HOW TO PREDICT THE NEXT TRENDS IN FASHION!

So you have an idea of what you want your brand to look like - the next step is to make sure you deliver all of the right trends at the right time.

As a Fashion Designer this is one of the most important roles of my job and not as scary as it sounds.

‘Trend Prediction’ may seem like an impossible task - who knows where next season will take us right?

Well, there are industry approved methods of Trend Prediction that all Independent Fashion Brands should be aware of, starting with the Fashion Prediction Websites.

WGSN:

This is the most popular Trend Prediction Website around with most High Street and Fashion Designers using it. WGSN outlines the key trends for the next 18 months, covering menswear, womenswear, childrenswear and accessories. Being totally honest - its amazing and definitely my preferred Trend Prediction site BUT it does come at an incredibly expensive cost that most Independent brands feel is too much to rely on, there are of course other options.

FashionSnoops:

Similar to WGSN, this is a great Trend Prediction site used by lots of Retailers. This is a slightly lower cost yet still provides coverage of all key product areas up to 18 months in advance. Personally, I find the layout a little confusing and not as informative as WGSN, but the price is definitely more attractive.

Using third party sites to predict trends is great to back up your own visions and give you confidence in your look but there are also great ways of predicting next seasons key looks without paying the subscription fees (it is also much more fun to do it this way, and also really allows for your brands individuality to be shown) - in doing this my top sources of inspiration are:

Catwalks: Catwalks are the core source of inspiration for Fashion Brands, look towards the Designers that you love and filter it down to your customer level. Remember not to copy, just to take elements that are great and put your own individual twist on it.

Street Style: Fashion Week Street Style is a great one and by far my favourite source of inspiration - using street style as your inspiration allows you to really maximise the styling options of each individual garment, for example - are your tailored trousers worn with a boyfriend fit shirt and heels or are they worn with your favourite ACDC T-shirt and Veju Trainers?

High End Brands: High End Brands tend to be the trend leaders so look towards what they are doing and in no time you will see this being filtered down to the High Street.

Remember when Trend Predicting, you want your trends to be commercial as well as fashionable. Yes extra long sleeves may be a catwalk hit but realistically - a nightmare when you are eating your soup!!

If you need help with ensuring your brand stays on track with the latest trends drop me an email and let’s chat.

Sam x

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