Fashion forecasting involves predicting future trends based on past and present data to meet consumer demand in various segments, particularly in textiles. The process includes long and short-term forecasting, requiring an understanding of market dynamics, demographic shifts, and cultural influences. Accurate forecasting is crucial for fashion designers, merchandisers, and companies in maintaining competitive advantage and aligning product offerings with consumer expectations.

1. Fashion Forecasting
‘The future is here, its just not very well distributed.’ William Gibson, science fiction writer
FASHION FORECASTING
Target: For-Level-III
BY; Mezgebu Tesfaye
Course name;
Develop Design concept

2. FASHION FORECASTING
Forecasting
■ Process of making predictions of the future
based on past and present data and analysis of
trends.
Fashion Forecasting
■ foreseeing fashion trends and predicting
those trends early enough to allow time for
production to meet the consumer demand.
focuses on upcoming trends
■
■ The textile segment leads in recognizing
fashion directions because of the time
required for textile design and development.
■ Textile designers work at least 18 months
ahead of the schedule for products to hit the
market.

3. ■ The fashion forecasting
process includes the basic
steps of :
■ understanding the vision of
the business and profile of
target customers,
■ collecting information about
available merchandise,
preparing information,
■
■
■
determining trends, and
choosing merchandise
appropriate for the
company and target
customer.
FASHION FORECASTING

5. Aims:
■ To provide you with an
understanding
of what trend forecasting is
and how organizations use
this information
■ To examine how trends
evolve and
how they are tracked.

6. Objectives
To enable you to:
■ Undertake research & analysis by
identifying and tracking fashion trends
■ Apply knowledge of fashion
forecasting
to understand how trends evolve and
are
interpreted by industry

7. Fashion Forecasting
■ “Trends are profits waiting to happen”
Martin Raymond 2009
Versace scarf prints for AW12 Nelly Rodi
■
For mainstream brands,
timing is essential
■
Right product,
Right place, Right time

8. FASHION TRENDS
Trend
■ The behavior of large group of people,
that is accepted and followed
extensively for a period of time.
Fashion Trends
■ The direction of movement of public
acceptance of color, texture, and
silhouette in fashion.
■ Newest styles and silhouettes
■ Important colors for upcoming seasons
■ Newest developments in the fiber and
fabric markets

9. Trend forecasters= lifestyle detectives
Constant vigilance
■
■ Monitoring current
trends & projecting
forward.
■ Observing evolution of
trends.
■ Detecting shifts in
attitudes & mindsets.
■ Spotting looks or
lifestyles than run
against the norm.

10. Fashion Forecasting
Stylesight
Nelly Rodi
WGSN
Peclers
Carlin
Promostyl
Trend Union
Textiles View
Stylus
Mudpie
LSN
Future Laboratory
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11. Fashion Forecasting

12. Fashion Forecasting

13. Fashion Forecasting
D Squared AW11 Topshop AW11

14. * Accurate forecasting makes it possible
for the fashion industry segments to
prepare for and meet consumer demand
with products that will be accepted and
purchased.
* Keen worldwide competition increases
the importance of accurate trend
identification.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
FORECASTING

15. Fashion designers
•
• Fashion merchandisers
• Yarn colors or swatches are
sent to designers and
merchandisers to plan their
color stories and purchase
fabrics.
WHO IS INVOLVED IN FORECASTING?

16. Long term forecasting
■ Long-term forecasting is the process of
analyzing and evaluating trends that can be
identified by scanning a variety of sources
for information.
It is a fashion which lasts over two years.
■
■ When scanning the market and the
consumers, fashion forecasters must follow
demographics of certain areas, both urban
and suburban, as well as examine the
impact on retail and its consumers due to the
economy, political system, environment, and
culture.

