Expofil: As clear and calm as water

Andrea Lillo -- Home Textiles Today, 1/27/2003 12:00:00 AM

Calm, freshness and lightness is how Expofil illustrates its range for next year, given people's search for simple pleasures, well-being and harmony. These soft and sensual colors are also closely linked to the materials in which they will appear. Washed and bleached, slightly acid vivid tones, gray tints and spicy hues revolve around warm neutrals. The Fresh palette is a group of limpid blues and grays around vivid white. The joyful colors in the Sparkling group are paired with a white that has a touch of green. The Sensual range uses soft, sunwashed and delicate tones. Exotic is a group of intense and warm colors, reminiscent of sand, spices and plants.

Expofil also sees four themes in fabrics for the season, breaking them down into Simple, Spontaneous, Sensitive and Singular.

Using the Fresh palette, the Simple group features nautical elements, and cotton is the predominant fiber, combined with artificial fibers for sparkling effects and polyamide for bulkier, denser looks. Materials include cabled yarns, satin, stiff looks from mesh or loose knits, woad and terrycloth.

The Spontaneous group, with colors from both the Sensual and Sparkling palettes, uses materials of a hand-crafted, slightly rustic appearance with a washed-out, whitened look. Natural fibers predominate, including linen voile, handcrafted yarns, coarse, disheveled silky yarns, limewashed fabrics and unusual fabric combinations.

The Sensitive group has a gossamer lightness and brightness, with springtime inspiration, taking colors from the Sparkling range. Constructions include crinkled yarns.

Singular is inspired by the elements of industrial buildings such as etched walls, graffiti, rusty metal and flaking paintwork. It draws from the Exotic colors, and aged, worn and oxidized materials are used.