Trends and Forecasting Research Paper: Mindful Materialism

trends & forecasting

reflective research journal mindful materialism  

Hollie Tansey

Fashion Marketing

ID:200923491

overview The purpose of this journal is to gain an understanding of how new trends emerge and develop in society. I must identify some trends to research, develop and reflect on in my journal.

Trend forecasters use journals as a way of developing their ideas.

According to Raymond (2010), who calls these resource banks ‘feeds’ or ‘touch points’, journals should include resources covering a huge variety of aspects from culture such as literature, finance, music, technology, graphics, leisure, architecture, fashion and more. He also states that to be a successful forecaster we must be very observant of everything taking place around us – he calls this ‘cultural brailling’.

Phase One of the journal is by no means perfect - this phase shows my week by week research and reflections and my journey to discover developing trends.

Phase Two shows how I developed one trend and analysed it, looking at the innovators, the drivers and future of the trend.

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phase one Key Terms Zeitgeist: the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history, as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time Theme: a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; a topic Trend: the direction in which something tends to move and which has consequential impact on the culture, society or business sector through which it moves.

Mega Trend: a trend that is long-lasting, years in developing and it shifts the world. It is almost certain to happen – a probable future. Examples include: ageing population, globalisation, increased network speed, and increasing technological change.

Macro Trend: a macro trend lasts 5 to 10 years. It reaches a broad segment of the population. It takes a while to develop and will permanently alter the landscape.

An example is social media.

Micro Trend: a micro trend lasts 3 to 5 years. These trends may have a big impact but only in one sector e.g. retail, travel, sports.

Fad: a fad gains popularity quickly and may lose favour just as quickly. Types of clothing, foods, and hairstyles are examples. E.g. spaghetti squash, pastel hair and corset belts.  

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phase one | reading up on trend forecasting

What do trend forecasters do?

“Non-consumer trends are important for marketers only in so far as they drive consumer behaviours. What is happening to products, industries or the economy might help to drive that change. But what is important is the effect it will have on consumers. The job of trend forecasters is to try predict what their customers are going to think or do tomorrow, and find ways to utilize that in company strategy.”

(Higham, 2009, pp.178- 181.)

“By definition and activity, trend forecasters are lifestyle detectives: men and women who spend their time detecting patterns or shifts in attitudes, mindsets, or lifestyle opinions, that run against current thinking or how people normally behave, live, dress, communicate and trade. … Trend forecasting now underpins all aspects of society where it is important to understand the short, medium and long term impact of new and emerging changes taking place in the culture around us. These can be large scale changes impacting on the world of science, technology, fashion, interiors, architecture or the arts, or they can be more subtle and difficult-to-identify shifts in how we will live tomorrow vis-àvis the food we eat, the way we listen to music or even the way we consume media.”

(Raymond,2010, p.14)

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phase one | reading up on trend forecasting

How do we forecast trends?

“Each season, we look at (these) cultural movements and press pause. We see how they’ve evolved in the past six months and how they’re likely to move in the years ahead. In doing so, we equip our clients with the entire context of consumer behaviour, allowing them to proactively change before their consumer knows what they want, rather than react to their demands” (White via Watson, 2017 (taken from Lecture 1)) “…Trends behave in a systematic manner.

They conform to long-established behaviour patterns, drivers and cycles. … Certain events, processes and behaviours can be forecast with reliability and they can help in estimating the movements of others. … A thing that has happened is likely to happen again. Some things are likely to cause certain other things to happen.”

(Higham,2009, pp.178- 181.)

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phase one | week one | pestel analysis and interviews I collected research from online news and lifestyle media sites -current affairs and divided them into a PESTEL format.

I also conducted some primary research by asking 4 volunteers (2 millennials, a generation X and a baby boomer) what came to the top of their mind when I asked them what was happening in each section of PESTEL. I also found this forecast for trends from McKinsey&Company:

 

At the end of phase one I will refer back to the trends forecasted in this table to help me develop a more specific trend from my research.

8 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews

Political and Legal

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Generation X: Catalonian independence. Donald Trump taking USA out of the climate deal – bad news. Iran nuclear deal – worrying.

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Millennial (M): Divisive sentiment from governments worldwide – e.g. Donald Trump, Catalonian crisis.

•

Baby boomer: We need to hurry up and get out of the EU.

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Millennial (F): Trade is looking uncertain if we get a ‘no deal’ from the Brexit negotiations.

