First Year Trend Report

FASHION MAP FASHION MAP FASHION MAP FASHION MAP EMILY RHODES N0728450

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CONTENTS

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METHODOLOGY + INTRODUCTION WHAT IS A TREND? FASHION THEORYS TREND FORECASTING TREND INFLUENCES THE TRANSPARNECY TREND WHAT IS DRIVING THE TREND? PRIMARY RESEARCH FINDINGS CONCLUSION

I confirm that this work has gained ethical approval and that we have faithfully observed the terms of aproval in the conduct of this project.

SIGNED............EMILY RHODES ............................................

DATE......08/06/2018..........................................

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METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION

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METHODOLOGY This report has incorporated both primary and secondary research to analyse the paramount importance of trend forecasting in fashion today and also meticulously identify a significant trend for SS18. Trend Forecasting agencies such as WGSN, Trend Bible and Cool Hunting were utilised to observe upcoming trends and to understand why these resources are so essential to designers. Primary research such as Shop Safaris were conducted in Nottingham High Street, along with interviews of Store Staff and online questionnaires to the general public.

Fashion is fast paced and ever evolving, the only thing certain about it is change. New trends are constantly emerging on catwalks as Haute Couture, from things like the creative arts, books and television, and filter down their way down to the high street. In a highly saturated industry, every designer wants to be one step ahead of their competitors and bring out the next big thing. This is where trend forecasting comes into play.

This report will explain and analyse the world of trend forecasting, highlighting the key influences that drive it, and its effect on the fashion industry.

INTRODUCTION

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WHAT IS A TREND? “THE DIRECTION IN WHICH SOMETHING TENDS TO MOVE AND WHICH HAS A CONSEQUENTIAL IMPACT ON THE CULTURE, SOCIETY OR BUSINESS SECTOR IN WHICH IT TENDS TO MOVE.” (RAYMOND 2010.)

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In its simplest form a trend can be described as “the direction in which something tends to move and which has a consequential impact on the culture, society or business sector in which it tends to move” (Raymond 2010). In the context of the fashion industry it has become associated with aspects of our culture - lifestyle, outlook and aspirations as well as aesthetic style.

Trends have different lifecycles and can be defined by their duration. A short lived trend is referred to as a FAD, it rapidly peaks to high popularity but also rapidly declines and dies out. “It tends to obtain limited rather than substantial adoption and may be accepted only in certain social and subcultural groups.” (Sproles and Burns, 1994). When a trend is widely accepted and remains in fashion for a long period of time it becomes a classic. Examples of this include the leather jacket and the trench coat, these styles are simple in design and have only undergone slight variations over time.

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TREND THEORYS

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DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION

Figure 1

The diffusion of innovation theory explains how trends occur and how they are accepted within societies, Trend forecasters rely heavily upon this theory and its percentages. Each trend begins with an ‘Innovator’ responsible for the development of idea, which is then passed on and received by an ‘Early Adapter’ people who are highly visible who may modify it slightly. From here it is passed on to the ‘Early Majority’ and in turn is transmitted to the ‘Late Majority’, finally it is received by the final group the ‘Laggards’, the most resistant group in society to new concepts and ideas.

LAVER’S LAW + FASHION LIFECYCLE Every fashion trend has a lifecycle. Fashion historian James Laver introduced his theory ‘Laver’s Law’; a timeline of how a trend is viewed over time. In summary it shows that a trend does not start to become fashionable again until around 50 years after its time.

However, as we have now entered an era of fast fashion clothes are designed very differently from Laver’s time, and the process from design house, to catwalk, to consumer has rapidly increased. “The recycling of fashion trends has been speeded up.”-Andrew Groves.

A fashion lifecycle is the period of time of which a trend exists, they do not stay relevant forever. It consists of 4 stages of through which the trend moves.

Introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Trends that reach the decline stage don’t just die off, they are often resurrected and reappear years later. When a trend remains dormant for years it is often brought back interpreted in a slightly different way by design houses, and develops a retro feel. The fashion lifecycle is an important tool used by brands to “allow retailers to better predict the sales and profitability of specific styles.” (Kim, Fiore and Kim, 2013).

Figure 2 Laver’s Law

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TREND FORECASTING TREND FORECASTING “FORECASTING NEW TRENDS IN FASHION IS COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT, BECAUSE FASHION IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND BECAIISE IT IS AFFECTED BY NUMEROUS FACTORS.” (KIM, FIORE AND KIM 2013)

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Designers usually begin the production of their collections 2 years prior to the season of their release, and so trend forecasting is an essential tool in predicting the likely direction fashion is heading and what future trends will be. Companies and designers hire trend forecasting agencies such as WGSN who integrate “analysis of economics, technology, politics, lifestyles, attitudes, consumption patterns and demographics.”

(McKelvey and Munslow, 2009). It can be seen that designers highly value these agencies as they alone make up half of WGSN customer base.

“Trends do not occur by chance. They are the product of careful calculating that takes place at every level of the fashion industry, from forecasting and manufacturing to production.”

(Gordon 2018)

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TREND INFULENCES

SOCIAL

Some trends are influenced by major social events. An example of this can be seen after WWII. As men returned from the war to refill their positions taken over by women in their absence, Christian Dior’s previously masculine, square-cut, wartime suits for women evolved to “billowy-skirted hourglass-shaped dresses. This radical change reflected the desire to return to traditional roles for men and women.” (Kim, Fiore and Kim, 2013). The fact that fabric was no longer rationed and being used in the wartime effort, meant these fuller style garments were now possible.

TECHNOLOGICAL

Advances in technology influences not only trends but has also changed their lifecycles.

The introduction of films and television provided actors and actresses, whose style would be imitated and idolised by viewers all over the world. These new celebrities included 50’s movie star James Dean who made jeans a symbol of youth when he appeared in them in the film ‘Rebel without a Cause’ (1955), and Audrey Hepburn, who made the little black dress a timeless fashion piece when she appeared in her iconic Givenchy design in the 1961 film ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

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The invention of new technologies such as the smart phone has changed the lifecycle of trends. As we have entered an era of fast fashion consumers are able to use their phones to pre-order collections straight of the catwalks, dramatically speeding up what used to be a lengthy process from the catwalk to stores to the customer. This has shortened the trend lifecycle, as people are constantly looking for the next big thing. In the last decade designers have gone from releasing 2-4 collections a year aligning with the seasons, to producing collections continuously all year round. Consequently, meaning trends become tired and die out much quicker than ever before.

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SS18 TRANSPARENCY TREND 13

The trend identified for SS18 is the Transparency Trend. Opacity is no longer a necessity for clothing. Designers are leaving little to the imagination on the catwalks this season, exposing undergarments and even female anatomy with sheer fabrics, challenging the pre-existing ideas of what should be seen and what shouldn’t and ultimately embracing the human form. The trend has saturated the runways, from Burberry’s sheer plastic trenches, to Christopher Kane’s collection which transformed sheer lace nightwear into evening wear. One designer who demonstrated the trend romantically, avoiding vulgarity, was Prabal Gurung. Who paraded models, down the catwalk, in flowy silhouettes with their nipples on display through the sheer fabric. It is evident that the trend is incredibly diverse and can be incorporated into almost any garment.

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TREND DRIVERS? SOCIAL Social media is no longer just a means of communication, it is a platform for millennials to expose every aspect of their lives. The introduction of Instagram allows people to post pictures, of exactly what they are doing in day to day life or their newest prized possessions, and share it with the world. People feel like they constantly need to share something making people’s lives more transparent than ever.

