timing for trendspotting for the mass market.

[karenlevy]

I have a question that has been on my mind for several years....

I work in the mass market and am wondering how the timing for following the key trends works best ....ie for key looks for spring 06, do you follow the catwalk from spring 05, or autumn 05 or do you wait patiently for the spring 06 catwalks to emerge by which time it is often too late...

I sometimes think its all 3 but that can get very confusing to say the least.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this one...

 

[helena]

is it not key to get the right manufacturers who can work quickly based upon the collections shown for the season you are working on (ie. s/s 06 collections for s/s 06 mass market stock). Is that not where Zara's success has come from..?

 

[tott]

I think it's a mixture; you follow s/s 05 for mass market s/s 06 staples, and then add the extras based upon 06. When I say "staples" I mean the stuff that is fresh and modern, but not trendy and obvious, sort of. This way you can plan ahead and have resources for last minute additions and extras. (You could/should also look at the a/w between those two to get a sense of how stuff evolves and develops.)

I know I've seen stuff at Zara and other places which are almost exact replicas of the same season a year ago from Prada and other labels, so everything is not copied straight from the catwalk to the high street...

Welcome to tFS btw!

 

[karenlevy]

all very interesting... I notice sometimes a look comes in and is huge that has no bearing on any catwalk trends, and those are the ones that are hardest to catch and pick up on as they often defy logic!

 

[fashionista-ta]

all very interesting... I notice sometimes a look comes in and is huge that has no bearing on any catwalk trends, and those are the ones that are hardest to catch and pick up on as they often defy logic!

Hi, Karen, that's interesting ... can you give us an example or two?

It seems like spring and fall are so different that the previous fall season wouldn't be too much use, although there are some things from this fall that I expect to see continue into spring, such as wedges, sailor (a sleeper thru fall), and a different spin on Victorian/Edwardian ... presumably black will be bigger as well ...

I would think trend forecasting would be challenging/fun, but rather nerve-wracking ...

It interests me mostly because I want to buy into trends in an optimal way ... sometimes I knowingly do not because I've put off a buy I wanted to make earlier ...

 

[Lena]

I work in the mass market and am wondering how the timing for following the key trends works best ....ie for key looks for spring 06, do you follow the catwalk from spring 05, or autumn 05 or do you wait patiently for the spring 06 catwalks to emerge by which time it is often too late...

i've been working as a trend consultant for major companies for five years now
this is how i work, eg for ss06, i combined info from trend book predictions for ss06 and fw06.06 (available almost exactly one year before each season) with fw05.06 catwalk trends, i totally avoid mixing ss05 trends, even though i carry them in the back of my mind

for me this is the safiest way around, and as you well know, one needs to be feeling totally safe when driving mass production behind him/her ..thats if he/she wants to keep the position going and bosses happy

 

[karenlevy]

Fashion being an evolution, I think its all intermingled, and the strongest catwalks looks will often stay for many seasons to come in one form or another.
What I mean by a trend coming in at "short notice or one that defies logic" is ie a celebrity puts together a look/trend that was not necessarily promoted on the catwalk but it gets picked up by the press/magazines and then the shops as it looks good and right for the time. ( I am sure Kate Moss has done this many times as women all over the world want to emulate her look).

I do hope this makes sense!

 

[Lena]

not paying too much attention on celebrity looks , since those too come out of catwalks..
as far as street influence goes, i pay more attention to what i see worn by kids or by fashion people in trade fairs etc

btw, will you be attending PV later this month karenlevy?

ETA : since this is a purely industry topic, moving it to our careers&education section

 

[karenlevy]

Hi Lena,

Yes I will be at PV and at texworld. And you?

 

[Lena]

i think i'll be in PV, not in Texworld this season ..
i'll know pretty soon and i'll let you know

it would be fun to have a quick drink at the end of the session

 

[karenlevy]

Hi Lena,

Let me know, sounds like a great idea, would be very interesting to meet up. I will probably be at Texworld on 20th and PV on the 21st.