From October 22 to 24, 2025, the Palais des Festivals in Cannes hosts Mare di Moda, the leading European trade show for beachwear, lingerie and athleisure fabrics. Each year, this event attracts some of the continent’s most innovative designers, manufacturers and design studios. Beyond the swimwear and innovative fibres, Mare di Moda also establishes itself as a place where the future of the global market is shaped two years in advance.
A keynote speaker at this 2025 edition, David Shah – publisher at Metropolitan Publishing BV and professor at the ArtEZ Academy – captivated the audience with a conference that was both dense and forward-looking. In a tightly packed hour of analysis, he decoded the subtle signals and profound transformations that will shape fashion and textiles by 2027.
Between experience and inflation: new consumer paradox
“People are travelling, but they are no longer buying,” observes David Shah. This paradox, evident in both ready-to-wear and swimwear, reflects a profound transformation. The global middle class is now willing to pay a premium for experiences like long weekends and wellness retreats, yet hesitates to invest in clothing.
Premium brands, from beachwear to lingerie, are therefore left juggling high quality with price justification.
Recent luxury scandals, notably involving Loro Piana, have heightened mistrust. The consumer now expects tangible, measurable value supported by a coherent narrative. In this context, clothing is once again becoming primarily a functional product rather than a sign of ostentation.
However, certain segments are proving resilient. Sportswear continues to see annual growth of nearly 7 percent, driven by an unprecedented hybridisation of lifestyle, health and mobility. Since Covid-19, Shah notes, “sport has become a way to get out of the house, a ritual of social escape”.
This dynamic is reinforced by the growing importance of well-being, particularly among Gen Z, who, according to Shah, “value well-being over wealth”.
Sportswear and hybridisation: new creative matrix
According to David Shah, 2027 will be the year of “hybrid fun” – a blend of technical aesthetics and sensory emotion.
Textiles are becoming high-performance, breathable, protective (UV-resistant, salt-resistant, quick-dry) and durable, while retaining a touch of softness and lightness.
The main directions identified are:
Layering – functional layers inspired by Skims and The North Face;
Sculpt – shaping textiles, dynamic silhouette;
Glow & Shine – satin or iridescent materials, discreet elegance;
Sober luxury – solid tones, expensive minimalism.
The women’s sport continues to transform the market. “Women are no longer just participating in sport; they are redefining its codes – from sneaker design to brand communication,” explains Shah. They are infusing the segment with a desire for beauty, narrative and emotion, whereas men primarily valued performance.
Behind the sector’s vitality, however, a question arises: is the sportswear market saturated?
Nike is going through a difficult period. Asian competition, particularly from China, is gaining ground, while new outdoor brands are emerging with a more lifestyle-focused than athletic approach.
“Desired”: return of emotion and romanticism
While the 2020s were dedicated to functionality and minimalism, Shah now observes a return to emotion, colour and romanticism. Gone are the constrained and standardised styles: 2027 is set to be the year of reclaiming visual pleasure. Lines are softening, colours are vibrant and stripes are shaded. The keyword? Desired.
Consumers, weary of crises and the gloomy atmosphere, are seeking happy endings, tenderness, flowers and sensual textures.
Palettes are softening – powder pinks, watery blues, light coral – and floral motifs are making a comeback, modernised by digital technology.
Added to this is a strong trend: “kidulting,” a fascination with cuteness – cats, toys, naive worlds (think Labubu) – which reflects a search for innocence in a world saturated with uncertainty.
Between modesty and excess: two faces of desire
As fashion rediscovers emotion and fantasy, another trend is emerging: that of asserted modesty. “Saint-Tropez (a summer fashion showroom) is no longer the temple of nudity and freedom; today, the talk is of traditional weddings, sobriety and religion,” notes Shah.
This more covered aesthetic – protective materials, UV-resistant textiles, demure lines – reflects less a step backwards than a need for guidance and stability. At the other end of the spectrum, however, a desire for flamboyance is re-emerging: the return of glitz, saturated colours, “ombre” stripes and multicoloured effects.
Since Anna Wintour’s departure from the forefront, quiet luxury has given way to an aesthetic of chaos, notes the expert. “The rich are starting to show they are rich again,” summarises Shah. This dualism, between protection and provocation, between withdrawal and exuberance, illustrates the spirit of the times: a fractured but deeply expressive fashion, where each extreme reflects the same search for meaning and visibility.
Textile innovation: key role of technical players
On an industrial level, Shah highlights the role of smart fibres and premium recycling, driven by players like Lycra, “one of the few still convinced that sustainability and performance can coexist”.
Fabrics that allow for tanning or incorporate protective micro-treatments are gaining ground.
Beyond material effects, an entire Euro-Mediterranean ecosystem is reorganising around innovation. This includes short supply chains and partnerships between spinners, designers and manufacturers, supported by European programmes.
2027: desired, hybrid, romantic and conscious
At the close of this 2025 edition, the picture painted by David Shah is one of a fashion that is desired and liberated, but now firmly rooted in reality.
Reading between the lines of the speaker’s presentation, 2027 is shaping up to be a year of acknowledged contradictions: protection and sensuality; romanticism and performance; introspection and expression.
Fashion is no longer just trying to fix the world; it seeks to feel it again, to reconnect with materials, emotion and the pleasure of existence.
Five fashion & textile trends for 2027
Hybridisation – sport, luxury and functionality merge to create new stylistic territories.
Emotion – a return to colour, romanticism and narrative in design.
Protection – the rise of smart, UV-resistant, heat-resistant, breathable and lightweight textiles.
Kidulting – nostalgia and the sweetness of childhood are embraced as comforting values.
Exuberance – the end of minimalism: a return to “showing off,” vibrant materials and visual joy.
This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at [email protected]
View the original article here