•

Generation X: New data protection law – too extreme – not allowed to keep employee addresses on file or send them e-payslips online without their opting in.

•

Millennial (M): Trump’s travel ban.

•

Millennial (F): Data protection law is good that it will stop spam emails and we have to opt into email marketing but it could change how advertising works.

9 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews

Economic

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Baby boomer: concerned that younger generations aren’t saving enough money for the future - they’re too materialistic and should be saving regularly into private pensions.

•

Generation X: interest rates increasing – don’t think it will actually have any effect. Concerned about the living wage increase (he’s a business owner). Worried children will move back home after university.

•

Millennial (M): It’s an uncertain time – no one really has any idea what’s around the corner. Unprecedented times where ‘the mad hatter’ is in charge of America and Brexit is causing uncertainty in Britain. There’s another housing bubble- house prices are going up and its already hard for people to buy a house.

•

Millennial (F) mortgage prices are so high and it’s seeming almost impossible for us to get onto the housing market. Housing deposits are more than double our annual incomes.

10 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews

Social • Baby boomer: Gender neutral trend is ‘absolute nonsense’. Language use has changed – we don’t use proper English grammar anymore and people swear so much more – why is this socially acceptable now?

• Generation X: Gender fluidity is influenced by such a small segment of the population.

• Millennial (M): Hate crimes are up 29% in England and Wales. Society more divided than it has ever been in our lifetimes. We can see the divide – it’s generational overall. A lot of resentment on both sides – old vs young. Old people think young have it easy, young people are annoyed at the old people for their views.

• Millennial (F): Women are speaking out more and have a base to speak out in society. Healthier lifestyles are more prevalent- veganism, mindfulness, fitness bloggers, recipe boxes.

Technological • Baby boomer: Technology is wonderful – we can communicate so much easier. The fact Apple bring out a new iPhone every year is because the demand is there – people go queue up for new iPhones as soon as they come out. Navigation systems are great – live Google maps are so helpful.

• Generation X: We’re over reliant on technology. Electric cars are impractical – can’t travel far and need to charge them. I prefer Kindles to books - take up less space, it takes 2 seconds to download a new book onto the Kindle – they’re cheaper too. Make reading more convenient and easier now.

• Millennial (M): dangers of artificial intelligence – we’re in danger of creating something that is cleverer than us. We’re becoming too reliant on technology.

• Millennial (F): Smart watches and activity trackers are great because they are an alternative way of keeping informed with our health, notifications, news without having to use our phones or complicated health monitors – they’re convenient.

11 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews




Social

12 phase one | week one & two




13 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews




14 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews




15 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews




Technological

16 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews




17 phase one | week one & two | PESTEL and interviews

Environmental

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Baby boomer: We’re concerned about plastic killing all of the seabirds and whales and other ocean creatures. I make sure I don’t purchase products with microbeads in. We recycle regularly but

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Generation X: We compost all of our waste food – but in the UK not all areas are provided with food composting bins. So how effective is this in combatting food waste?

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Millennial (M): I always recycle. Public transport is too expensive to discourage people from driving. From Leeds to Bristol, a return train ticket costs £90 minimum for one person. A car can get there and back with approximately £50 of petrol.

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Millennial (F): Cowspiracy – meat eating is polluting – many people are turning against meat eating. Sustainable fashion and beauty is becoming more prominent. I’m worried about natural disasters, it seems like we’ve seen so many more happen this year.

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phase one | week two | making sense of my research In week 2 I have been continuing to gather research for my PESTEL analysis and at the end of the week I’ve produced the mind map below, which shows themes I think are recurring in my research so far (and a bit extra research on food trends). As a group we all did this initial research separately and then this week we brought it all together to discuss and brainstorm some more themes. This phased brainstorming approach meant we had more ideas for each section of PESTEL than we would have had if we researched together.   We all had a lot of research relating to female empowerment; economic uncertainty; and personalised and lifestyle proof technology.

Therefore, we decided to focus on these 3 trends.

In week 3 I will trace back the trends, in order to determine which trend to pursue. At the moment I think the economic climate trends are the route I will take, but I think the research we have is all very diverse which could make it difficult to form a specific theme with the current evidence we have. I may have to refine this trend by identifying specific things that are happening in one area of society due to the economic climate e.g. in retail, youth etc.

