Spring/Summer 2026 Womenswear Trend Forecast
“Surreal Freedom”
The Ask:
Create a womenswear trend forecast for Spring/Summer 2026 based on the concept of yearning
Julia Karns www.linkedin.com/in/julia-karns
The group
Sophia Nelson www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-nelson
A Note On Team Dynamics:
While I did end up taking on a leadership position as far as conceptually developing our forecast,
3 VCU fashion students and 1 non-arts student from another school (while in Italy)
Trista Anderson www.linkedin.com/in/trista-anderson
The Skills:
Visual Curation
Research
Trend Analysis
Conflict Resolution
Key Words .𖥔 ݁ ˖
Key Words .𖥔 ݁ ˖
In order to ensure that the group understood the direction of the aesthetic we were curating, we created a list of key words to refer back to.
Childlike Nostalgia
Liberation
Playfullness
Experimentation
Kitsch
Connection
Buyer Persona
The Young Urban Creative
Tech-Savvy Artist: Those who embrace the digital-age and create.
Social Individualists: Extroverts with a strong sense of self.
Optimists: Those who love and see the brightness in life.
Influences
Inspiration can be drawn from candy-like, plasticky ceramics, interiors, installations, and digital art
Influence of Generative AI
An appearance of fluid movement can be found within these silhouettes, making every piece feel as if it takes on a life of its own
Found inspiration by spending hours looking at artist’s work on Pinterest, Google, & Pinterest. The deeper I dove into a rabbit whole, the more inspired I became. I discovered a personal interest in digital design after coming across https://www.instagram.com/alexvxvxvxvx/#
Textiles, Materials, & Surfaces
Usage of mesh, knitted materials, & sheer overlapping fabrics in varying colors. Incorporation of abstract, rounded shapes and fun, unexpected embellishments.
Emphasis on tactile nature of materials
Drawing inspiration from inflated objects, jelly-like substances, and three-dimensional textural elements. Play with the endless possibilities “dream logic” by incorporating atypical surfaces and fluid or arbitrary shapes (Future Snoops, 2025).
While searching for inspiration, my professor mentioned the redundancy and lack of originality that can result from a classroom full of students referencing the same social media with the same algorithms for imagery. Therefor, I made a concerted effort to search for visual inspiration from various sources, such as Cosmos &
Color Guide & Design Inspiration
Within recent collections, brands such as Emilio Pucci and Florentina Leitner are pairing fluid, multi-dimensional silhouettes with playful colors, reminiscent of the youthful optimism of the digital age.
Outcome
“Surreal Freedom” reminds us that innovation doesn’t have to feel cold—it can sweat, and stick, and shimmer like sunlit water. We’re not just designing garments—we’re engineering nostalgia, sculpting sentiment, and bottling the feeling of sun on skin in mid-July.