Fashion Trends How to Forecast For Your Fashion Brand

Fashion Trends How to Forecast For Your Fashion Brand

Curious about learning how to forecast fashion trends for your brand this year?

What is Trend Forecasting?

Here’s what you need to know about trends, and trend forecasting along with an insight into how trends work behind the scenes for your brand

This is going to be the first in a new series all about how to forecast fashion trends, so keep an eye out for those posts coming soon.

Curious about learning how to forecast fashion trends for your brand?

What is a Fashion Trend and what exactly goes into Trend Forecasting?

In this post, I’ll break down exactly what you need to know to filter the right trends to apply for your brand no matter the season.

And how being aware of trends can help your business succeed.

Everyone has a different view of what is trending in the market, from sales to marketing to the creative team. Deciding on what direction to take a new collection takes experience, time, and discipline.

Understanding and predicting fashion trends is an important aspect of the fashion business, as designers, retailers, and marketers aim to stay relevant and meet consumer expectations.

Applying the right trends can make the difference between success and failure of your brand and company.

The good news?

It's easier than ever to forecast using social media and your own personal aesthetic. However, it’s important to have a clear understanding of trends and how they can impact your business.

But first,

What exactly IS a fashion trend?

A fashion trend refers to the prevailing style, design, or pattern that gains popularity and acceptance within a specific culture or society for a certain period.

Fashion trends can encompass various aspects of style, including clothing, accessories, beauty, and even lifestyle choices.

Trends are not arbitrary but are often influenced by a variety of factors, including the media, cultural movements, celebrity endorsements, and the creative expression of designers and influencers.

Trend forecasting used to be….

Top-down, high-end fashion houses launching collections, influencing department store buyers and retailers, then trickling down through the early adopters to the masses!

But that’s all changed.

There are leading trend forecast companies, like WGSN who use carefully crafted strategies to gather trend information, filter it, and forecast up to 3 years into the future.

But in the last 5-10 years the influence of social media and influencers, as well as consumer-led trends has changed trend forecasting dramatically.

I led trends for two menswear companies, used trend services, and conducted trend research and sample shopping in Europe for brands and private label manufacturing.

Ultimately, coming up with or deciding on the final trends we would adopt for the presentation, or those we would adopt as a team was ultimately a mix of several influences:

New Trend Forecast +/- Product Plan X Business Goals = Adopted Trend

Now let’s look at some of the key places fashion trends might come from so you know what to be on the lookout for.

Influence of Key Players: 

Industry Trend Forecasters, Designers, Celebrities, influencers, and fashion publications play a crucial role in shaping and promoting trends.

Their choices and endorsements can significantly impact what becomes popular.

Pantone Color of the Year is the perfect example of this industry-led, corporatization of trend.

And who can forget that scene in Devil Wears Prada….it’s not just blue!!!

Trends can come from cyclical patterns: 

Fashion trends often exhibit cyclical patterns, with certain styles from the past being reintroduced and reinterpreted in contemporary contexts.

Cyclical trend patterns might be things like:

60’s revival

70 chic

The color Brown

etc

Trends can reflect current culture: Fashion trends often mirror attitudes in the culture, values, and shifts. For example, certain periods in history are associated with specific fashion movements that reflected the prevailing social mood.

Trends can come from adoption by the masses: A fashion trend gains momentum when a significant number of people adopt and embrace it. The widespread acceptance of a particular style contributes to its status as a trend.

Trends can have cross-industry influence: Trends in fashion can influence other industries, such as design, art, and even technology, creating a cross-disciplinary impact.

Trends can be diverse: Fashion trends can be diverse and cover a wide range of styles, from clothing silhouettes, details, fabrics, materials, and color schemes to hair and makeup trends.

Ok, so now we know some of the types of trends that are out there, let’s talk about practical ways you can benefit from staying on top of trends in your business.

Benefits of paying attention to fashion trends

Paying attention to fashion trends offers several benefits, particularly in the fashion industry.

Here are some of the key ways trends can help your business thrive:

Customer Expectations: 

Customers often seek the latest trends when making fashion-related purchases. Meeting these expectations can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Innovation and Creativity in Product Development: 

Fashion trends often drive innovation and creativity. Designers and product developers can use trends as inspiration for new designs and styles, keeping their offerings fresh and exciting.

Competitive Advantage:

Market Positioning: Being aware of and incorporating fashion trends provides a competitive advantage. Trends help businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors by offering products that are perceived as trendy and up-to-date.

Branding, Brand Image, and Identity:

Aligning with fashion trends can enhance a brand's image, making it appear current and in touch with contemporary tastes. This is important for maintaining a positive brand identity.

Relevance and Marketability:

For designers, stylists, and fashion industry professionals, staying abreast of trends is crucial for creating products that are relevant and marketable. It helps them understand consumer preferences and design products that align with current styles.

Keeping up with fashion trends enables effective marketing and advertising strategies. Businesses can tailor their campaigns to showcase products in ways that resonate with current styles, increasing consumer engagement.

Sustainability Considerations:

With the increasing focus on sustainable and ethical fashion, paying attention to trends allows businesses to incorporate eco-friendly practices and materials into their products, meeting the demands of environmentally conscious consumers.

Conclusion

Staying attuned to fashion trends is advantageous for businesses, and the industry as a whole. It boosts creativity, enhances marketability, and contributes to overall success and relevance in the world of fashion.

What to know more about trends, and how to use trends in your business?

In the next post I’ll break down…the top 5 ways to APPLY trends in your clothing business, including a few free and easy ways I bet you hadn’t thought of.

WORK WITH ME 👇🏼

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Trudi Roach specializes in helping small and emerging fashion and accessory brands scale successfully - even without any prior business or fashion industry experience.

A former fashion executive and merchandiser (aka the real Business of Fashion) she led product development for multi-million-dollar fashion brands, crafting a strategy with the Marketing, Sales, and Finance teams. Trudi learned how to run a business, from top to bottom the hard way, through hands-on experience creating products, working with vendors, and launching products, from test quantities to million-dollar programs … every month!

As a fashion brand consultant, Trudi can help you get there too.