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The Importance and

Purpose of Trade
Fairs, Forecasting
and Trends In
Textiles

We are going to look at


how, why, where, what, when and who
makes fashion

Trend forecasting is all about being inspirational and innovative.


Research is done into tracking trends globally and looking into
consumer behaviour. These are all translated into future concepts.
Trend forecasters are a small group of
people from a variety of creative
backgrounds. They are conceptual thinkers,
fine artists, philosophers, product designers,
textile artists, photographers, researchers,
anthropologists, art historians, architects,
marketers, specialists in technology and
people with a holistic and intuitive approach
to the future.
http://www.view-publications.com/
http://www.kjaer-global.com/forecasting.htm
http://www.design-options.com/color.html

Forecasting is a highly intricate & complex process.


The idea is to interpret information and communicate
it clearly through a combining of text and visuals.
To express thoughts and philosophies in strong
visuals with colours, materials, surfaces and shapes.

Every design company in Europe and the United States of


America uses trend forecasting services to gather vital trend
information.

Textile View is one of the leading international trend


magazines that show colour and design predictions.
Yarns, woven, printed and knitted fabrics for the three
following seasons are shown in the form of trend collages,
sketched, photos and concise explanations. This
information is complemented by examples of important
trend setting styling ideas for the ready-to-wear industry
as well as themes and designs for home textiles.
It is an inspirational journal showing professional high
quality information and a comprehensive view of fashion
developments, including lifestyle reports, artistic trends,
interior design tendencies and information about the
international art and design world.

Forecasters and trend books are sold at International

Trade

shows and work 18 months in advance of the seasons.


Designers and manufactures pay a lot of attention to the forecasts as
these will dictate what will be hot and what will not.
Pantone colour palates are then put together by colour forecasting
services. Designer and manufactures invest thousands of pounds in these
as they help achieve improved sales, increased profits and greater
market penetration.

Textile trade shows are a vital link for designers,


manufacturers and industry to gather new ideas and gain growth.
They provide platforms to show the latest developments in fibres,
fabrics and yarn technologies.
Trade shows are international affairs and bring together everyone in
the textile industry to foster textile research and innovation in design.

The most famous of these is Premier Vision held in Paris


twice a year for the Spring/Summer collections and the
Autumn/Winter collections. The trade show is made up of five
salons comprising:
Paris Pole Mode offering diverse, creative yarns
and fabric accessories for more than 40,000
professionals from the clothing trade
Premier Vision holding all the key trends and
predictions for the coming 18 months
Expofil specialising in new fibres and yarns on
offer worldwide
ModAmount putting the new creations of
functional and decorative accessories on the market
Indigo where fashion professionals meet
designers from all over the world to showcase
100,000 of new designs

The internet is now a major source of trend information for


designers. www.wgsn.com, the Worth Global Style Network,
is an online business-to-business news and information service
for the fashion and style industry. Unfortunately it requires a
membership fee, but students studying fashion and textiles at
University can often have access to it through their course.
It is a fast-moving up-to-date resource on
everything that trend has to offer. It is a
global project that provides the latest
access to catwalks, trend analysis, retail
reports and industry resources all at the
touch of a button. This is crucial in the
fickle world of fashion.

A product cycle is the way that designers and manufacturers


identify how well a particular product is doing and decide when to
replace it
Fad

The hotpants of the 1970s. Fad


cycles catch on well and peak quickly

Classic

The little black dress. Classic fashion


is practical, easy to wear and always
in style

Standard

The mini skirt. An example of a


standard fashion cycle that lasts about
two years

Fad or Funky ?

Fashion fads come and go, they are always short lived and often remembered. In
1964 the New York and LA disco scene was in. Thigh-high skirts and bright calflevel Go-Go boots with a broad heel were the thing to wear. They originated from
the Parisian collection of Andre Courreges, and that year his collection
overshadowed many seasoned designers like Coco Chanel.
It was the year that Nancy Sinatra topped music charts with her smash hit These
Boots Are Made For Walking. The record sold almost four million copies and she
will always be remembered alongside the go-go boots fashion.
By the spring of 1965, go-go boots began to fall out of fashion with designers
showing shorter skirts and higher boots.

