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Trends | Why You Shouldn't Follow Them

Trends | Why You Shouldn't Follow Them

Posted by The Canningvale Team on 23rd Oct 2020

Yves Saint Laurent famously said, “fashions fade, style is eternal.” As one of the world’s most successful fashion designers, it’s safe to say he knew what he was talking about.

Here at Canningvale we’re big believers in this idea. We focus on our own unique style and the quality of our products rather than on short-lived fashion trends, so we can create pieces that’ll be loved for years after purchase.

This isn’t to say we don’t care about trends (we even write about them sometimes); rather that we offer our own interpretations of them, drawing inspiration from moods and colours to create something much more timeless, like our best-selling Vintage Softwash collection and cotton beach towels.

Canningvale Vintage Softwash 100% Cotton

If you’re currently tossing up whether to paint your living room millennial pink or install floral fixtures in your bathroom, have a read of this first. You may just change your mind.

Canningvale Beach Towels

Trends don't last

By their very definition, trends are only around for a limited time. Think of the mustard carpets of the 70s for example, or the copper finishes of 2016. Both were hugely popular at their peak but now – in most cases – look very dated. While some trends do come back into fashion, it’s often only decades later that they’ll be back in style: it’s a long time to wait. Others, like the aforementioned mustard carpets, stay firmly in the past and stand as evidence of questionable taste.

On-trend items are often mass-produced

The surprising truth about trends is that they don’t happen organically. While it’s nice to think that a certain look or ‘must-have’ item took off thanks to a couple of stylish homes, the real reason comes down to manufacturers who direct and influence trends based on what they want to sell. If there’s a huge amount of velvet sofas appearing on the market, for example, trend forecasters pick up on this, designers respond, high-profile brand ambassadors get involved, and all of a sudden velvet sofas are the new best thing.

Once there’s a high level of demand for a certain look or item, a range of sellers get on board, often cutting corners in the manufacturing process to get items out at a lower price. This means those who bought a quality designer velvet sofa on the first wave of the trend can now go to their local shopping centre and see cheaper versions of the same thing in every shop, devaluing their own purchase and any style statement they were trying to make. On the flip side of the coin, those who buy the cheaper knock-offs are buying into the interior version of fast fashion – items that will start deteriorating after just a few uses.

Purchasing on-trend items gets expensive

If you try and stay current by buying the latest and greatest trend pieces every six months, you’ll end up spending a lot of cash (or credit, which is arguably worse: it’s never fun to find yourself paying off things you’re no longer benefiting from). As a general rule, you should spend money on items and design choices that will stand the test of time, not on those that will look out of date by the end of the season.

Trends don't suit every space

Just like the bodycon dresses of 2011 and the high-waisted jeans currently doing the rounds aren’t flattering on every body, design trends won’t work in every home. Bold, patterned wallpaper would look out of place in a rustic cabin for example, as would dark cabinetry in a bright, breezy beach house. In short, while it’s easy to fall in love with the look of something as it appears on a renovation show or in a furniture store, remember there’s a certain level of translation that needs to take place for it to be incorporated into your home. And, sometimes, the trend and your living room just don’t speak the same language.

Trends can't replace personal style

Personal style is the secret sauce that takes design to the next level. It’s about pulling different elements together in a way that emphasises character and creates visual interest. Because personal style is unique to every individual, it’s not something that can be found by buying into the latest trends. Instead, it’s an expression of a person’s sensibilities and personality, and is therefore much more interesting and enduring.