A look into Scandinavian Trends 2014

We’re seeing a real love of “learning and sharing across borders”, with fashion, lifestyle and entertainment being some of the most popular areas of interest. For a while now, there has been a real “Scandimania” going on in the UK, indicating a curiousity and a need for an approach to life and style that connects with serenity, simplicity and nature.

The importance of putting children and family life first is also increasingly highlighted, and Scandinavian countries are naturally in the spotlight here with their famously extensive maternity/paternity) leave. And when it comes to style and fashion, Scandi style tends to use natural materials and above all focus on comfort and durability to allow children to be children.

How will 2014 bring a twist of Scandinavia to our world of parenting, children’s fashion and way of life? Well, the trends from the North look to be about truly treating children as unique individuals when it comes to what they wear, what they play with, how to support their development and how to colour their surroundings.

Rather than following the mainstream, it’s about trusting your own parenting style and also about providing the clothing, toys, interior and playtime that suit your individual child in terms of personality, likes and needs. Who they are, not which gender they are. Are we perhaps seeing the beginning of the end of pink versus blue and “girly” versus “boyish” toys and colours?

Family first

This is the year where parents are clear about wanting to put family first, and acceptance of a wider variety of flexible home-work solutions may come as a result of this. The focus is on parents taking the time to really be there for the little ones and fully throwing themselves into the playful existence of children. Play promotes joy, which is essential for self-esteem and health, and for your little ones there is true bliss when you put everything else aside and play with them.

Neutral and natural toys

The world of toys has been filled with all sorts of gadgets and electronic equipment, and they have been called “must-haves” even from a very early age. But gradually the “glitzy goggles” are taken off, and parents and researchers alike realise that children in fact never needed all these sophisticated toys in their lives, and develop just perfectly without them. They can fill a whole afternoon with joys from games they make up using just things from their surroundings. A bucket, some water and some sand brings hours of entertainment and also learning.

So look out for a surge in traditional, simple toys like pull-alongs and wooden stacking toys. They help teach young children to persevere with a task, problem solve, and create, and of course these provide more opportunities for interactions and therefore social and language development. Remember, fun and learning is one and the same for children and being playful is their natural state.

Personality inspired rooms

Your little one’s bedroom seeks new dimensions! It looks like choices are becoming more than blue or pink, with a new trend of themed bedroom interior to reflect the focus on your child’s personality and individuality. Even lamps in moons and stars make way for a more original spread such as “flower pots”.

Hot interior trends for the whole household as well as the childrens’ room ooze individuality and use a classic style with inspirations from the natural world. So enjoy letting a theme develop in your child’s room that reflects who they are, what they love, their sense of humour and that brings out colours that make them happy.

Classic yet nonconforming fashion

When it comes to fashion, it’s no longer so much retro as going back to classic, clean lines in nostalgic Scandinavian style. Quality brands are seeing an upswing, as parents want clothes that are beautiful but also durable enough to be passed on. As always, there is a true connection with nature, with materials such as wool and bamboo. The huge influence of “boy colours” and “girl colours” has been heavily discussed here in the UK. Perhaps the new Scandinavian trends can be of help here as the focus is shifting more towards individuality in style, where girls’ clothes for example show off colours like green and brown. There is nothing wrong with pink and blue, but you can play with different colours and prints to sprinkle your little one’s wardrobe with. Sounds refreshing to me! What do you think?

Aside from this, the super trendy thing to do in Norway now is knitting! Talk about bringing back a classic! It’s about priorities and taking the time to knit and therefore being able to provide something homemade for the children. Knitting is “real” and it connects us, and this trend certainly seems to relate to people placing more importance on slowing down and prioritising a better work-life balance. Knitting shops are being brought back to life in the trendiest areas of Oslo…. Something for the UK? Sarah Lund from “the Killing” certainly made waves with her knitted jumpers.

Sources: Aftenposten , Science Daily