The LYCRA Company, a world-leading innovator in fiber and technology solutions for the global apparel industry, proudly announces the launch of its highly anticipated legwear trends forecast for 2024 and 2025. Each identified trend is powered by fibers that offer the functional benefits today’s consumers desire—from cooling and warming to anti-static cling technology.
Annually, through an alliance with the trend forecasting experts from Stijlinstituut Amsterdam, The LYCRA Company introduces an innovative legwear collection designed to spark creativity and offer a curated approach to legwear design.
The development of hosiery, socks, and seamless knitting has played a pivotal role in the evolution of fashion. After several trend cycles that emphasized bare legs on runways, legwear returns triumphantly in all its forms. From hosiery to stay-ups and socks in various lengths, legwear has become an integral part of the 2023 fashion discourse, with exciting prospects for 2024 and 2025.
“Another year, another legwear innovation collection. We aim to inspire and enrich, offering considered design curation and insights into the functional benefits of legwear,” said Jane Gwyther, EMEA Sales Manager for Legwear at The LYCRA Company. “We look at how this can encourage and revolutionize the individual looks of wearers and the business of its makers.”
Four key trends are investigated for 2024/2025. In EXTRAORDINARY, the impact of fashion legwear on the fluidity of identity is celebrated, reflecting the current excitement in legwear design. EVOLUTIONARY draws inspiration from the enduring wisdom of nature, influencing wellness positively. LEG GEAR emphasizes legwear tailored for dynamic living, harmonizing functionality with style. Lastly, SELF-CARE highlights the significance of foundational body care, encompassing skin health and cosmetic legwear, to promote comprehensive well-being.
TREND 1: EXTRAORDINARY
Extraordinary is inspired by a new generation engaged in making and shaping fashion and life. Exploring the unbridled creativity of shaping their persona, look after look, click by click.
Look 1: Lavish Lace
Elevating and mood-boosting this look creates an animation of fashion with an engineered lace effect adorning the foot.
• Key Innovations: – Lycra Xceptinelle technology is a patented garment construction with an innovative asymmetrical panty that is lightweight and eliminates seams and panels. Lycra Adaptive fibre accommodates larger silhouettes in a fashion-conscious way.
Look 2: Stripe Mania
Extraordinary stripes become alive and agile in this look, morphing before our eyes, melting through bleeding colours, trippy tie-dyes and engineered graded coloring to create a fun and mesmerizing collection.
• Key Innovations: – Lycra Dry technology helps with moisture management and provides a long-lasting fit and quick-drying comfort. With Lycra Soft Comfort technology to help keep the socks up and reduce red marks.
TREND 2: EVOLUTIONARY
This trend is fostered by our human desire to connect with the natural world. By incorporating flora and fauna designs to create patterns, textural diversity, organic imperfections and the colors of nature. With classic and timeless neutrals and the alternation of transparency and opaque.
Look 1: Traces of Time
This look draws from growing patterns, textural diversity, organic imperfections, and the colors of nature.
• Key Innovations: – Lycra Beauty with Lycra Adaptiv fibre uses firm support to create a flattering and sculpting fit.
TREND 3: LEG GEAR
This trend enables a design that combines joy and function for a dynamic lifestyle.
The Leg Gear range is designed to move. Knitted constructions are utilitarian, patterns are bold, and palettes are minimal. A celebration of color boosts a climate of action, enthusiasm and optimism. Colors clash in blocks of primary brights to create an active and playful feel. Bold, saturated colors alongside basic black, grey, and white combine rationalism with joyfulness and spontaneity.
Look 1: Racy Patterns
Racy Patterns is all about blocked, slashed, cut and pasted effects. Collage and assemblage-type compositions fit the activewear and sportswear segment with no sign of this aesthetic disappearing as designers continue to draw on modernism to create enthusiasm, energy, joy and happiness.
• Key Innovation: Thermolite Far Infrared (FIR) technology generates longer-lasting warmth while remaining lightweight. It’s combined with graduated compression to aid in muscle recovery and help protect against injuries.
Look 2: Super Knits
Optical coloring effects are used to create engineered placed patterns, dimensional shapes and textures. For an active fashion-tech offering, use tonal and variegated printed yarns.
• Key Innovation: Lycra Adaptiv fibre creates seamless comfort with more size flexibility.
TREND 4: SELF-CARE
Self-Care explores the move towards new realms of self-empowerment while embracing body and age positivity. Apparel can play a role in healing and nourishing. Color is paramount to this; it can uplift, stimulate and soothe. It can cheer up and calm. It can upheave and conceal, expose, and veil.
This trend incorporates a pampering palette of “long-term” legwear colours: from rose, mauve and purple to chocolate and jet black.
Look 1: Second Skin
This look aims to empower women to get dressed with ease and confidence, providing tried and tested solutions that work.
• Key Innovation: Lycra Sheer Sensation technology ensures dresses do not cling around the legs without compromising on comfort or fit either. This technology has a sustainability aspect—it can be produced using less energy and reduced water consumption.
Look 2: Dream World
This look is seductive and slightly otherworldly. Dream World looks at sheer that is draped, gathered, ruched and flounced. It’s gauzy and weightless, creating a flowy and festive look that maintains its structure and decoration.
• Key Innovation: Lycra Fusion True To You technology enhances the natural shine of legs while being ladder resistant. This technology uses a three-dimensional stretch for a perfect fit and shape retention.
