated in contemporary constructions – using interlock knits, lightweight meshes and transparent lace – or through an explosion of highly decorated embroideries, bringing together beading, 3D effects and metallics.

Grunge and daring design

One of the last trends touched on by Berry was a one largely reflected by the new Generation Alpha, who are moving away from societal norms – now pushing pyjamas as outerwear – and towards an anti-minimalism movement. “It’s a time for differentiations and design plays an enormous role,” Berry said. Young designers are a beacon for this trend, and have also driven the comeback of accessories that only emphasise the maximalism needed.