Style & Innovation: How Beading Trends Influence 5 Designers | Beading | Interweave
When beaders describe their personal relationship with fashion trends, there doesn’t seem to be much gray area. Most either categorize themselves as trendy (where they love to follow fine-jewelry and celebrity styles), or they design to the beat of their own drum (purposefully avoiding outside influences). See how five bead weavers—Carolyn Cave, Diane Fitzgerald, Melissa Grakowsky Shippee, Shaylynn Jameson, and Melissa Mauk Rodarte— view past beading trends, find inspiration for their personal design styles, and foresee future trends.
ABOVE: Pacific Ice by Melissa Grakowsky Shippee
Beading Trends That Have Shaped Us
Before we see where styles are headed, let’s take a look at where we’ve been. For Fitzgerald, cylinder beads have always been on trend. “Thank heavens for Miyuki Delicas. . . the old standby and go-to bead!” Cave agrees that seed beads are a mainstay. She adds, “Seed beads will always be a part of my work, so I’m glad that they are still around. They have survived for at least 300 years, so I don’t think they’re going away anytime soon.” These beads play a vital role in Grakowsky Shippee’s work as well, “What I’m glad hasn’t changed in recent years is the availability of high-quality and very color diverse seed beads! They will always be a staple in my beaded jewelry.”
There’s widespread agreement that shaped beads have had an influence on bead-woven-jewelry styles. Jameson says, “My favorite jewelry trends from the last few years include the two-hole bead surge in the market, with my overall favorite being Cymbal Metal Fashion Elements. They add a metal component to my favorite shaped-bead designs.”
As for fashion styles from recent years, Grakowsky Shippee shares, “I love the trend toward bigger, bolder, and more in-your-face jewelry, especially those featuring tiny components that have the look of seed beads and small crystals.” Mauk Rodarte has noticed, “It seems that there has been a transition back to a more 1960s and ‘70s ‘boho’ feel in jewelry over the last few years, as well as more bead embroidery. I love to see how designers incorporate elements like tassels, feathers, and found objects into their jewelry.”
The Influence of Fashion
This article’s contributors are in agreement: Although clothing and jewelry trends from the Red Carpet are interesting, what’s hot in the fashion industry plays a minor role of their own designs. Instead, they forge ahead with their own styles. Cave states, “I make what I like, and I like what I make.” Grakowsky Shippee shares, “I’d say fashion trends play a small role in my designs. I do like looking up trends to see what people are wearing; however, I think jewelry differs from clothing in that jewelry is more timeless, and pieces from any era can be worn at any time with the right outfit.”
It’s undeniable that shaped beads play a role in emerging trends. Mauk Rodarte explains, “I don’t pay very close attention to fashion designs when I am putting a piece together. However, I do tend to gravitate to new styles of beads and love a variety of different shapes and textures to choose from when designing.” As a member of the BeadSmith Inspiration Squad, Cave is often one of the first designers to see the newest beading trends in shaped beads: “One of my favorite beading trends from the last three years has been the incredible variety of shapes that have been introduced. I like being on the forefront of the trend, on the cutting edge of the latest shapes in the bead world.”
Sources of Style
If these designers aren’t anxiously following celebrity trends, where do they turn for inspiration? Jameson explains, “I look forward to Pantone releasing their new color trends each year, because they force us to step out of our comfort zone and work in new color palettes. Aside from new color trends, I pull inspiration from other parts of my creative self, including online art journaling with friends, mandala coloring-book designs, fabric patterns, sewing, and an occasional dream.” Grakowsky Shippee finds style inspiration in a nonjewelry/nonfashion magazine, Enchanted Living. “It makes me (and my five-year-old daughter) very happy to look through the beautiful images. I have a similar romantic, fantastical sensibility that is reflected in my work.” Nature and flowers influence many beading designs.
Beading Trends on Pinterest
Pinterest is a popular place for inspiration, a place often visited by Fitzgerald. Mauk Rodarte uses the platform as well and explains, “When I have ‘beader’s block’ I usually turn to Pinterest for inspiration. I have a very big ‘beaded jewelry’ board that is well-worn at this point. A lot of these posts are from other bead designers, and some are from other well-loved sites like the Sundance catalog.”
Cave also views beading trends on social media, but in a more unsuspecting way: “I follow trends loosely on Facebook and Pinterest, but I follow so I will do what no one else is doing. For example, if a certain bead is mostly being used horizontally, I will use it vertically. I also like to keep an eye on European beading trends because the designs there are different than in North America.”
On the Horizon
What future beading trends do these designers see emerging? Cave predicts two trends: “The first is a return to seed beads after the steady stream of new shapes. The second is a move toward recycled beads. In our everyday lives, we are being made aware to reduce the human impact on the planet. I think this awareness applies to beads as well. Perhaps, one day our spare beads can be recycled into new and exciting shapes.”
Fitzgerald sees a continued interest in geometric designs, a trend that’s helped gain popularity from Kate McKinnon’s Contemporary Geometric Beadwork group. Fitzgerald spent the last year spearheading and managing the Johnson Solids Project. She explains, “Johnson Solids are convex, three-dimensional forms assembled from flat shapes with equal sides and angles, including triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, and decagons. In 1966, mathematician Norman Johnson published a list that included 92 solid forms and assigned them names and numbers.” Now, over 70 beaders from 17 countries are using Delicas, Aikos, and peyote stitch to re-create these models in impressive geometric forms.
Mauk Rodarte recognizes the struggle many experienced in 2020, and its lasting impact. She states, “As we begin to transition coming out of our homes (slowly) and finding the ‘new normal’ of our lives, I think having reliable, new designs that can be accessed from home (either via vlogs, online workshops, zoom, etc.) will keep beaders engaged, and they will continue to come together in new ways.”
Basics Beyond Trends
Regardless of future innovations in the fashion and fine-jewelry industries, Mauk Rodarte believes one thing will always stay true for bead weavers: “The fundamental bead-weaving stitches (e.g., peyote, herringbone, etc.) that we have been using since the dawn of time can still be seen (even if they are blended and altered) in all of our weaving designs today. These are the foundations that I am grateful to see running through the veins of every designer still today.” It’s innovations of designers like these that set the future beading trends.
Cheers,
Melinda Barta
Melinda Barta is a former editor of Beadwork and the author of six books published by Interweave. She has filmed many instructional DVDs on bead-weaving techniques, taught at craft schools and bead shows nationwide, and shared her love of crafting on DIY, PBS, HGTV, Style, and local television networks. Melinda is a craft industry consultant and a 2016–2020 Starman TrendSetter. Visit www.melindabarta.com and www.melindabartastudio.etsy.com.