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phase one | week three | first feedback session During the feedback session at the end of last week, we were told our uncertain economic climate theme was too broad therefore, we needed to refine it. So we have changed it to focus on economic uncertainty of millennials (and the money spending/ saving patterns of millennials vs how over 50s are economically more stable).

I am concerned however, that we haven’t actually identified trends for the economic theme. The micro trend evolving from our feminist theme is women speaking out; the macro trend evolving from our technological developments theme is lifestyle proof tech; but it is more difficult to identify a set trend from the economic uncertainty theme.

There are a few trends such as the purchasing of vintage products, thrifting, over 50s spending power. However, ideally I’ve decided I want to group them a few of the trends together to identify a stronger trend in society.

 

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phase one | week four | tracing the trends back  

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mega trend: feminism Feminism began to evolve in the 1980s and in the past 40 years, women have gained so many more rights and respect in society.

macro trend: empowered women - Increasing equality for women - More charities/awareness for female -

-

-

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rights - International Day of the Girl Equal Pay Day is on 10th November: Women still earn 14.1% less than men on average, this day aims to bring these issues to light (Fawcett Society, 2017).

More inspirational and influential women in society globally - Michelle Obama, Emma Watson, Theresa May, Malala Yousafzai, Katie Piper More women in leading roles in tv/ film - Our Girl, Wonder Woman, Pitch Perfect Women speaking out about sexual harassment - Harvey Weinstein case and me too movement

 

24 phase one | week four | tracing the trends back

mega trend: technological advancements Technology has been developing at a rapid pace since the start of the millennium. Everything is digital now - business, social lives, education and now people are becoming dependent on technology to live - it is an integral part to modern lifestyles.

macro trend: technology dependent lifestyles - Fitness trackers such as FitBit

- Smartwatches - Fossil Q, -

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Garmin, iWatch, Michael Kors Access Apple dominated market planned obsolescence Smartphones Amazon Echo (Alexa) and Google Home Kindles instead of books

 

26 phase one | week four | tracing the trends back

mega trend: economic change - developing global economies -

making the European economy less powerful BREXIT and future trade uncertainty £9000 (now £9250) a year university fees 2012 recession - did we ever fully recover? increasing house prices high deposit prices

macro trend: economic uncertainty and optimising economic situations The above factors have led to people being a lot more conscious with how they spend their money.

- Lifetime / Help to Buy ISAs “free money” - Over 50s spending power - Young people in debt - Investment shopping - Thrifting - Buying vintage

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28 phase one | week four | tracing the trends back

phase one | week five | the presentation presentation feedback Watching other presentations helped me to understand how I would choose my final trend.

Other groups showed overlap between their trends; this gave me the idea to combine research from a couple of my trends to make an overall stronger lifestyle trend that is visible in different sectors.

Our feedback was very constructive. The overall impression was that the economic trend was confusing. This is because we’d brought together the contrasting themes of millennials struggling with money and over 50s spending more money to make a trend - which in hindsight isn’t a trend it is two completely different trends for different demographics. However the research we showed was thorough and our presentation skills were complemented.

understanding my evolving trend I want my trend to be based on lifestyles rather than demographics. The trend I am initially choosing to work on for phase two stems from ideas and themes from the economic struggles trend and lifestyle technology trend: I will call it considerate consumerism. This is a trend where people are being very considerate in how they spend their money. This involves purchasing products and services which will improve, benefit or develop their lifestyle in some way. But also not purchasing anything - improving and making instead.

Technology that aids health (FitBit), efficiency (Amazon Echo) and maybe even social standing (iPhone X); growing vegetables in the garden for better quality and cheaper food; the use of Lifetime ISAs to help get onto the property ladder; customising workshops for interiors and clothing; and recipe boxes to make cooking easier and healthier‌ These are all examples of how people are considerately consuming. There are so many more examples in my current research that I have found relate to this trend, which I will revisit and develop in week 6.

29 phase one | week five | the presentation

phase two |overview

In Phase Two I focus on one trend, looking at how it will develop: what the late majority are doing, what the innovators are doing, what is driving the trend and the potential futures of the trend. This research will then enable me to build a trend cartogram.

Throughout my Phase Two journey, it can be seen how the trend continues to evolve as I learn more. For example, I started with the working name ‘considerate consumerism’ but decided ‘mindful materialism’ was more suitable upon reading more about the things that are shaping this trend.