C l a s s i c Having lasting significance or worth; enduring


Classic is a fashion style. It comes from a simple, chic and impeccably dressed
wardrobe of key pieces. Think Jackie Kennedy or Catherine Deneuve. The
classics are something that never go out of style and you can go anywhere in. It is
usually pieces that are well made, of good quality fabrics, that fit well. Fabrics
tend to be lightweight wool, gabardine, silk, cotton, linen, cashmere and textured
microfibres. Tailored pieces often cost more money but can last for years and sit
well on the wearer. The advantages of classic clothes are that they last longer and
can be adapted and updated with accessories such as scarf's, necklaces, belts and
bags.
THE CLASSICS
Little Black Dress
Three-Piece Suit
Navy Blazer
White Shirt

http://www.chanel.com/
http://www.gap.com/
http://www.fennwrightmanson.com/

Khaki Slacks
Cashmere Sweater
Jeans
Trench Coat

Standard
A standard fashion cycle generally lasts two
years. It normally passes through four
stages. From the time that a style leader
buys a new exclusive design, through to the
style follower who buys into the look when
it becomes better known, simpler and costs
less. Then the average consumer buys it
when the style is readily available, simpler
still and lower cost. Finally the decline
laggards will buy the style in the sales when
the popularity has passed its peak.

Influences

C o u t u r e High fashion, Catwalk

C u l t u r a l Youth Intelligence, Cultural Identity

P o l i t i c a l War, Peace, Conservative, Communist

M e d i a Celebrities, Fashion Icons, Movies, Music

Fashion Couture
Haute couture (French for 'high sewing') is a common term for high
fashion as produced in Paris and imitated in other fashion capitals such as New
York, London, and Milan. Sometimes it is used only to refer to French fashion;
at other times it refers to any unique stylish design made to order for wealthy
and high-status clients.

prt--porter (French for ready to wear)


Every haute couture house also markets prt--porter
collections, which typically deliver a higher return
on investment than their custom clothing. Failing
revenues have forced a few couture houses to
abandon their less profitable couture division and
concentrate solely on the less prestigious prt-porter, perfumes, licensing and accessories.

http://www.jeanpaul-gaultier.com/
http://www.alexandermcqueen.net/flash.html
http://www.dior.com/pcd/International/JSP/Home/prehome.jsp

Media

As seen on any best dressed list, stars of stage and screen


know the need for stylist's and designer expertise in order to
look their best. Designers often get famous celebrity's to
wear their latest collections as PR and marketing strategies.
Along with red carpet nights, famous faces also adorn the
pages of magazines, for example Sarah Jessica Parker for
Gap and, more recently, Madonna for Versace.

Political Influence
Politics plays and important role in the influence
of fashion and can be seen through the ages to
reflect the feeling of the times.
The abolition of corsets championed by the
suffragette movement and pioneered as far back
as 1906 by the designer Paul Poiret.
The freedom enhanced shortening of skirts for
the flapper look of the 1920s.
The New Look from Christian Dior in 1947
was a backlash from the Second World Wars
stringency and rationing. It was defined by
generous use of luxurious fabrics, a waspwaisted silhouette and widely flared skirts.
You only have to look at the recent fashion for
camouflage prints and military wear to connect,
(as it has been attributed in the press) to the
current climate of war.

Cultural
& Street
Fashion
Fashion is very fickle, especially in the teen market. Youth intelligence is a big
growth area for fashion and there is an entire trend-prediction service devoted to this
area of the apparel industry. As this market is very fast moving, companies like
Abercrombie and Fitch employ young cool hunters to figure out what is going to be
the next big thing.
They hang out in Ibiza, go to Glastonbury, and generally have a cool time while
checking out all the latest street trends and predicting what will be up and coming street
trends.
Cool Hunter Lee: Actually it's a triangle. At the top of the triangle there's the innovator, which is
like two to three percent of the population. Underneath them is the trend-setter, which we would say is
about 17 percent. And what they do is they pick up on ideas that the innovators are doing and they kind
of claim them as their own. Underneath them is an early adopter, which is questionable exactly what
their percentage is, but they kind of are the layer above mainstream, which is about 80 percent. And
what they do is they take what the trend-setter is doing and they make it palatable for mass consumption.
They take it, they tweak it, they make it more acceptable, and that's when the mass consumer picks up
on it and runs with it and then it actually kills it.

Notes
Chavs Burberry Kate Moss
Armani Classic Red carpet appeal
Street fashion Punks Vivienne
Westwood
New Technologies fabrics dictate
fashion Lycra polar fleece goretex - neoprene
Changing lifestyles loose fitting and
comfort clothes Tommy Hilfiger
baggy street wear jeans track suits

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