Top Trending Design Patterns: What’s Selling Now? 

A question I frequently hear—whether from emerging designers or seasoned buyers—is, "What's selling now?"

It’s important to understand the current market dynamics before diving into this topic of pattern trends. Buyers of surface pattern designs are facing a challenging landscape with budget cuts and shifting purchasing behaviors. In the past, they might have bought entire seasonal collections in one go. Now, it's more common for clients to purchase designs only when needed, often one on-trend pattern at a time. This means designers need to be more flexible than ever when designing their pattern collection. A strong online presence, such as a well-organized website, is crucial for success in this evolving market.

In the world of women’s wear, spring/summer catwalk collections have just been revealed, bringing new inspiration for pattern trends. But something surprising is happening this season—darker color palettes are trending, which feels out of place for the warmer months. Why? One possible explanation is that some designers are bridging the gap between seasons, creating transitional on-trend pieces that can sell all year round. Another theory is that these collections reflect the mood of uncertainty in the textile industry. Despite the season’s typical lightness or bold colors, collections with darker tones and knitwear are cropping up—a rare sight for spring/summer pattern trends.

Geographically, design trends vary. In New York, I’m seeing winter pattern trends still being sold, while in Europe, designers are mixing spring and transitional surface pattern designs. Meanwhile, in LA and Australia, it’s light winter pieces that dominate the scene. Even winter colors differ from one region to the next. In Europe, deep, rich tones like olive, aubergine, and ochre are popular for floral and geometric patterns, while in LA, where the winters are milder, buyers lean towards brighter, lighter colors.

Key Trends to Watch

The catwalks are giving us plenty to consider for the upcoming season. We’re seeing an abundance of florals, chintz, textures, animal prints, checks, and two-tone decorative designs. Large-scale flowers are trending as well. Notably, black-and-white patterns (potentially the biggest color trend) and animal motifs are making waves, indicating these trends will soon filter down to high-street stores. In men’s trend forecasting, similar patterns are emerging, though perhaps with a more understated twist.

Children’s Wear and Home Decor

While fashion is highly seasonal, home decor trends tend to evolve more gradually. However, the influence of fashion trends is undeniable, especially as more supermarkets and high-street brands like Zara and H&M delve into seasonal homeware collections. For instance, last summer’s tropical obsession—complete with palm trees and pineapples—was a direct reflection of Rio-based brand Farm and designer Ulla Johnson. As this trend phases out, it’s time to anticipate what’s next.

In the home decor market, tablecloths for summer BBQs and winter throws are in demand, reflecting the seasonal shifts in fashion. As fashion prints like florals and animal motifs gain popularity, we should expect to see similar designs trickle into homeware collections.

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Looking Ahead: What’s Next?

So, what will be the next big pattern trends and color trends? Based on the latest shows, no strong directional shifts have emerged yet, but the market is signaling that it's time to move away from tropical prints. Instead, two-color designs are gaining traction—likely because they are more affordable to produce, reflecting current economic challenges. Traditional florals will also continue to hold their ground, offering a safe bet for designers working in both fashion and home decor.

Trending Colors and Color of the Year

In terms of colors, the latest collections are giving us a mix of:

• Black: Some designers are opting for entirely black collections, making a bold statement.
• Black and White: Black flowers on white backgrounds are appearing in many collections. Black-and-white textures are also on-trend, with many using mark-making techniques to achieve these looks.
• Multi-colored: Oversized abstracts are bringing a splash of color to the catwalks, offering a refreshing change from block coloring. Think abstract paintings transferred into fashion. This trend has crossed over from interior design into women’s fashion and will also be seen in sportswear. Many of these abstract prints seem to have been produced by layering textures in Photoshop.
• Yellow: This fresh, optimistic color is trending, from acid pops to soft pastel tones. However, be mindful of choosing the right tone of yellow, as it can be a difficult color to wear.
• Red: While earthy reds had their moment last season, this year’s red is brighter and used as a block color, particularly in textile patterns with a decorative feel.
• Green: In recent years, green has been a popular choice in designs. Last summer, brighter, almost grass-green shades became popular. While not as prevalent on the catwalks this year, green will likely continue as an accent color, particularly in home collections. This ties into the ongoing trend of houseplants and soft greens complementing tropical foliage.
• Blue: Versatile and calming, blue is set to be a staple across collections. I particularly like how this color has been used in illustrated prints, such as sea-themed "new toile" designs with a traditional feel.
• Pantone: We are all waiting for the release of the new color trends, which will not only affect print trends but also influence all areas of design, including interior design trends.

What’s Selling on The Design Agent?

The Design Agent is a thriving platform representing over 60 textile design studios, making it an essential destination for understanding current print trends and meeting surface pattern buyers’ needs. The studios featured on The Design Agent are constantly producing trending designs, reflecting what’s in demand in the textile and surface pattern industry.

Exciting developments are on the way! In the coming months, The Design Agent team will begin informing studios about customer preferences and market needs on a monthly basis. This platform provides a unique advantage for textile designers, offering real-time insights into what is being uploaded and purchased. This helps designers stay relevant and competitive.

Currently, animal skins and two-toned floral prints are the most popular, reflecting trends seen on the catwalks during the S/S 25 and A/W 24 Fashion Week shows. These trends are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

How to Join The Design Agent?

You can only gain access to The Design Agent by subscribing to The Pattern Cloud. Signing up for one of our websites opens the door to selling through The Design Agent and other agents worldwide. Join The Pattern Cloud community and let The Design Agent promote your artwork to attract new customers.

Good luck with what you are designing!

The Pattern Cloud Team

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