Welcome back to my blog everyone! As the title says, today I will be talking about the patchwork pattern trend that has been flourishing in 2020. It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like, different prints and fabrics are sewn together. Historically though patchwork was “a way of using up scraps of fabrics or of extending the working life of clothing” according to the V&A. When the patchwork trend started to decline in the 20th century, the fashion industry started to use it more often starting in the 1960s. It was seen as the hippie look. In my last blog, I mentioned how there are companies for predicting fashion trends, but when this trend resurfaced in 2020, nobody saw it coming.
This trend is said to come from the idea of sustainability. Living sustainably is getting more and more common, so this trend naturally came up again. Even though most of these items are not actual patchwork, they represent the idea of sustainability, which has been a hot topic in the last few years.
Sometimes the patchwork trend is more obvious and outgoing such as the dress in the picture above. However, what I noticed while doing research is that sometimes, it doesn’t even seem like patchwork just because I have gotten used to seeing it. My mind doesn’t automatically think “patchwork” when I see it. Some patchwork is more colorful and imaginative than others such as the bag below.
One thing I like about this trend is that it was designed for both men and women. For men, most of the clothing with patchwork is button up shirts. These shirts are suggested to be worn over a plain white t-shirt. Wearing them with black pants is considered a “classic” look. If you are wanting to stand out even more, colorful and fun pants can also be worn. For women, apparently the trick to looking good while wearing patchwork is to keep your outfit as simple as possible (which seems odd considering the fact that patchwork is not always a “simple” pattern).
I think this trend isn’t that bad. Sometimes I think it can be a little much. Even though I am huge fan of color and fun clothes, I don’t think some outfits are for me. However, some of the less outgoing patchwork options are definitely something I would wear.
This sweater is not as busy as some of the other items with the patchwork pattern. This is something I would wear that has the patchwork pattern, but doesn’t stand out as much. I think the pattern is fun, and I’m glad it made a comeback in 2020, but sometimes I think some items can be a little much, even for me.
October 10, 2020 at 4:45 am
I have seen this trend around a lot! Usually, I see the patchwork patterns for shirts and sweaters. I also see them on jeans, but there are usually only a few patches that are sewed on, either on the back pockets of the pants or on the front of the jeans. I never knew that this style stemmed from the idea of sustainability, and I found that fact to be very interesting. I agree that this can definitely be a bold fashion choice. I would probably wear something that has more of a subtle patchwork pattern, but I do like this trend.
October 11, 2020 at 7:35 pm
This is a neat trend! I like how the style makes the colors pop out. I don’t think I would be able to figure out how to make this trend look nice on me, but I’m sure everyone could manage something! It does seem a bit excessive/busy at times, but knowing that it has relation to sustainability is quite interesting. I also like how you mentioned that it can be seen in more subtle ways – I’ll have to check if any of my clothes have this style!
October 12, 2020 at 3:31 am
I really like this tend! I do not think that this a style that I would purchase myself, but I do appreciate the way that others can make this work. I feel as though patchwork looks best on jackets and with earth tones. Patchwork can quickly look “busy” especially when it is on pants or mixed with a lot of bright colors and designs. The model in the first image pulls it off well in that setting, but I cannot imagine seeing someone walking down the street in that. Patchwork has definitely made a return since the idea of thrifting is so big these days!