The document discusses how fashion trends are spreading more rapidly globally due to internet and international brands. It explains the fashion trend forecasting process, where trends are predicted 1-2 years in advance by agencies, designers begin new collections 6-12 months later, and buyers select products for stores 6-8 months before items are delivered. The document also outlines how trend information and new fabrics are shared at major textile fairs to influence new collections.

1. The latest fashion trends are
finding their way to shoppers
faster than ever due to global
brands and the Internet
國際品牌效應配合互聯網的威力，
讓最新潮流資料火速傳達消費者
concept to
全民時尚
by REGGIE HO
eryl Streep, in her role as powerful
fashion editor Miranda Priestley in The
Devil Wears Prada – believed to be based
on Vogue editor Anna Wintour – gives
a rookie a dressing down when she calls fashion
styling “this stuff”.
“You’re...blithelyunawareofthefactthatin2002,
OscardelaRentadidacollectionofceruleangowns…
and then cerulean quickly showed up in the collec-
tions of eight different designers,” she says. “Then it
filtereddownthroughthedepartmentstores…you’re
wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the
people in this room. From a pile of stuff.”
Whatmaybesurprisingfromthattiradeistherev-
elationthatwhatwearewearingtodaymayhavebeen
decided for us more than a year previously. While
manymaystillbehittingthegymtogetreadyforthe
hot-pants trend this summer, trend forecasters are
already years ahead. In January, world-leading trend
agencyPromostylmadeapresentationattheannual
World Boutique Hong Kong fashion fair about the
Autumn/Winter 2011-12 season.
And if you think what appears on the catwalk
doesn’taffectyou,thinkagain.Whileonlyamoneyed
minority will wear the latest collections, new trends
are making their way to wardrobes of the masses
faster than ever, thanks to the growing number of
global high-street brands and the Internet.
FashionshowsinParis,London,Milan,Tokyoand
62 discovery MARCH 2010
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發現時裝

2. Pantone colour
tops at Japanese
chain Uniqlo
日本時裝連鎖店
Uniqlo出售各式
Pantone色彩服飾
麗史翠普在《穿Prada的惡魔》中飾演權
威的時裝雜誌編輯Miranda Priestley――
這個角色據 說是以《Vog ue》的編輯
Anna Wintour為藍本而創作。在電影
中，當一名雜誌新手將形象設計稱為「這東西」時，女編
輯即時對她上了一堂時裝課。
她說：「妳可知道Oscar de la Renta在2002年設計
了一系列天藍色禮服……這個顏色很快在八個不同設計
師的時裝系列中出現。然後，天藍色成為百貨公司裡最
時興的顏色……妳身上穿的羊毛衫，便是房內的這批人
為你從一堆『東西』中挑選出來的。」
從那段句句鏗鏘的言論中，你或會愕然發現，我們
今天身上所穿的衣服，其實早在一年前便已由別人為
我們作好決定。當許多人正勤上健身房，為穿上今夏
時興的熱褲作準備時，時尚趨勢專家已經在預測一年
後的流行走向。今年1月，領導全球的時尚趨勢研究機
構Promostyl在香港國際時尚薈萃中，發佈了2011至
2012年的秋冬季時裝趨勢。
別以為模特兒在天橋展示的時裝事不關己，雖說只有
極少數的富裕一族才能將最新款時裝據為己有，但在大
眾化的國際時裝品牌及互聯網的推波助瀾之下，潮流服
飾正以前所未見的速度，進駐普羅大眾的衣櫃。
巴黎、倫敦、米蘭、東京和紐約等時尚之都的時裝秀
或許僅限業內精英參加，但時裝秀的相關新聞和資訊卻
任何人都唾手可得。在設計師登上天橋謝幕之前，各網
誌作家已迫不及待地在網上爭相報道。
在時裝資訊快速流通的同時，品牌和零售商亦急切
地推動時裝周期。但時裝在天橋上公諸天下之前，其設
計意念從何而來？又是如何形成？Dunhill的品牌創意
Sportswear
fabrics on show
at Première
Vision in Paris
於巴黎Première
vision展示的便服
布料
MARCH 2010 discovery 63
Photos:Uniqlotops:JeremySutton-Hibbert–GettyImages.Sportswearfabric:PremièreVision

3. New York are limited to the elite, but access to news
and information about them is not. Even before the
designer bows at the end of a show, bloggers have
already posted their reports online.
As fashion news travels fast, brands and retail-
ers are also under pressure to push the trend cycle
faster.Butwhereandhowdoesanideastartbeforeit
becomessomethingseenontherunway?KimJones,
CreativeDirectorofDunhill,explainsthatheusually
works about a year in advance. “We find a theme,
colour palette and shape… We use that to get all our
ideas together and then get our fabrics,” he says.
