‘Mammoth’ tapestry by Klaus Haapaniemi and Mia Wallenius for Established & Sons
Where should designers and brand owners be looking for inspiration? Mariel Brown and Karen Rosenkranz from the research, trends and strategy team at Seymourpowell, believe a new trend may be found in folklore and mysticism; taking consumers on a more spiritual journey. It’s back-to-basics but strikingly beautiful.
Seymourpowell first shared this trend at our special press event held at the Design Museum on 20 April, following the 2011 Milan Fair.
In an age of austerity, folklore and mythology offer an opportunity to escape the bounds of human existence and explore a more imaginative lifestyle.
As an antidote to everyday efficiency and rationality, people are looking for meaning in narrative to help them reconnect with the planet in a more spiritual way. Long forgotten customs, skills and traditions are re-appropriated for our modern times in a bid to imbue products with character and soul.
A great example of this is the ‘Mammoth’ tapestry by Klaus Haapaniemi and Mia Wallenius for Established & Sons, recently launched at the Milan Design Week. Made using a 15th century craft technique, the characters of folklore are elegantly aligned with the motif of an erupting volcano – a reference to last year’s ash cloud chaos across Europe. Taking inspiration from Finnish folklore, history and nature, the design duo has added a modern twist to mythology.
Exploring a simpler and more archaic aesthetic, Portuguese artist Gonçalo Campos has designed an intuitive message board made from artificial fur. The soft, tactile material encourages people to leave messages using their fingers. As communication technology evolves, this method of mark-making draws us back to ancient, primitive methods of communication that utilise our natural human instincts for drawing.
The urge for a more elemental and almost shamanistic understanding of nature is also inspiring new hospitality concepts and environments. ‘Noma’ is a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark where ingredients are foraged from the forest and seashores surrounding the eatery. Famous dishes include radishes in edible soil and tongues of sea urchin.
‘New Mythology’, is a very new trend, noticeable in the more premium end of the market. However, we are now starting to see how it filters down into mainstream areas as well.
Fashion designers, for example, are also echoing this trend, mixing elements from naïve and tribal cultures with urban influences. Jewellery designer Dandi Maestre creates magical charms based on amulets and talismans that have a special natural energy. She uses materials such as horn, shell, exotic seeds, ancient amber, reclaimed wood and other unusual found objects.
In a time when people feel everyday experiences are often superficial and dull, ‘New Mythology’ provides a way to pervade objects with meaning and soul, and is set to become a very influential trend.
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Seymourpowell regularly conduct trend studies in order to help our clients situate their innovation strategies within a future context. For more information contact tim.duncan@seymourpowell.com
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