Experimentation with three-dimensional structures is rampant in the current scene of fashion-- both in

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terms of creating these structures on garments as well as developing them on the fabric.

These designs seem to have architectural elements at the heart of detail. The arrival of this "architectural approach" in fashion has given a number of new options for fabric textures. Some of the borrowed elements are on the lines of lightweight glasses, membrane structures, and pliable metals. Even flexible plastics are being used comprehensively adding that freshness and a unique twist to each garment.

Designers are exploring different avenues with self-created structures. Pleating and pin-tucking are only the precursors to this look. Origami is another hot selling proposition. High fashion has long looked to traditional Japanese art forms for inspiration. Season after season, we are given new interpretations of the geisha, the kimono, and elements of Japanese architecture. This season, the trend continues with origami-inspired pieces. Stiff geometries meet couture-like fabric manipulation to create truly inspired fashion.

Present day fashion sees a lot of influence of the fifties. The sophisticated floor length gowns and tunics, through the route of folds and pleats, have seen a metamorphosis of sorts. Jackets have been transformed into space age, techno savvy gadgets.

The origami trend is affecting not just fashion; but even hitting the home apparel segment.

Coming back to fabrics, the modern architectural fashion innovation has got a wide range of architectural textures. The nylon texture is capable to change the colour when it is put on the body. The plastic texture gives a knitted look and feel. These fabrics are specifically designed to suit any temperature. Fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen and Issey Miyake and architects such as Zaha Hadid are joining hands to bring this new trend on a fast track.

The other pioneers of this new trend are fashion designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Commes des Garcon. They have generated a successful resonance with the architects such as Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhas in this field. Their new approach has built some inspirational inroads leading to a unique outlook towards design. We see roads converging with a beautiful marriage between fashion design and engineering.

­­Creative minds are drawing in closer than ever before toward creating a more technologically advanced medium. Walls seem to have been leveled in the pursuit of finding a bridge between two vocations.

The future of fashion will see some more applications of engineering details and experience some unexplored trends. Hopefully, the latest innovations in the field of fashion will add to that new level of understanding of fashion and technology.

The writer is a fashion designer and artist