This shows the organic process of trend forecasting and how trends continue to evolve even after being identified.

30 phase two | week six

phase two | week seven | mindful materialism This week I saw an Instagram post by Livia Firth, who is known for her efforts in campaigning for a more sustainable fashion industry. In the post she was commending an article from the Guardian about ‘curing the affluenza’ by Richard Denniss. In the article he speaks of how as consumers we must change our attitudes towards buying ‘stuff’. At the moment, our culture has a throwaway attitude towards things and if we want to save the environment and the economy, we must change this. He argues that we need to love materialism - the love of having things rather than loving consumerism - the love of buying things; we need to buy products that we keep for a longer time rather than just discarding of them (Denniss, 2017).

I think this article is very appropriate to my trend as it regards the consideration of purchases. However this perspective has changed my view on the working name of my trend ‘Considerate Consumerism’. I think the trend should have a more appropriate name like ‘Mindful Materialism’ - with the make up of the trend still being the purchase of products and services that improve, benefit or develop lifestyles in some way. The trend also emphasises the growth of considerate consumption of goods that will last a long time and are of a high quality.

31 phase two | week seven | mindful materialism

creating my trend cartogram Before starting to build my trend cartogram I looked in the Trend Forecaster’s Handbook at the guidelines it suggests, in order to get a clearer idea of how it works. I also looked at student examples from last year to see how they laid their cartograms out and what they included. From this bit of preparatory research, I realised that I had quite a lot of freedom with the cartogram as long as I stuck to the 5 headings: innovators, drivers, impacts, consequences and futures, as everyone’s were different in terms of how many photos and words were included and whether they used arrows or not.

The trend cartogram helped me realise that the mindful materialism trend has a few different types of innovators. I realised this as when looking at the impacts and who was involved, there were different people for the impacts yet they all crossed paths in some way or other.

Therefore, I named my innovators as: minimalists, luxury minimalists and environmentally conscious with named individuals and organisations for each.

Initially I confused the consequences and impacts for one another but once we discussed it in a seminar, it helped me set the two apart.

The part I found most difficult was predicting the potential future developments of my trend as there were so many directions in which it could go: I ended up going with the direction of increasing demand for longer lasting better quality products.

32 phase two | week eight - ten | mindful materialism

creating my trend cartogram I decided to create my cartogram on paper rather than digitally because I work better when I can physically layout and move around my work.

I’m glad I decided to take this approach; I feel it helped my ideas develop better as the cartogram was on my bedroom wall meaning I could easily go and add to it or move things around whenever I thought of something new.

33 phase two | week eight - ten | mindful materialism

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mindful materialism trend innovators The innovators of this trend share an approach towards buying new products, but they do not share lifestyles, nor are they from a specific demographic.

When buying products, they ask themselves a series of questions to determine whether the product satisfies their individual values, hence they are mindfully purchasing products, and as these products are well thought out, they appreciate the product more than other consumers, hence why it is mindful materialism rather than mindful consumerism.

Mindful materialists can be split into a few groups: Luxury Minimalists: they don’t purchase lots, but things they do purchase must be of a very high quality and be considered an ‘investment purchase’.

They look for: guarantee, quality, reputability, longevity Who? Minimalist fashion bloggers such as Mademoiselle who invest in timeless pieces rather than buy everything on trend.

Minimalists: They keep their possessions to a minimum, so things they purchase must be necessary and have an important use. They want things that last, are easily reparable, and fulfil their utility purpose.

They look for: durability, longevity, reparability, utility Who? “The Minimalists” Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. They blog and teach people how they can create a minimalist lifestyle.

Environmentally Conscious: The main concern of the environmentally conscious is that consumerism is damaging our earth through the over-consumption of resources and the throwaway habits of society. So when purchasing, they evaluate products on how sustainable and ethical they are. They also demand transparency from the companies they purchase for, in order to clearly see the lifecycle impact of products.

They look for: transparency, ethical materials, longevity, reparability, reputability.

Who? Members of Fashion Revolution - campaigning against consumption and throwaway fashion. Eco campaigners such as Glacier Girl - against throwaway society and raise awareness of consumerism damaging the environment.

36 phase two | week nine | mindful materialism

37 phase two | week nine | mindful materialism

mindful materialism trend drivers

• The Zero Waste campaigns - raising awareness of the problems caused by our throwaway society, thus encouraging people to buy things that last, not that are disposed of after a short time. e.g.

