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New Sensitivity, literally the New Sensitivity, is the description given to Heimtextil Trends 24/25. Why the name? Being sensitive means considering the feelings and needs of others. And "others" can then be interpreted very broadly. These can be other people, but also, for example, nature, the environment or future generations.
The Heimtextil Trends have enjoyed worldwide fame and prestige for decades. They are intended for all textile professionals who want to know what is going on and expand their knowledge. In the design, production, furniture, retail and media sectors, the trend themes are valuable landmarks. They translate global megatrends into a vision for textiles.
Environment, climate, sustainability, reuse - these are themes that have recurred for several years in the Heimtextil Trends, which this year, by the way, have a slightly different format. Whereas in previous years four trends were always distinguished and elaborated on, this year there is more room for a broader story about - in summary - sustainability.
New Sensitivity as the overarching trend theme for the 2024-25 season is based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals that aim for a balanced and prosperous world by 2030. Messe Frankfurt as the organizer of Heimtextil has also committed to them on a corporate level.
The Trendtable, which sets up the Heimtextil Trends, was led this time by Anje Bisgaard Gaede of SPOTT trends & business. The main questions according to her? How can we broadly change the home textile industry as well as consumer habits? After all, the earth is under pressure more than ever. The Heimtextil Trends 24/25 aims to show the transformation of the home textile industry: from trends as a driver to transformation as a driving force.
Heimtextil Trends 24/25 is about the future of home textiles with a new sensitivity: New Sensitivity. Sensitivity has to do with touch, feeling and spirituality, but also with attention, empathy and respect. In this context, sensitivity means considering the impact on nature, for example, when making decisions or developing a product. It is about the network - nexus - of people with each other and their connection to technology and to nature. Technological developments affect people as well as the nature around us.
Companies are introducing new sustainable technologies and policymakers are creating new laws to be more considerate of people and the planet. However, the current state of the world confirms that there is still a long way to go. Heimtextil Trends 24/25 aims to support the necessary changes and show how the "new sensibility" can be embedded in home textiles when it comes to critical issues such as climate change, biodiversity mental health, diversity, sustainability, food waste and digitization.
New Sensitivity goes far beyond the world of home textiles, of course. It affects product design, retail, food, architecture, digital concepts, policy and initiatives. A few examples that can only be touched upon here, to understand and inspire.
Heimtextil Trend Council
As always, for Heimtextil Trends 24/25, the Heimtextil Trend Council sought to combine inspiration with insight, based on research and analysis of relevant global socio-cultural trends to inform design and color developments for the 2024-2025 season. The Trend Council includes three world-renowned agencies. They are FranklinTill Studio from the United Kingdom, SPOTT trends & business from Denmark and Stijlinstituut Amsterdam from the Netherlands. For 2024-2025, Anje Bisgaard Gaede of SPOTT trends & business did the reporting for the Heimtextil Trend Presentation.
New Sensitivity involves dynamic yet subtle colors for which many natural pigments are used, while traditional dyeing methods are taken to the next level by innovative biotechnology. The result is colors that evoke emotions while sparing the environment. This includes the acceptance that colors can change or fade. The trend colors for 2024-2025 are inspired by natural colors, for example from algae, living bacteria or classic pigments. The large proportion of black in most colors allows for a wide application and a large number of combinations. The bold, saturated colors enhance our senses and lift us up, while the more neutral earth tones exude calm and serenity.
With Heimtextil Trends 24/25, the textile industry is encouraged to approach the future with care and attention and embrace the new sensibility in home textiles. Specifically, we see this change in three different trends for the world of (home) textiles: plant-based, technical and biotechnological. All three directions show different paths to the future of (home) textiles.
The fibers of plant-based textiles come from something grown and are not produced synthetically. The advantage of plant-based textiles in terms of sustainability is that they are of natural origin and therefore are more likely to be recycled and reabsorbed into existing ecosystems.
There are two options. The first is to produce textiles from plant crops. New resistant plants such as cactus, hemp, abaca (Manila hemp), seaweed and rubber offer new, sustainable textile solutions. Mechanical climate control allows them to grow despite climate changes and requires fewer chemicals. The second group is textiles made from plant (by)products, that is, raw materials such as bananas, olives, persimmons and hemp, which are left over during production.
Technology can support the transformation of textiles through upcycling and recycling, textile development and textile design. Textile is a material that is abundant in the world. The development of textile recycling and upcycling technologies increases the circular use of already produced textiles, thereby reducing the need for new production. In addition, old production techniques are also a route to sustainable solutions. For example, by using knitting instead of weaving techniques for furniture fabrics, which reduces textile waste. Or by using weaving techniques with a small number of colored yarns, which can visually create multiple colors. Textile Design Thinking deals with critical issues, such as energy consumption or the sustainability of natural fibers, and seeks improvements through technological development.
To some extent, plant-based, engineering and biotechnology-produced textiles are fusing. Bioengineering bridges the gap between nature and technology and changes the way textiles are made. They can be divided into two directions: fully biotechnologically produced and biodegradable textiles. Fully biotechnologically produced textiles employ nature-inspired strategies. Instead of growing the plants and extracting fiber from them, proteins and carbohydrates from corn, grass, cane sugar or bacteria are employed. The textiles are produced through a biomolecular process. The sustainable advantage of biotechnologically produced textiles is that they can have some of the same functionalities as synthetically produced textiles. But because it is of natural origin, it can be biodegraded.
Biodegradable fibers can be added to conventional textiles, such as polyester which can therefore be more easily converted to naturally occurring materials and can therefore and more easily biodegrade in natural environments, such as in water or soil. The biologically enhanced textiles biodegrade up to 93% compared to conventional textiles.
Compiled by Franklin Till
In the era of the climate crisis, we are beginning to look beyond sustainability and seek regenerative design. But what does that mean and how do we define regenerative textiles and regenerative materials?
Human activities are now causing significant damage to our planet. Therefore, current sustainability efforts are not enough to address the environmental crisis we face. Regenerative design aims to give something better back, to develop holistic, creative solutions that restore or renew resources, create a positive impact on the environment and encourage societies to thrive.
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