Australian interior designer and TV personality, Shaynna Blaze has shared the key design trends she expects to emerge in 2024, ahead of presenting at the Gift & Lifestyle Fair in Melbourne, where she will discuss interior and fashion industry trends.
“Colour services company, Pantone has named Peach Fuzz as its Colour of the Year. It has a lot of people talking as it’s not a colour that will suit everyone. So expect to see contrasts to this colour making a statement – colours like Deep Berry, light and dark contrasting timbers with strong bold blocks of colour rather than patterns,” she said.
“We all need that little impulse to spark colour and joy in our interiors, but when people are buying now – amid a cost of living crisis – they are more discerning. Previously, it was ‘will it date?’ but now the focus is ‘will it last?’.”
Her advice to retailers purchasing stock for the year ahead: look at the long-term beyond 2024.
“Look at the next three years. What you put in your store today needs to help you on sell and give buyers confidence of longevity for what will work not only next year, but the following year too.
“We are taking the industry far away from fast fashion so a piece that is ‘hot for the moment’ should be just that, a quick ‘moment’ purchase, so make sure they are in the lower price point and quick to move.”
Blaze believes sustainable practices are what will keep the industry alive – from materials and packaging to product lifecycle.
“The large retail chains that have created a ‘throw-away’ low dollar market have infiltrated through the immediacy of social media – the quick impact buy with no thought to landfill. The fashion industry is investing highly in circular fashion and its responsibility to the amount of clothes ‘dumped’ every year. Our industry is more than capable of this too.”
Blaze is looking forward to speaking as a special guest at the Gift & Lifestyle Fair in Melbourne on 3 February 2024.
“I love getting on the floor and presenting to my peers. It’s nerve wracking but at the same time we’re here for the same reason – to keep our industry alive, fresh and support each other. I look at the industry as a team effort and I look forward to seeing what new products are out there that I don’t know about.”