Fashion Revolution • Climate change and the strain on natural resources - consumerism has many negative environmental impacts. Increased awareness of this is influencing consumers to shop more ethically and mindfully.

• Minimalist movement - a macro trend which evolved a few years ago, where people remove ‘clutter’ from their lives and adopt an attitude that material possessions are not essential for a happy life. Minimalism means people are very mindful of their purchases and assess whether they actually need products or not.

• Social media creating a new wave of conspicuous consumption in which people own one designer statement piece (e.g. Gucci bags in 2017) which they display - these pieces are often saved up for and then used continuously and loved by the consumer rather than being ‘kept for best’. This trend is spurred on by the aspirational lives of bloggers on social media who often endorse luxury items. e.g. Lydia Millen (opposite).

38 phase two | week nine | mindful materialism

39 phase two | week nine | mindful materialism

mindful materialism trend impacts: what are the innovators doing?

Educated consumers: Branded education - brands are educating their consumers about their values and products, enabling customers to have the knowledge to mindfully choose what they buy.

Increasing demand for transparency in fashion – growing number of ethical and sustainable fashion brands.

Demand for trans seasonality - buy things that will last throughout the seasons -multifunctional.

Increased demand for longevity / durability More companies are creating products that are designed to last forever: ‘Buy Me Once’ (buymeonce.com) could almost be considered an online department store for products designed to last, made by several brands and businesses.

More and more are looking after their products better and getting possessions mended or restored when they break in order to make them last longer.

Not owning things but renting them instead minimalists often do not want to own homes so rent instead, cars are more commonly being rented now not just on holiday but at home too(Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Car Club).

Quality over quantity - innovators will try new restaurants with quality ingredients, smaller portions and conscious efforts against environmental damage - against over consumption in all forms. e.g.

By Chloe vegan restaurant chain who “actively contribute towards lowering our carbon footprint and preserving our planet’s water supply through our animal-free menu, mindful ingredient sourcing and eco-friendly packaging.” (By Chloe, 2017).

40 phase two | week nine | mindful materialism

41 phase two | week nine | mindful materialism

Evidence that my Trend Drivers and Impacts are becoming prevalent in society, from expert trend forecasters: Saunter at WGSN(2017) has identified new product relationships in sustainable retail that can be linked to mindful materialism: 1. “Built to Last” - quality over quantity. Example: Buy Me Once stocks products that are intended to last a lifetime, such as Le Creuset kitchenwares, Dr Martens boots and Tweezerman tweezers which come with free sharpening for life.

2. “Reconditioned Retail” fights against a throwaway society and planned obsolescence and the trend of buying second hand. Examples: Mamas and Papas ‘Loved for Life’ restores and resells second hand prams complete with 2 year guarantee for buyers; and Leapp restores and revamps used and discarded Apple products and resells them.

3. “Zero Waste Workshops” are helping to reduce waste by educating people. IKEA are holding workshops to teach people how to save energy and reduce waste.

4. “New Rental Initiatives” macro trend - renting clothes and products instead of buying them. Wear the Walk is an example of a clothes rental service but they only stock high end sustainable clothing brands - this both reduces clothing consumption which has a huge environmental impact and allows people to have meaningful products without paying high amounts for them. Other example: Enterprise Rent-a-car.

Trend Hunter (2017) names Deliberate Reduction as a trend for 2018 which involves “consumers buying less but more intelligently to reduce consumption” and states consumers are going for quality over quantity in order to “curate only the best and most necessary offerings”.

42 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

43 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

WGSN (2017) and LS:N Global (2017) have both reported a growing focus on after sales product care which allows consumers to look after and make their products last longer. Examples WGSN (2017) provided include: Rimowa’s Paris store has a suitcase repair area in-store; Holystic in Singapore, Crep Protect in London and Jason Markk in LA are all businesses which are purely providers of ‘sneaker services’ including cleaning, restoration and customisation; Harvey Nichols have handbag clinics where customers can take their designer handbags for servicing’ Hermés has its own laundrette devoted to cleaning only their silk scarves - called ‘Hermesmatic’.

The Future Laboratory at LS:N Global (2017) state that consumers want their products to last longer due to ethical concerns, and 40% of traditional ‘luxurians’ (luxury buyers) believe luxury will soon be defined by longevity. They also state that brands should educate their customers on sustainable aftercare for their products. This a potential future of the mindful materialism trend that is already beginning to evolve - seen with Stella McCartney’s Clevercare Series (see pp.45-46).

