The fashion business has been collecting and analyzing information about colors, fabrics, silhouettes, and styles since the 18th century - activities that have long been shrouded in mystery. The Fashion Forecasters is the first book to reveal the hidden history of color and trend forecasting and to explore its relevance to the fashion business of the past two centuries. It sheds light on trend forecasting in the industrial era, the profession's maturation during the modernist moment of the 20th century, and its continued importance in today's digital fast-fashion culture. Based on in-depth archival research and oral history interviews, The Fashion Forecasters examines the entrepreneurs, service companies, and consultants that have worked behind the scenes to connect designers and retailers to emerging fashion trends in Europe, North America, and Asia. Here you will read about the trend studios, color experts, and international trade fairs that formalized the prediction process in the modern era, and hear the voices of leading contemporary practitioners at international forecasting companies such as the Doneger Group in New York and WGSN in London. Probing the inner workings of the global fashion system, The Fashion Forecasters blends history, biography, and ethnography into a highly readable cultural narrative.

The colour forecasting process is a major driving force in the fashion and textile industries but is complex, highly intuitive and little understood. This textbook for students of fashion and design discusses the development of the various driving forces of fashion, when colour forecasting began and how it has developed to its present day state. Colour terminology and some of the more subjective tools used by colour forecasters are explained, and their strengths and weaknesses are compared. Also, a model is given of the colour forecasting process and this is discussed in detail. Finally, readers are shown how forecasting methodologies are used to develop 'colour stories'.

Color is a powerful selling tool. It is the first thing to catch the consumer's eye in the shop window. Get the color choice wrong and an entire range can stay on the racks. So, how do colors arrive on the runway or the sales floor and why do different companies all seem to choose similar colors each season? The answer lies in the work of the huge color forecasting industry. Color Forecasting for Fashion breaks down the forecasting process—from how to put together a color palette to color theory and the way that colors behave—and helps you to build the combination of research and intuitive skills that a successful designer or forecaster needs.

Everyone in the fashion business needs to develop an essential survival skill: how to interpret the intelligence provided by the fashion forecasting industry, to anticipate and respond to emerging trends. Lavishly illustrated in full colour throughout, with clear and relevant explanations of the processes involved, Fashion Forecasting is for fashion students and young professionals who already have acquired some fashion knowledge and skills. The authors interviewed the key players within this exciting industry and provide here fascinating insights into the dynamic contemporary fashion forecasting world and the varied creative roles within it - from intelligence gatherers to project consultants. The book covers how a trend is sourced, anticipated and developed, and also explores the interaction with marketing and brand development.

In a fast-moving global industry, how can anyone know what the next trend will be? Fashion Trends: Analysis and Forecasting offers a clear pathway into the theory and practice of forecasting fashion, using professional case studies to demonstrate each technique and concept. This revised edition includes an updated model of the fashion trend analysis and forecasting process and expanded coverage of social media, digital influencers, sustainability and social responsibility. There are also first-hand visual materials relating to forecasts from leading firms. With the rise of individualism and concern for the sustainable world, the authors also walk you through the 'end of fashion' and what comes next, including: recycled and upcycled fashion, garment rental, subscription services, the circular economy, transparency and traceability, and the role of forecasting in encouraging sustainable lifestyles. Key topics – The characteristics of an innovation – The influence of consumer groups – Long- and short-term fashion forecasting – Sociocultural factors and their influence on trends – Fashion professionals' roles in creating and supporting trends – Consumer and industry trends accelerating product innovation and diffusion – Changing trend forecasting formats – The influence of trend forecasting on business decisions

Sharp, in-depth and highly visual, this is the fully revised textbook and teaching aid for students, tutors and in-house learning and development teams keen to know more about the world of trends, forecasting, innovation thinking and strategic foresight. Designed and written as a practical ‘how to’ guide for design, marketing, brand and innovation studies students, updated chapters include the latest research and industry case studies on superforecasting, three horizon scanning, scenario planning, foresight framework building and the creation and running of your own trend and innovation sprints. Students also have a chance to mix and merge the worlds of forecasting with future studies as we look at how techniques and processes such as the Delphi Method, cross-impact analysis, futures wheels and backcasting are being used by next generation forecasters to expand the ways they map, assess and define the needs and behaviours of tomorrow’s consumers.

Color is a powerful selling tool. It is the first thing to catch the consumer's eye in the shop window. Get the color choice wrong and an entire range can stay on the racks. So, how do colors arrive on the runway or the sales floor and why do different companies all seem to choose similar colors each season? The answer lies in the work of the huge color forecasting industry. Color Forecasting for Fashion breaks down the forecasting process—from how to put together a color palette to color theory and the way that colors behave—and helps you to build the combination of research and intuitive skills that a successful designer or forecaster needs.