Tocreate“theradicalEnglishman”lookforSpring/
Summer2010,Jonestookreferencesfromacentury’s
worth of archive material.
Butnoteverydesignerworksforacentury-oldbrand
with a historical archive and some do need to turn to
outside sources for inspiration. Mary Chan Yan-yan,
headofStyleCentral,theexclusiveagentoftrendfore-
cast company Peclers Paris, has seen many fashion
bigwigsatPremièreVision–arguablythelargesttex-
tile event in the world.
“I saw Paul Smith and his team sitting in the
restaurant discussing the next season’s fabrics.
Designers are like chefs, they’ve got to have the best
ingredients to make the best dishes,” she says.
Peclers Paris is among the 40-plus companies
represented at Première Vision’s trend forum. They
make trend forecasts and produce colour charts for
sale, and textile companies take note.
“We publish 18 months in advance for the yarn
industry to work first and then the textile industry
to work second,” Chan explains. These charts are
important tools for the yarn and textile companies
to promote their products. But if a client wants a
specific colour, she says, tailored textiles can be
produced in as little as three weeks. “That’s why
fashion never sleeps.”
Trend forecasters play a key role at all textile/fash-
ion trade fairs. Wendy Wen, Trade Fair Director for
Messe Frankfurt (HK), says her company’s yearly
InterstoffAsiashowhasatrendscommitteemadeof
agencies in Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo.
“Theforecastsshowcaseecoandfunctionalfabrics
aswellasfashiontrends,”shesays.“Trendforumsin
the fair highlight exhibitor’s products to help buyers
maximise time.”
Topdesigners,ofcourse,holdalotofswayinwhat
people wear. In the 1990s, Donna Karan established
herself by designing day-to-evening clothes for pro-
fessional women. Hedi Slimane has been credited
withtheslimsilhouetteofmenswear,promptingthe
“tight fit” to become the standard of half the shirts
sold by mid-market menswear labels.
Less visible, but as influential in the trend cycle,
are fashion buyers such as Joyce Chan, responsible
for ladies’ wear at fashion boutique The Swank in
Hong Kong. “The buying cycle starts approximately
six to eight months before the actual merchandise
is delivered,” she says. “But we are working all year
round… the market trends are always changing.”
For customers, multi-brand boutiques such as
The Swank and high-end department stores like
Trend forecasts bring
together the latest fabrics
and suggested directions
(above and left)
時尚趨勢預測結合了
最新布料資訊及潮流
走向預測（上圖及左圖）
Première Vision is
one of the world’s
largest fabric and
textile shows
Première vision是
全球最大型的布料及
紡織品展覽會之一
64 discovery MARCH 2010
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發現時裝

4. How long before a
trend hits the store:
最新時尚趨勢需時多久才抵達
時裝店？
18-22 months before – Trend forecasters
predict colours
6-12 months before – Designers prepare a
new collection
6-8 months before – Buyers from fashion
boutiques make their picks for stores.
High-street fashion stores might have
new merchandise every three weeks,
sometimes every week
18至22個月前──時尚顧問公司預測顏色走勢
6至12個月前──設計師準備新一季的時裝
系列
6至8個月前──時裝店的買手根據市場需求
挑選商品。
大眾化時裝品牌可能會於每三周，或甚至
每周，推出新產品
總監Kim Jones表示，他通常在作品發表前一年已開始
著手設計。他說：「我們首先找尋合意的主題、色調和造
形，再透過這些元素統合系列的意念，然後挑選合適的
布料。」
為了在2010年春夏系列推出洋溢「極度英國紳士」氣
息的男裝系列，Jones在近百年歷史的素材資料庫中尋
找靈感。
然而，並非每位設計師都為擁有歷史資料庫的百年經
典品牌工作，不少設計師均須從外界尋求靈感。陳欣欣
是StyleCentral的負責人，其公司亦是知名時尚顧問公
司Peclers Paris的獨家代理。她在Première Vision
這個堪稱最大型的國際布料展覽會上，曾巧遇多位在時
裝界呼風喚雨的人物。
她說：「我曾經見過Paul Smith和他的團隊在餐廳
