It has been all over the runway and has now made its way onto the accessory market; fringe is having its revival with a modern twist on textile and colour options. A long way from its origins on vintage leather jackets, fringe can now be seen executed in leather, on hemlines, hanging from a shoe, a trim for a bag or even as a whole gown.
New Zealand designer, Sean Kelly, kick started the trend with a blue to black ombré fringe gown worn by Heidi Klum at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, sparking wide-spread talk about both New Zealand and the return of a hippy style. From there the Spring 2016 shows were flooded with fringe, on both garments and accessories.
Dion Lee, Christian Siriano and Prabal Gurung all showcased fringe on the runway, opting for a dark blue, black and white palette as opposed to Kelly’s bright blue and orange.
Aside from the runway, fringe penetrated the accessory options for spring making waves in the festival fashion scene due to the clear hippy references.
Fendi released a range of ‘baguette’ totes, one of which featured two kissing birds accompanied by a fringe trim. Christian Louboutin executed his equivalent of a fringe cowgirl stiletto, if she was to wear bright red, green and purple.
While critics have been torn, one thing is certain; the fringe statement has not gone un-noticed.
