SOUTH SCENE: design that takes on a brave new world

SOUTH SCENE represents a free-flowing international amplification of creativity and cultural traditions from across the Southern Hemisphere, from Latin America through sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia. It showcases a huge shift in the entire lifecycle of products, from ideation stage to the finished piece.

This theme draws its power beyond the status quo and norms of the Northern Hemisphere design world. It remixes colour and materials in surprising ways, creating products and objects that are fresh and unexpected. For example, SOUTH SCENE focuses on production materials and methods that put ecology first, as well, while leading the way in de-colonisation through example.

How are we seeing this play out at FR-One? What are the most important lessons we, as a textiles company, can learn from this trend?

Here are the main insights so far:

1. Distinctive flair. This theme is full of distinctive style, celebrating techniques, local dyeing methods, and objects with both decorative and functional purposes. Patterns here are often inspired by natural motifs and textures, but in bolder colours.
2. What are the key colours for this trend? From the Pantone colour system: Starfish, Brown Sugar, Abbey Stone, Brilliant White, Deep Depths, White Asparagus, Black Iris.
3. Learning from the past. Southern-hemisphere artists, craftspeople and designers are incorporating local materials into their work, celebrating indigenous traditions and honouring ancestral methods.
   

How the SOUTH SCENE theme translates into FR-One

The SOUTH SCENE trend shines out in our business practices, through our dedication to using Global Recycled Content yarns and the ways we re-imagine proven bestselling collections rather than chasing the 'thrill of the new'.

Our drapery fabrics are crafted to stand the test of time, ensuring they remain stylish and eco-friendly for the long haul. This approach not only helps us create more sustainable products but also minimises our impact on the environment.

Unexpected combinations make for fabulous drapery and upholstery

Find this SOUTH SCENE flair and innovation in two specific FR-One collections: SYNERGY (both designs), and REGAL VELVETS (Regalia design).

SYNERGY is a range of rich bouclé fabrics in a striking herringbone with deeply saturated colours. We lovingly took the timeless style and patterns of the past into the future through its eco composition of 95% GRS yarns. This accreditation offers full traceability on recycled materials, all the way from the post-consumer waste plastic to the beautifully soft fabric itself. 

Explainer: Global Recycled Standard (GRS). The GRS is a standard of verification for companies to determine the recycled content of their fabrics. It ensures that corporate claims concerning recycled content of textiles are accurate and up to date. This standard is audited on an annual basis by assessing the production, trading and manufacturing processes to ensure the recycled content of our fabrics is authentic. Please refer to our fabric samples to confirm which collections are GRS certified. Our unique GRS number is 1036513.

Regalia from REGAL VELVETS features a geometric dot code pattern in a vivid, jacquard velvet. It features excellent sound absorption properties, and the punchy visual impact that it makes cannot be understated. 

Looking for more?

We hope you've enjoyed today’s wander through this theme. At its core, SOUTH SCENE is an unfolding process that invites us to shed old layers and open ourselves up to new ideas. Check out the first blog post in this series here.

Where else can you explore? Find even more content in our fabulously comprehensive, 98-page TRENDS book which you can download on the Trends Website. Visit the Pinterest board from our sister brand, FibreGuard, completely dedicated to this theme: SOUTH SCENE design trend inspirations.