Trend Forecasting

What is Trend Forecasting?

Trend forecasting is a useful tool usedby designers and manufacturers to keepup with the changing tastes ofconsumers, which in turn helps them toproduce great new products. Fashionforecasting is also useful for retailerswho have a keen interest in stayingahead of their competitors. Fashionforecasters help retailers be more awareof the latest trends, they can use thisinformation to direct their buyingstrategies to a favourable outcome.

It is about making informed decisions in your upcoming design and brand direction. Being at the peak of the trends is an important competitive element that enables you to see the start and finish of a trend. With experience you can time your collections to make the most impact and gain the most sales.

The risk with being too late or too early is that you are left with unsold items and out of pocket from the cost of their production. Many of the greatest designers found fame by striking at the right time with a new vision. They key lies in the ability to read the zeitgeist of the time and be guided by an intuition of the changing times. Designers are able to create something new and innovative to entice the consumers ready to embrace something new.

An example of this can be seen in the 1950’s Dior silhouette. Coming out of post war times, the past few years of clothing had become a straight line functional era. Households were in a new generation after WW2 had left its impact on a global scale. The times and fashion were structured, dressed for duties, dressed for utility, they were clothes of encumbrance.

From the house of Christian Dior came ‘The New Look’ with a fitted waist and full skirt accentuating the hourglass figure. The genius of this is in what Dior tapped into what was the reflection of society, ready for something new, ready to feel refreshed and in need of relief, the new look celebrated a new beginning.

TRICKLE DOWN

Inspiration for a designer can come from anywhere, from someone in the street, an ephemeral landscape lasting in their minds to the latest exhibition of modern art or pop culture. The first developed method is commonly known as the ‘Trickle down’. Styles that come straight from the runways led by Paris, Milan and New York. Each seasonal release of autumn winter to spring summer sees new innovations take shape that are then translated into the mass-market.

TRICKLE ACROSS 

The trickle across effect has become increasingly more common through the availability of social media platforms. There are two methods for the trickle method one being the ‘Trickle across’ which describes the action of the same styles appearing at all price points at a rapid pace. The other method is called ‘Land and Expand’, where a brand begins with mass appeal products and then expands into more niche product offerings.

TRICKLE UP

This style is characterised as ‘Trickle Up’ and was first regarded as a reflection of social change. It is also known as ‘streetwear’, a term popularised by fashion designers who have used their designs to reflect the latest trends in street style. This can be seen in the movement of punk or grunge coming from the atmosphere of rebellion and reaching upwards.