LS:N Global’s Smith and Walker (2017) reported the growing success of luxury fashion resale sites such as ThredUp and Vestiaire Collective too, supporting the trend’s drive for quality products at good prices.

As I mentioned previously, customers want products that have meaning and buy into brands that sit with their values. Mintel (2017) report that sustainability will be important to consumers in 2018, giving Adidas’s shoes made from recycled ocean plastic as an example.

Consumers also want to trust brands and so transparency will be key to this: Mintel (2017) have reported demands for transparency in all sectors is expected to continue to increase in 2018.

Examples in fashion are Reformation and Everlane who both practise a transparent business approach.

44 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

45 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

mindful materialism trend consequences: what are the late majority doing?

Designer Outlet villages are experiencing success as they offer these luxury and mid-market goods at lower prices: Bicester Village in Oxfordshire now receives on average 6.4 million visitors per year (Morris, 2017), McArthur Glen’s Cheshire Oaks outlet has opened 12 new stores this year alone (Norbury, 2017) and reports show that in recent years, outlets have experienced huge success, outperforming shopping centres in capital value (Shannon, 2016) and an increased footfall (Stevens, 2017).

More and more people are investing their money in goods and services that are generally better quality: The luxury goods market is continuing to grow as. The global luxury goods market is expected to be worth 280 billion euros by 2020 (Bain & Company, 2016).

People are shaming unethical practices e.g. H&M burning clothes 


Increased demands for transparency in food and consumable products - against battery hens, fertilisers, micro beads, sulphates, parabens etc.

Demand for good value and good quality for money trusting products not to break because they are good quality. People will shame brands for poor quality products on social media.

Renting luxury / designer dresses and suits for special occasions - Hire the Catwalk, My Celebrity Dress, Rent the Runway, Moss Bros. US renting business Rent the Runway had 3.5 million members in 2013 (Galbraith, 2013).

46 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

47 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

mindful materialism trend futures

Organisations and brands (such as Fashion Revolution and Stella McCartney) are starting to show customers in detail how to look after their products to make them last longer. More and more brands are likely to follow in their footsteps and show their customers how to properly care for their garments and other products.

More companies will try to use sustainable materials such as recycled plastic like Adidas have done with their recycled sea plastic shoes. This will fulfil consumers’ demands for products to share their values and concerns for the environment.

Apps are launching to educate customers on brands such as Good On You, this could lead to more brands creating their own apps or blogs to show their sourcing and manufacturing processes so they can control the way they show it.

Personal shopping may begin to offer new services to help customers create a timeless and long lasting wardrobe or a more ethical wardrobe.

Brands may begin to offer more comprehensive and accessible in-house repairs or partner with existing repair services such as the Clothes Doctor to give their customers a way to keep their products in good condition for longer.

Guarantees may also become more comprehensive in order to make products last longer.

48 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

49 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

“

Stella McCartney, 2017

”

50 phase two | week ten | mindful materialism

mindful materialism: an overview   From my research I predict that mindful materialism will gain even more tract in the next few years, as issues such as transparency, waste and product quality are gradually becoming increasingly prominent in society.

Whilst fast cheap fashion will remain popular for a while, I think quality slow fashion will gain an important place in fashion as the industry is conscious of its impact on the environment and society.

At the moment, very few people actually consume fashion ethically, despite many saying they intend to. But already transparency is massive in the food industry with veganism and the demand for fair and ethical sourcing, therefore it is likely that this will diffuse into other industries too; especially if the media continue to highlight poor practises in the fashion industry like recently with the reports about H&M burning clothes and Zara not paying their factory workers in Turkey.

The issue of waste will never go away as we live in a world with finite resources, so as consumers become more conscious of this problem, I think companies like Buy Me Once and timeless investment fashion items will be one of the solutions.

51 phase two | week eleven | mindful materialism

summary of feedback and final reflections In the first feedback session I was told to look on the edges of my trend to get an idea of where it was going so I went on WGSN and LS:N Global where I found developments which linked to where the mindful materialism trend was starting to go.

During the peer feedback session, it was pointed out that whilst my journal was structured and informative, there needed to be more headings and subheadings to clearly show what information the page was to contain. I added in the week formatting and headings for clarity which was praised by my friends when I showed them it - they said it was much clearer and easy to follow.