內討論新一季的布料。設計師就像大廚，必須嚴選最佳
食材，才能烹調出美饌。」
Peclers Paris是參加Première Vision時尚趨勢論
壇的40多家公司之一。他們預測時尚趨勢，並製作色表
出售，許多紡織公司都會留意他們的預測。
陳欣欣解釋道：「我們會提早在18個月前印製色表，
紡紗業會首先投入生產，之後便是紡織業。」這些色表
對紡紗業和紡織業來說是極為重要的工具，有助業者推
銷產品。陳欣欣指出，如果客人訂購指定顏色的布料，
接受訂單的紡織廠能在短短三周內交貨。她說：「有句
話說，潮流永不停歇。」
時尚趨勢預測專家在各紡織展與時裝展上扮演舉足
輕重的角色。法蘭克福展覽（香港）有限公司的總經理
溫婷指出，該公司為每年舉行的Interstoff Asia專設一
個時尚趨勢委員會，成員包括來自巴黎、米蘭、紐約和
東京的代理公司。
她說：「我們會對環保與實用布料，以及時尚趨勢作
出預測。展覽會中的時尚論壇重點介紹參展商的產品，
以協助買家更好地利用時間。」
無可否認，一流設計師向來都是大眾衣著潮流的領導
者。在1990年代，Donna Karan為專業女性設計了日
夜皆宜的全天候服飾，自此闖出名堂。Hedi Slimane
則成功打造了男裝貼身剪裁的潮流，過半的中價男裝品
牌從此奉之為金科玉律，紛紛推出貼身款式的襯衫。
比較少人留意的時裝買手，在時裝界的影響力一樣
舉足輕重。香港時裝名店詩韻的女士服飾買手Joyce
Chan便是一例。她說：「整個採購流程在交貨前的六
至八個月已經開始。但我們一整年都在工作，因為市場
的潮流瞬息萬變。」
對消費者來說，詩韻、Harvey Nichols、Barneys
New York和連卡佛等出售多個品牌的時裝店及高級百
貨公司，能讓他們在最短時間內輕鬆瀏覽多個品牌的產
品。這些零售品牌的買手扮演著「守門人」的角色，由他
們決定哪些服飾適合當地市場，他們也因此成為帶動潮
流的人物。
詩韻的男士服飾買手Jaclyn Chan表示，她會從多位
設計師的眾多系列中挑出適合市場的服飾。她說：「我
們令這些服飾在市場上備受渴求。」
時裝品牌面對的挑戰是如何迎合大眾需求，讓生意有
利可圖，同時也要維持品牌風格，使設計不同凡響。
A buyer peruses
printed fabrics at
Première Vision for use
in future collections
買家於Première
vision為新一季的
時裝系列細心挑選
印花布料
MARCH 2010 discovery 65
Photos:PremièreVisionexhibits:
PremièreVision.Trendforecasts:
Pecler’sParis

5. SUSTAINABLE STYLE 時尚新轉機
Harvey Nichols, Barneys New York and
Lane Crawford are the easiest ways to
browse many labels at the same time.
Buyers for these retailers are the gate-
keepers who determine what suits
their market so they also have huge
influence in driving trends.
Jaclyn Chan, menswear buyer for
The Swank, says she chooses items
fromdesigners’broadcollectionsthat
will work for her market. “We create
thedesireforthoseitemsinourmar-
ket,” she says.
Forfashionbrands,thechallenge
is to cater to a wide audience to
make business profitable while
keeping a signature style that
draws fanfare.
“Within each collection, we
trytodesignroughly80percent
for our target customer globally.
Usually this person encapsulates a
specificlifestyle,aspecificageanddemographic,”
says Scott Morrison, Global Chief Executive of
Japanese denim brand Evisu. The other 20 per-
cent,headds,isfilledwithdesignsbased
on research on individual markets.
High-end fashion houses are what
many aspire to, but high-street fashions
are what most people wear. Cashmere,
oncereservedforluxurybrands,isasta-
pleincheap-chicstores.Fashionhouses
such as Yves Saint Laurent are said to
have switched to Tibetan yak hair
as the next exclusive material.
But high-street fashion is no
small business. Uniqlo, one of
Japan’s biggest fashion chains
specialising in affordable cloth-
ing, rang up record profits last
year despite the economic climate.
Founder Tadashi Yanai is now
rankedastherichestpersoninJapan
accordingtotheForbes’richlist,with
anetworthofmorethanUS$6billion.
Zara’s Amancio Ortega was reportedly
worth US$18.3 billion, making him one
of Spain’s wealthiest men.
High-streetretailersturntheirprofitsby
making people want something, and then
somethingelse,fast.Theyoftenemploytheir
own design teams to develop new products
andinspirationmaycomefromhighfashion,
buttheyalsoturntomanufacturerswhoare
in tune with trends.
Manufacturers have their own research
and development departments which produce
clothingdesignsasavalue-addedservice.Style-
Central’sChansaysmanufacturersmay
have showrooms of different styles of
clothing for buyers to choose from.
“Brands are facing time constraint.
Before,onemonthofdeliveryleadtime
was normal, now it’s one week. There
is a shorter lead time and it is up to the
brand how to outsource.”
