I’m not a big fan of the rag trade but Dutch-born Li Edelkoort (one of Time magazine’s 25 most influential people in fashion) can be a bit of an oracle at times. Here are a handful of her insights from last year that seem to resonate way beyond the glitzy and somewhat vapid word of fashion.

1. Togetherness
We increasingly live apart but we want to be together. We want to re-connect, be it through farmers markets, theatre, live music or knitting cafes.

2. Back to basics
Usually when there is a financial crisis we go through a period of utility or back-to-basics. This time around this reaction appears to be rather short lived. Perhaps this is because we feel that it is others than have sinned and need to atone for past excesses.

3. Grey.
We are at a period of indecision so what better way to say nothing than to use a colour sandwiched in between the certainty of black and white. Actually, “Colour of the Year” for 2010 is Pantone 14-0848 Mimosa but I still like the idea of grey.

By the way, I really like what Li had to say about her process; once: “People think I am some mystic or gypsy. But what I really do is pay attention. Then I have the nerve to say what I believe.”

Source: thewrendesign.com