Where do trends come from?

 

(Image: itsfashionindisguise)

We had the lovely Anna Popovich come into our office today and we got talking about where trends come from. Was it from forecasters or from society? We got thinking and wanted to do some research...

The main influencer of trends is the forecaster WGSN. With offices situated around the world, including major cities such as London, Shanghai and New York, they predict what people are going to be wearing, eating, and visiting both in the long term and short term. They tell the designers what the consumer wants to see before us consumers are even aware of what it is we want to see. In order to gain access to this information, WGSN provides a subscription service to designers, brands and other creatives so that they can interpret these predicted trends for their own market. 

Cultural influences play a huge role in prediction of trends; from film and television, to music and festivals and the latest art exhibitions, designers often turn to these forms to seek inspiration. Whether it be their favourite artist has just announced a new exhibition or a new album has provided the inspiration, the trend/theme for their collection could be based entirely upon something that they connect with other than what trend-forecasters tell them.

Once the all the hardwork is done and the collection has been presented to the world, the magazines then pick up the trends and present them to their readers. However not all trends will become successful. The heads of magazines sit down to discuss their favourite trends and then present them to PR firms so that they can be sent the clothing that fits in with their chosen trends. So the trends you see in the magazines are the one's that editors want to push and not from the designers themselves. More often, the inspirations are altered too; the writers interpret the trends the way they see them and not how the designers originally did.

Trends can come from anyway, all you need is the inspiration and the confidence to go with it.