The TENCEL™ brand has been collaborating and innovating with its valued partners for over 30 years. As it celebrates its 30^th anniversary, the brand looks forward to creating new and inspiring collections for decades more. One such collaboration is the new LENZING™ Lyocell Standard fiber collection, showcased at Interfilière Paris, the world’s leading trade show for lingerie, swimwear & activewear fabrics. We sat down with expert fashion trend forecasters Sue Barrett and Maria Janssen to discuss how they helped develop the trend, garment design and fabric selection for TENCEL™’s new collection as well as their inspirations for the launch.

1. What was the main inspiration behind your designs and fabric selection for TENCEL™’s new collection?
   
   Sue and Maria: We’ve been working with the Lenzing group on Future Forward macro trends, focusing on the TENCEL™ brand. These macro trends inspired this collection and the selection of fibers we chose. Within these macro trends, we looked at three sub trends, and together with the TENCEL™ team, we decided on which trend to pursue. Each of the three stories has a very different concept, largely inspired by consumer lifestyle trends. Based on these guiding principles we selected suitable Lenzing fabrics. For example, for one of the stories we wanted fabrics which have a glossy, luxurious appearance, and for another story we wanted a comforting, soothing feel to the fabric.
   
   
2. How would you describe the new LENZING™ Lyocell Standard fiber collection?
   
   Sue and Maria: At such a pivotal time in all our lives, how we select products has become a much more heightened experience. We want to be soothed and excited and celebrate life through what we wear. Using fibers that are natural means we have a much closer emotional connection to the product. The circularity elements of LENZING™ Lyocell Standard fibers help us to become deeply connected to the emotive qualities of this new collection. It’s all about doing good and feeling good as well. The look and feel capsule collection is all about how it makes the wearer feel, how it feels against their skin, how it soothes them – almost like a mental wellness product.
   
   Within the capsule collection, we focused on the qualities and wellness benefits you would want to hug and touch your skin. We also applied these attributes through the current drivers in the market: evaluating, healing, and protecting ourselves and our planet. As we work towards our wellbeing and the planet’s, we evaluate the products and environments we surround ourselves with. These are reflected in the concepts for SS23: Home Spa, Switchwear and Rest + Recovery.
   
   
   
3. What is your most favorite part of the collection?
   
   Sue and Maria: It's our responsibility to create products that people will fall in love with, and that they will want to keep. To do this, it needs a sense of value. It’s also important as a designer to create the best possible garment that people will want to keep forever. In some ways, that is part of closing the loop in circularity, because then it becomes non-disposable. Therefore, encouraging people to fall in love with the products is now an essential part of the design responsibility, which it really wasn't before. So, when we're talking about a collection, it's about creating a capsule for life, and that’s our favorite part.
   
   There are three collections with 15 items in total. We wanted the products to be able to dress you for every occasion, which fits the new hybrid lifestyle - a mixture of rest and recovery - but also going out and being glamorous. We wanted to create hybrid garments which can be worn 24/7, and are engaging and beautiful, reflecting the luxurious hand-feel and luster of LENZING™ Lyocell Standard fibers. One garment can be worn in many different ways, reflecting how we live our lives and our values.
   
   Even though we've created outfits that can be worn at home for comfort, there are also matching sets that you can wear out in the world. This reflects the emergence of elevated soft tailoring looks.
   
   
4. What are your thoughts on collaborating with the TENCEL™ brand?
   
   Sue and Maria: To work with a company that are game changers in the market, and have been for 30 years, is an absolute privilege. It means that we can help support those shifts in the market and get people to understand the attributes and the benefits of sustainability.
   
   Lyocell fibers fit in perfectly with the values of the customer and we expect this to continue over the coming years. That's what made it so exciting for us when we first started talking to TENCEL™. The way we work with the TENCEL™ brand is very much an organic process, taking into consideration things happening in the world and global fashion trends.