POLITICAL The current feminist movements could also be driving the trend as they are striving to stop women being objectified and that they should be able to express their femininity without being labelled with sexually derogatory terms. The ‘Free the Nipple’ campaign was launched raising the issue of gender equality, and why women’s nipples are viewed to be so overtly sexual and as a taboo when men’s are completely normalised. It began with the fact that is illegal for women in US states to publicly display their uncovered chests but it is completely legal for men to do just that. The campaign for equality for the sexes states: “Free the Nipple is a global campaign of change, focused on the equality, empowerment and freedom of all human beings.” As a consequence of the popularity the movement reached, the fashion industry responded immediately, becoming an important tool to communicate ideas through transparent clothes on the runway.

An example of this was Prabal Gurung, who opened his show with the Activist’s Prayer, “Grant me the strength to change the things I cannot accept’ as a reminder to be ashamed of our true selves, represented through the use of the sheer chiffon hiding nothing.

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CELEBIRTY

Celebrities have become more and more influential in the world of fashion as with the prevalence of social media it has made them more accessible than ever. People are able to see what they’re wearing every day if they want too. In a survey that asked 1000 women what most inspires their fashion purchases 48% stated that reading or following celebrities on social media has the strongest impact above all others such as friends or television purchases. The transparent “naked dress” trend has dominated red carpets for several years now, flaunted by physically ‘flawless’ celebs such as Rihanna. These dresses are about creating the illusion that you’re putting it all on display, when in reality it's a facade being held together by double-sided tape, and styling. The transparency trend is nothing new for celebrities with Beyoncé baring all at the METS as early as 2015 with just some embellishment covering her modesty.

A huge celebrity driver of the trend is reality TV and social media star, Kim Kardashian. She is a fashion forward force with 109 million followers on Instagram her style is seen across the world. Kim has been seen sporting the trend through recent years from her mesh dress at the MTV music awards, to see through bralettes on the streets of LA. Brands are realising her influential power on millennials and how desperate people are to get her style. The online, fast fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing have begun stocking affordable dupes of Kim’s style, brining the trend from high fashion to high street making it accessible for almost anyone.

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WHAT WE FOUND? In our online survey of 218 people, it can be found that only half of people like the current trend of transparency, with 54% answering that they like and would consider buying into the trend. However, this sheer season may not be here to stay. As when asked if they believed the trend would last, only 31% of people answered yes, with a staggering majority of 69% believing the trend would soon become a FAD.

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SHOP SAFARI

TOPSHOP

TOPSHOP

ZARA

The transparency trend was found to be very prevalent when conducting a shop safari of Nottingham high-street. With sheer tops and transparent rain-macs being stocked in the popular high street stores, Topshop and Zara. The trend could also be seen when visiting the higher end stores, along the high street, with garments featuring in Ted Baker and Tommy Hilfiger.

This shows that the trend is very versatile and isn’t restricted by income.

The versions of the trend being stocked in stores are much more modest than the styles available from online retailers, and are more applicable for everyday wear.

By observing fast fashion e-retailers such as Pretty Little Thing and Misguided it becomes apparent that this trend is aimed more at the night life scene with pieces such as sheer midi dressed and bodysuits that the nipple is visible through, not items you’d wear on a day to day basis. .

However, even though the high street is stocking much more user friendly pieces, there was little of the trend featuring in work wear. This suggests that the trend is still a little too revealing for the workplace, meaning that the trend isn’t as versatile as first thought, as it cannot be applied to every social setting

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CONCLUSION

Transparent clothing is a big part of fashion history as well as the present. Fashion world as we know it now is trying to be much more revealing, open and controversial, all which are aspects displayed by this trend. That is why consumers accept it and continue to wear it season after season.

As the fashion industry proceeds with genderless clothing, this way promoting gender equality, sheer trend is being adapted by both females and males. Therefore, it seems that the transparency trend, which was influenced by so many social and political movements, is here to stay.

“The sheer and mesh trends tend to be repetitive. Every store receives this kind of clothing every season. Some people love it, some don’t. Never the less, as many young people here in the UK seem to be sporting this trend and like to show some skin, transparency could go further in the future.”- Zara Sales Assistant.

CONCLUSION

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