When I showed Nikkie Gorrie (Trend Forecaster for Debenhams) my work, she suggested that for the trend cartogram I look at what was happening outside of the fashion industry too. She gave me a few examples and pointers which really helped and led to me considering homeware, tech etc. as a part of my trend and I show this in my trend cartogram.

I have found this assignment quite challenging. In hindsight I think it would have been easier to show my reflective and research journey on paper in a scrapbook, as producing it digitally makes it too easy to go back and change things. I have however, shown how my ideas developed.

One thing which I also found difficult was reflecting on my research as I have never done that before. But by doing so, I have learnt how to link current affairs and things happening in society together and identify patterns within these.

Overall, I think this reflective research journal has allowed me to identify a trend which could really become prominent in the coming years, and I look forward to seeing if my predictions are correct. The effort and time required for this module has really tested my time management skills and my workload capacity. The constant need to add to a journal is challenging but I feel proud to have completed an extensive and comprehensive amount of research.

52 phase two | week eleven | mindful materialism

the end.

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2.

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3.

Dennis, R. 2017. To cure affluenza, we have to be satisfied with the stuff we already own. [Online]. [Accessed 20/11/17]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/ 2017/oct/30/to-cure-affluenza-we-have-to-be-satisfied-with-the-stuff-we-already-own

4.

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5.

Galbraith, S. 2013. The Secret Behind Rent the Runway’s Success. [Online]. [Accessed 21/11/17]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sashagalbraith/2013/12/03/thesecret-behind-rent-the-runways-success/#38d1822077e6

6.

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Image and Headline Sources Page 4: Jacket https://www.artsthread.com/portfolios/ Page 6: Camel Jacket http://www.deuxhomm.es/2016/04/08/kenta-matsushige-fallwinter-2016/ Page 9: Jigsaw Hearts Immigrants: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/style/celebrity-fashion/how-jigsaws-aw17heart-immigration-11358937 Brexit EU: http://www.commonwealthroundtable.co.uk/commonwealth/eurasia/united-kingdom/brexit-nextcommonwealth/ Donald Trump: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/things-trump-has-condemned-other-thanwhite-nationalists.html No more austerity: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36063743 Catalonia Independence: http://mancunion.com/2017/09/25/defiance-secession-catalan-independence/ Theresa May: https://www.sundaypost.com/news/political-news/snp-warn-theresa-may-must-respectscotlands-triple-mandate-keep-place-europe/ No deal Brexit: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/09/leaving-eu-without-trade-dealwill-hamper-business-say-white-papers Businesses and politics: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41728542 Trump Iran: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/13/trump-iran-nuclear-deal-congress Catalonia: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/27/catalonia-spain-eu-central-powerautonomy Page 10: First Home: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/277567760/our-first-home-personalized-home-map? utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share Debt young people: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41627238 Graph: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/16/uk-inflation-set-to-hit-five-year-highraising-heat-on-interest-rates 35 year mortgages: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/outstanding-mortgages-hits-all-time-high-uk First time buyers graph: https://search.which.co.uk/search?w=first+time+buyers Page 12: Mind the gap: http://www.greenelement.co.uk/blog/article/new-gender-pay-gap-reportingregulations-2017/ Freedom video pic: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/beyonce-freedom-international-day-of-thegirl_uk_59dcb13ce4b0208970cf8900 Beyonce: http://time.com/4978939/beyonce-freedom-video-international-day-of-the-girl/ #Poweredbywomen: Glamour Magazine UK, November Issue cutout Harvey Weinstein: http://variety.com/2017/film/news/bfi-reaction-harvey-weinstein-1202587553/ Page 13: Our girl: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0260ych

