This year we exhibited at Quilt Market in Houston again which is fast becoming a very important trade show for us. It is always a good place to trend spot and this year was no exception, we saw again the rise in modern and contemporary designs which are ever increasing and we continued to see a variety of scale and colours within collections.
There was not an obvious colour direction, but what was apparent was the transition in nursery which ventured away from the traditional baby pastel colours of pale blue and pink. Black and white were introduced as a staple palette with accents of turquoise or peach as a pop of colour. Simple and cute line drawings form the basis of these collections. We saw a lot of mark making and sketching on fabric to create interesting textures.
Fabric end uses were continuing to range from quilting, apparel and home interiors. A lot of the booths were showcasing their ranges using lifestyle scenes which invited customers to buy into the look and feel of a fabric range.
The tropical theme remained very strong with flamingo, cactus and fruit icons popping up on almost every stand. Beach themes, parasols and lilo’s were fun conversational designs we saw as an emerging trend.
We were a little skeptical about the llama which was very popular last year, but various takes on this were still relevant, along with the newest animal to make its appearance…the sloth. This ties in perfectly with the tropical vibe!
There were a lots of animal prints, and most were wearing cute specs which added a fun twist to the designs. There were less obvious bird prints this year which were taken over by the emerging swan, this ties in beautifully with nature prints and pretty spring floral's and even Christmas designs.
All in all it was a very successful show and we came away with lots of inspiration for the year ahead.