17. Long-term forecasting seeks to identify:
■
■ major changes in international and
domestic demographics,
■ shifts in the fashion industry along with
market structures, consumer expectations,
values, and impulsion to buy,
■
■ new developments in technology and
science, and
■ shifts in the economic, political, and
cultural alliances between certain
countries.
■ There are many specialized marketing
consultants that focus on long-term
forecasting and attend trade shows and
other events that notify the industry on
what is to come.
Long term forecasting

18. Short term forecasting
■ Short-term forecasting focuses on current
events both domestically and internationally as
well as pop culture in order to identify possible
trends that can be communicated to the
customer through the seasonal color palette,
fabric, and silhouette stories.
■ It gives fashion a modern twist to a classic look
that intrigues our eyes.
■ Some important areas to follow when scanning
the environment are: current events, art, sports,
science and technology.
■ Short-term forecasting can also be considered
fad forecasting.

19. * Standard Color of Textile Dictionnaire
* Pantone, Inc.
* International Color Authority
* The Color Box
* The Color Marketing Group
* Concepts in Color
* Huepoint
•Color Portfolio, Inc.
Color services: Fashion and textile
industry professionals who meet twice a
year to pool their knowledge of color
cycles and preferences and to project
color trends for the future.
Examples of color services

22. ■ Each retailer's trend forecasting varies and is
mainly dependent upon whether the
company is a wholesale brand or private
label developer. "Every season, there are
hundreds of designers showing breathtaking
collections that the average consumer will
never see.
■ What does matter is who sees them—the in-
house designers and buyers at fast fashion
retailers, people who are paying close
attention, identifying and predicting which
styles, patterns and cuts will appeal to the
average woman.
Responsibility for trend
forecasting

23. ■ Larger companies such as Forever 21
have their own trend departments where
they follow the styles, fabrics, and colors
for the upcoming seasons.
■ This can also be referred to as vertical
integration.
■ A company with its own trend department
has a better advantage than those who do
not because its developers are able to
work together to create a unified look for
their sales floor.
■ Each seasonal collection offered by a
product developer is the result of trend
research focused on the target market it
has defined for itself.
Responsibility for trend
forecasting

24. Responsibility for
trend forecasting
■ A merchandiser also plays a key role
in the direction of upcoming trends.
■ Different from developers,
merchandisers have much more
experience in buying and are
knowledgeable in what consumers
will be looking for.

25. THE PROCESS

26. ACTIVITIES IN FASHION
FORECASTING
■ Making and reporting
predictions
■ Coordinating information
from fiber, yarn, and
apparel companies, and
textile shows worldwide
■ Analyzing the fashion
press, visiting the world’s
fashion centers, and
observing fashion leaders

27. ■ Conducting marketing
research
■ Consumer research
• Surveys by telephone or mail to
determine income levels,
lifestyles, fashion preferences,
and shopping habits
• Consumer focus groups to
discuss the pros and cons of
currently offered merchandise
• In-store informal interviewing to
assess what customers like and
dislike
ACTIVITIES IN FASHION
FORECASTING

28. ■ Conducting marketing
research (cont.)
■ Market research
• Study of market
conditions
• Study consumer
lifestyles
• Study of current
events, the arts,
and the mood of
the public
ACTIVITIES IN FASHION
FORECASTING

29. ■ Conducting marketing
research (cont.)
■ Sales research
• Evaluation of
previous sales trend
• Rising sales
• Declining sales
• Weak sales
ACTIVITIES IN FASHION
FORECASTING

30. ■ Conducting marketing
research (cont.)
■ Comparison shopping
• Current popular designer
collections
• Review of fashion
publications, catalogs,
websites
• Observation of “street”
fashions and celebrity
wardrobes
ACTIVITIES IN FASHION
FORECASTING

31. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
■ Trade publications
■ Magazines,
newspapers, and books
about and for a specific
industry
■ Examples: WWD and
DNR
■ Consumer publications
• Magazines that
provide fashion news
for the consumer
• Examples: Teen,
Vogue, Glamour, G

32. WHAT INFLUENCES THE
TREND FORECASTERS?
■ Ethnographic research
■ Market research
■ Art & culture
■ Economic
■ Societal
■ Environmental
■ Technological
■ Globalization

33. Ethnographic
research
■ - ethnography- the study of
every day life & practice
■ Ethnographic research helps
brands:
■ understand how their
demographic is changing
Identify new customers
■
■ Enable brand strategies to
remain aligned
with their philosophy

34. THANK
YOU