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Last call pitches: http://www.justjaredjr.com/2017/06/23/its-last-call-pitches-on-pitch-perfect-3poster/ Page 14: Semi colon project: https://projectsemicolon.com #semicolonproject: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/semicolonproject/ Grazia Mental health: https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/mental-health-charter-2017/ 13 Reasons Why: https://www.howtomash.com/hibah_mirza/13-reasons-why-premiere-review-the-adaptationthe-book-deserved/9873/ Page 15 World Mental Health Awareness Day: Twitter and Instagram searches of #worldmentalhealthawareness NHS Mindfulness: https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mindfulness.aspx Headspace Logo: App Store Book sales boom: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/31/sales-of-mind-body-spirit-books-boomin-uk-amid-mindfulness-mega-trend Gov’t mental health staff promise: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/30/government-promisesextra-21000-nhs-mental-health-staff/ Page 16 Amazon echo: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06Y5ZW72J? tag=googhydr-21&hvadid=224384081743&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7788526866678263940&hvpone=&hv ptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5a451lrvs7_e Fitbit: https://www.fitbit.com/au/store Magazines on iPads: https://firewireblog.com/2011/08/04/time-inc-to-make-all-magazine-titlesavailable-on-tablets-by-the-end-of-2011/ iPhone X: https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-x Kindle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle Page 17: Bitcoin: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/12/bitcoin-price-5000-cryptocurrency-goldbubble Fossil Group and Google smartwatches: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fossil-group-andgoogle-hit-the-accelerator-on-fashion-first-smartwatches-add-more-brands-in-2018-300511171.html Amazon Alexa: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/11/16460120/amazon-echo-multi-uservoice-new-feature Glamour: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/06/conde-nast-unveils-digital-first-futurefor-glamour-magazine Amazon waterproof kindle: https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/11/16453860/new-amazon-oasis-kindlewaterproof-10th-anniversary Page 18: Storm Brian: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41704779 Hurricane season: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/10/31/hurricaneseason-usually-winds-down-in-november-but-this-hasnt-been-a-normal-season/?utm_term=.8602253dc25c Trump Environmental Rollback: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/04/trumpemvironmental-rollback-epa-scrap-regulations US Climate Warning: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/natural-disasters-us-350bn-climate-change-gaogovernment-accountability-office-a8018226.html Climate Change worse: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/climate-change-worse-watertemperature-reading-scientists-global-warming-ice-melt-weather-a8020696.html Storm Brian pic: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41704779 Hurricane pic: http://abcnews.go.com/US/rest-2017-hurricane-season-active-storms-noaa-meteorologist/ story?id=49701483 Fire pic: http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2017/06/18/portugal-forest-fire-kills-least-19/

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Page 22: #freedom for girls: https://www.wearethecity.com/girls-take-beyonces-freedom-international-day-girlchild/ Page 24: Apple store: https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/the-ipod-has-been-relegated-to-the-back-of-theapple-store-but-with-good-re Page 26: Debts uni: http://www.tru-access.com/tru-access-blog/millenials-have-a-debt-to-pay Page 28: Screenshots from our presentation for DESN2365 Page 30: Photograph of my copy of Fashion Revolution Fanzine #2 (Loved Clothes Last) Page 37: The Minimalists: https://www.theminimalists.com Glacier Girl: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/refashioningnature/?hl=en Luxury Minimalist style – timeless investment purchases Ray Ban Sunglasses and Gucci bag: http:// www.whowhatwear.co.uk/how-to-wear-blue-jeans-street-style-ideas/ Page 39 Zero Waste Protest: http://ecowastecoalition.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/national-and-local-candidatesurged-to.html Minimalism books: http://treading-lightly.com/2015/09/10-books-on-minimalism/ Lydia Millen luxury lifestyle blogger: https://www.instagram.com/p/BaogtL7HjFH/?takenby=lydiaemillen Page 41: Buy Me Once: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3441031/Woman-fights-against-throwawayculture-buy-shopping-site.html Who made my clothes protest: http://fashionrevolution.org Wear the Walk: https://www.wearthewalk.co.uk/subscriptions Page 43: Le Creuset cast iron set: https://www.lecreuset.com/new-ultimate-cast-iron-set Leapp Apple product restoration store: https://0-www-wgsn-com.wam.leeds.ac.uk/content/board_viewer/ #/73577/page/5 Loved for Life Mamas and Papas pushchair scheme: https://www.mamasandpapas.com/en-gb/loved-for-life Page 45: Adidas recycled sea plastic shoes: Mintel Europe Consumer Trends 2018 report.

Vestiare Collective How it Works: https://www.vestiairecollective.com/concept-preowned-fashion/ Page 47: Bicester Village designer outlet: http://the-glamorous.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bicester-villagereview.html Transparency in food: https://theecologist.org/2012/jan/03/ethical-food-four-new-years-resolutionsyou-can-keep Hire the Catwalk: http://hirethecatwalk.com Page 49: Stella McCartney and Clevercare Collaboration: https://www.stellamccartney.com/experience/cn/theclevercare-series/

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