5 Examples of Fashion Forecasting

John Spacey, updated on February 24, 2017

Fashion forecasting is the development of short and long term predictions of colors, fabrics, textures, materials, prints, accessories, styles, formats, designs and looks that will be popular with target customers in upcoming seasons and years. This information is then used to plan, design, produce, promote, distribute and buy fashions. The following are examples of things that influence a fashion forecast.

Subculture

Fashion niches such as snowboarding gear & apparel may look to youth subcultures who are viewed as a driver of trends.

Fashion Weeks

Fashion weeks in cities such as Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo, Berlin, Madrid, Shanghai, Rome and Sao Paulo are a primary source of fashion trends as they drive much media coverage.

Media & Influencers

Media such as fashion magazines and blogs play a role in evaluating and socializing trends that originate with designers and are put on display at fashion weeks. Fashion media may also pay close attention to certain industry influencers and celebrities.

Demographics

Long term fashion forecasts look at information such as demographics, social trends and new technology. For example, a sportswear company may try to judge what sports will be most popular in the coming years. If golf goes into decline, they may shift promotion, advertising and styles towards other sports such as jogging.

Competitive Intelligence

As with other industries, forecasting in the fashion industry is often focused on what a firm's competition is doing. Strong firms may try to lead trends that are identified early at fashion weeks. Less confident firms may simply try to emulate what the competition is likely to do next season.

Overview: Fashion Forecasting
Type	Fashion Market Research
Definition	Developing predictions of fashion trends.
Related Concepts	Subcultures Target Market Niche Concept Testing Market Research