A trend is a drift at a certain point of time that is popular or hit. It reflects what is going around at any specific time. Not only does it reflect entertainment fashion and pop culture, but also it can be in any area like business, global warming, e-commerce, and economics. Reflecting a nation’s current mood, there can also be trend in politics, stock market, bearish or bullish depending upon country’s economic indicators. When some trends are fabulous, some are fun and some are dreadful. But to replace the old trend, it is obvious there will be a new trend coming; doesn’t matter how long one trend stayed.
According to American musician, Russ, “Trends die. That’s the natural thing about a trend. It’s natural for people to be followers and be sheep, and go with a trend.”
THE ROUTE OF FASHION CHANGE
Fashion forecasting include activities like noting the lifestyle of consumers, evaluating popular designer collections, studying market conditions, surveying fashion publications, research sales statistics, observing street fashions etc. Trend watcher must have to design a proper framework to explain how the trend starts and its possible trail within a social system. This is because observation is not enough to compete in market. The directional theories of fashion change trickle across, trickle up and trickle down to make forecasting easier by pointing to the predictable route that the trend will take and for how much time it will last. Also, pointing the probable starting points for a fashion trend.
WHY CYCLE OF FASHION IS CONSTANTLY MOVING UP?
Worldwide profession of focusing on upcoming trends is fashion forecasting. To present unique styles on the runway and in the stores for upcoming seasons, a fashion forecaster predicts prints, fabrics, textures, graphics, material, colors, footwear, accessories, beauty/grooming products, street styles and other styles. Fashion consumers change their consuming behavior rapidly. Thus, a fashion forecaster uses a variety of methods. To try to spot the emergence of a trend, prediction can be done with analysis of existing data.
HOW DO THEY DO IT?
Targeting techniques and marketing stratagem are rapidly evolving from demographic, static and traditional based criteria towards mood, lifestyle, dynamic and psycho graphic influences to cope up with the changing world. It is about identifying your customer’s choice that when and how they buy based on their beliefs, mood and the occasion instead of identifying them by their geography age or income. From psychological, cultural, commercial or sociological point of view, fashion is a complex phenomenon. Fashion forecasters capture the mood, introduce a style which they think is prophetic and sign a new fashion trend. From cars to cosmetics via sports and politics, fashion system has extended across all the sectors. You will observe fashion as an endless source of inspiration in every sector.
According to Gilles Lipovetsky, “More the fashion society develops, the less importance will be given to the affordability of clothes. To hold on to its role as a pioneer and enhance its brand image, fashion has to continue to innovate.”
Important aspects of fashion industry are forecasting the fabrics, colors and future demand for picky styles. To determine the general guidelines for fashion seasons, textile specialist work for two years to develop a best design. Short term and long term planning must be based on rational and sound decision making and not on hype. Forecasting removes a gap between action taken by design team and ambiguous, conflicting signs.