With information travelling around the
globe more freely, social issues are more
widely discussed and have more impact
on lifestyles. Social issues also play a role
in fashion trends. “In trend forecasting
we look at last season’s bestsellers, as
well as what’s happening around the
world,” says StyleCentral’s Chan. She
points to sustainability.
“LVMH has put investment into Ali
Hewson and [husband] Bono’s fashion
line Edun because they wanted to go
forward with the organic trend. They
didn’t have an organic brand before.”
The label, co-founded by the U2
lead singer in 2005, aims to create
fashionable clothing and sustainable
trade with partners in the developing
world. Bono’s fame certainly helps the
brand’s popularity, but the attention
given by LVMH, the world’s largest
luxury goods conglomerate, confirms
that the green talk is finally reaching
the top of the fashion ladder.
隨著資訊在全球更自由地流通，社會議題
獲得更廣泛的討論，除了左右人們的生活形
態，亦對潮流有一定影響力。StyleCentral
的陳欣欣說：「在預測時尚趨勢時，我們
會檢視上季的暢銷商品，亦會留意全球動
向。」她特別指出可持續發展這個概念。
「為了順應『有機』潮流，過去未曾發展
有機品牌的LVMH，亦投資於Ali Hewson
和（其夫婿）Bono的時裝系列Edun。」
Edun於2005年創立，旨在與發展中國
家的夥伴合營時尚服飾及可持續發展貿易，
創辦人之一Bono是U2的主音，其名氣當然
有助品牌知名度，而全球最大型奢侈品集團
LVMH的垂青令品牌更受矚目，亦證明環
保意識已獲得時尚界尊貴一族的重視。
Summer’s “Radical
English gentleman”
look at Dunhill
dunhill為今夏推出
了展現「極度英國紳
士」氣息的時裝系列
66 discovery MARCH 2010
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發現時裝
Photos:Dunhillshorts:KarlProuse–Catwalking/GettyImages.
Recycledlabel:PremièreVision

6. What celebrities are seen
wearing on the red carpet
inspires new products from
high-street brands, and new
merchandise can appear in the
shops in under a month
名人影星於頒獎禮紅地毯上穿著的晚裝，
旋即成為大眾化時裝品牌設計師的靈感，
在短短一個月內，店舖已推出新的產品
Golden Globe Awards – January
Academy Awards – February/March
Emmys – August/September
金球獎──1月
金像獎──2月／3月
艾美獎──8月／9月
日本高級牛仔服飾品牌Evisu的全球行政總裁Scott
Morrison說：「我們每個系列中有八成的商品，是以全
球顧客為目標，銷售對象通常是某種年齡、某種特性及
過著某種生活方式的人。」他補充說，剩下的兩成商品，
則是根據調查報告而為個別市場設計。
高級時裝品牌是眾人夢寐以求的商品，但大多數人都
會穿著大眾化時裝。一度是高級時裝專用的茄士咩，現
在已是大眾化時裝店內不可或缺的商品之一。而頂級時
裝品牌，如Yves Saint Laurent，據說已轉為採用新一
代的尊貴物料――西藏犛牛毛。
大眾化時裝品牌的零售業績絕對不容小覷。Uniqlo
是日本大型連鎖時裝品牌之一，銷售價格相宜的服飾。
縱然在金融海嘯的陰霾下，Uniqlo卻在去年突破盈利
紀錄；品牌創辦人柳井正更名列《福布斯》富豪榜，成為
日本首富之一，身家高達60億美元（465億港元）。而
Zara的Amancio Ortega則據報擁有高達183億美元
財產，是西班牙數一數二的富豪。
持續並快速地刺激顧客不斷消費，是大眾化時裝零售
商賺錢的策略。這些公司大多擁有自己的設計團隊，自
行研發新產品，亦會參考高級時裝設計，並與緊貼時尚
趨勢的製衣廠合作。
設有研發部門的製衣廠還會為顧客提供服飾設計，
作為其增值服務的一部分。StyleCentral的陳欣欣說：
「製衣廠或會設立陳列室，用以展出不同風格的服飾供
買家選擇。
「品牌正面對時間緊絀的問題。在從前，一個月交貨
期是業內慣例，現在卻只剩一周。因此，品牌需要決定
如何把部分工作外判，以解決交貨期縮短的問題。」
Multi-brand stores such
as The Swank
in Hong Kong give
an overview of what’s
hot in fashion
售賣多個品牌的時裝店，
如香港的詩韻，為消費者
呈現最新潮流面貌
Dresses at a
Zara factory in
Spain. Zara has
stores around the
world, including
Hong Kong and
Mainland China
Zara設於西班牙的
製衣廠內掛滿時裝。
品牌於香港、中國及
全球各地均設零售店
MARCH 2010 discovery 67
Photo:Zarafactory:MiguelRiopa–AFP