Fashion is a fast paced industry! Trend forecasting can help you keep ahead and start your business off in the right direction. Helping you to forecast future trends as well as giving you a competitive edge in the industry.
How do designers know what the trends are for next winter/summer? Where do they find the colours for the season or what the next big trend is going to be? They do this by “trend forecasting” this means working well ahead of each season, sometimes up to 4 seasons (2 years) in advance. It is one of the most important requirements of any brand, particularly any fashion brand, to constantly be on trend. This means that, as a fashion business owner, not only must you be aware of the current and near future trends, but you must also understand them well and consistently keep your brand ahead of them. This is so that your brand can keep up and stay ahead of the curve. Things are changing so quickly in the industry in this day and age that you need to be ready.
Most of the big services which focus on trend forecasting can be somewhat costly, requiring subscriptions and not targeted too many small businesses. If you are working with a designer then they should be aware of current and future trends and can advise you on this. Below I have rounded up a list of the top 6 high-quality sites used for trend information
- WGSN – https://www.wgsn.com/en/
You’ve probably heard of this one before. WGSN are arguably one of the biggest trend forecasting sites used widely within the fashion industry. Having been around since 1998 and based in London, they became the first company to produce an online trend forecasting resource. They are said to be best for working around 2-4 seasons in advance and they look at both fashion and interiors. Their service is rather expensive, however, they do post a blog called WGSN Insider in which you can get detailed information regarding anything from fashion to lifestyle etc. as well as trend reports.
- Trendstop – https://www.trendstop.com/
Trendstop is another rather popular trend forecasting site. They were founded back in 2002 with a HQ in London. They have 150 trend specialists working across the globe by visiting over 1,500 events per month. Trendstop have an easy to use interface showcasing a great amount of quality trend reports as well as a blog. What’s more, they have a TrendStream feature which outlines some of the key trends.
- Fashion Snoops – https://www.fashionsnoops.com/
Fashion Snoops was founded in 2001 with a HQ in New York. They are known for covering a wide range of products and they work well in advance of the seasons and trends. What’s more, their website has some fun, interactive features, webinars and good newsletters that include clear trend reports for customers.
- Who, What, Wear – https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/
Who, What, Wear are a free online service, they were founded in 2006 and their HQ remains in LA, California. They are a fashion brand who, essentially, showcase what everyone wants to know by producing celebrity style guides. They cover trend reports, celebrity style, beauty as well as ‘wardrobe how-tos’ and general fashion industry news.
- Pantone – https://www.pantone.com/
You’ve probably heard of Pantone. They are best known for their Pantone Matching System (PMS). They were founded back in 1962 and have their HQ in New Jersey. Their online sources are free for use and are, unsurprisingly, some of the best resources for colour trends, most notably their colour of the year reports.
- Vogue – https://www.vogue.co.uk/
Vogue are obviously one of the largest fashion magazines in the world. British Vogue is the British edition of the American magazine Vogue which was first published in London 1916. Their online resources are free and are known to be an especially great source for runway coverage and information on high-end, couture designers.
At Rosebudd Design Consultancy we ensure that we invest in the top resources so that our clients don’t have to. We can advise you on trends from celebrity street style to what’s seen on the runways as well as colour trends, fabrics and materials and prints. We collate this in order to help you and your brand in the best way possible.