Tour the 2017 Creativeworld Trend Show
One of the signature events of the Creativeworld trade show in Frankfurt, Germany in late January every year is its Trend Show. For 2017, the Creativeworld trend show was the event's most expansive yet, featuring three themed display areas and multiple hands on areas for attendees to experience.
[Disclaimer: Messe Frankfurt and its Creativeworld show are a sponsor of this website.]
Creativeworld 2017 Trend Show
(Photo Source - Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Marc Jacquemin)
One of the hands-on areas in the Creativeworld Trend Show is the reading area, where long tables are covered with a huge variety of craft industry publications from around the world for show attendees to peruse, enjoy, and learn from.
Creativeworld Trend Show Reading Area
Of course, the publications are in a variety of written languages. But as I noted in my previous article about the language barrier at the Creativeworld show, creativity is a common language. Even if you don't understand the written language, there's still much to be learned and appreciated from the pictures. (I'm pretty sure I confused the heck out of a flight attendant on a previous trip home from the show because I was flipping through a German language magazine and then asked her if she spoke English! But I just couldn't resist grabbing a couple of magazines in the airport to soak up some German style!)
Craft Books
If you wanted to do more than look at the trends or pictures of other people's work, there was plenty of chance to do that too. The workstation area hosted a variety of projects in different crafts that let show attendees put the trends they saw into action.
Creativeworld Trend Show Workstation
But the true heart of the Creativeworld Trend Show is the three large display areas that each focused on a different trend "style" for the next year, and showed examples of it in action. Here's a look at them!
Trend: Whimsy
Whimsy is described by the Messe as "a trend full of contrasts". It's bright, colorful, and full of busy pattern.
(Photo Source - Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH)
The whimsy style loves geometric shapes added over materials such as light wood, and using materials like perler beads to create ultra modern jewelry.
Perla Bead Necklaces
It's color on color, pattern on pattern, combining to the edge of visual chaos.
Creativeworld Whimsy trend
Whimsy is perfect for fabric artists of all kinds, who can stencil on and combine patterned fabrics.
Whimsy trend sewing
There's also a touch of what the Messe calls the "bizarre" and "outlandish" in Whimsy, such as these animal statues.
(Photo Source - Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Marc Jacquemin)
And strange combinations of things are part of the Whimsy trend as well...such as putting "eyes" on this knitted hat.
(Photo Source - Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Marc Jacquemin)
The next Trend Show trend is almost the polar opposite of Whimsy...it's called Thoughtful.
Trend: Thoughtful
Messe Frankfurt describes the Thoughtful trend as "delicate and modest". It is neutral, light, and enhanced with subtle patterns.
(Photo Source - Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH)
Soft pastel rose & blue, along with white, are a big part of the thoughtful trend. Delicate florals like those below are also a big part of the trend.
Creativeworld Thoughtful Trend
The delicate patterns aren't just florals, though. There's also simple line patterns such as on these bottles, and cross hatches.
(Photo Source - Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Marc Jacquemin)
The third trend is almost somewhat of a blend of the first two...Imperfect.
Trend: Imperfect
This trend was labeled as "the new perfection" by Messe Frankfurt.
(Photo Source - Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH)
Materials like denim, with hand stitching and hand cut shapes, rule in the Imperfect style.
Creativeworld Imperfect trend
In the perfect Imperfect world, even the patterns that cover items like notebook covers are hand drawn, leaving a feeling of creative spontaneity.
Creativeworld Imperfect trend
Brush painting is another way of creating a feeling of perfect imperfection, and translates to a variety of designs and projects.
Creativeworld Imperfect trend
