Behind the Threads
You wake up in the morning, wash your face, brush your teeth, and walk into your closet to get dressed for the day. Whether you pick a dress, suit, blouse, basic tee, or lounge set, you are making your wardrobe choices, right? The style of clothing you prefer, whether it be urban, hipster, classic, modern, feminine, business casual, etc., is your style. You shop at your favorite stores, purchasing pieces you would wear, but are these pieces specifically curated for you? If they did not exist, would you still desire them? Who really decides what you wear?
Trend forecasting agencies like Doneger, WGSN, Trend Union, Promostyl and Pantone, each provide fashion data and research to influence designers’ creative processes. The trends stem from political, social, economic, and environmental impacts on our society. For example, fast fashion manufacturing plants, like the Rana Plaza factory, have created terrible environments for workers, killing some in the process [1]. The acknowledgement of sweatshops has changed our society’s views on what people buy, pivoting towards a desire to purchase sustainable clothing that is ethically made. Civil rights movements like Black Lives Matter have uplifted and promoted black-owned businesses in the fashion and beauty world [2]. Following trends like those listed above is not a bad thing, and I am not inferring this at all. I am merely putting into question the choices we make and who are behind those choices.
Trend analyzers get their trends from around the world, focusing on innovative processes and fresh, vibrant colors. This can be done in a few different ways: by using in-house forecasters, outsourcing to forecasting agencies, attending fashion shows, examining influencers, or looking to other industries for inspiration. In-house forecasters and forecasting agencies both do the research for the fashion brand’s product developers. The difference is that in-house forecasters aid in the process of product development for vertically integrated brands, while trend forecasting agencies do the work for the fashion brand in exchange for a price. Fashion shows were used as the original way to forecast trends; this is known as top-down trend forecasting which leads to haute couture trends winding up in fast fashion stores. Bottom-up trend forecasting is another method that utilizes influencers and street style to track and predict upcoming trends. This type of forecasting looks to current consumer demand to predict future demand. Other industries can also aid in the predicting process, providing inspiration for independent designers. This can be seen through examining other industries like nature, food, art, and architecture to gain insight into new ideas [3]. “Equal parts creative and analytical, trend forecasting relies on data analysis to uncover consumer patterns and then synthesizes those findings into reports. For some trend forecasters, like Sara, the reports take the form of articles that her clients can use to adjust their strategies when marketing to specific audiences” [4]. This data collected is then used to inspire designers when making a new fashion collection.
I truly appreciate the process and hard work put in by trend forecasters; however, the implementation of this in our current society has led to a competitive, semi-toxic environment. The consumer rarely decides what he/she/they will even be demanding in the future of the fashion world. Trend forecasters are providing fashion brands with a select set of options to design and construct apparel. Fashion brands then provide consumers, us, with a collection of clothing and accessories based on the current trends. We watch, or avoid watching, advertisements on television, YouTube, and other mediums. We know that these ads are influencing and manipulating us to purchase the product or service they are attempting to sell. However, we don’t see the stores we shop in as influencing our decisions. The displays are set up, colors chosen, and merchandise assortment selected to draw in customers and make sales. This is not out of the ordinary and is how merchandising works. The issue lies with the very assortment designed from trend predictions. When we walk into a store, we are only provided with a certain selection deemed “fit” for us by trend forecasters. We don’t make the choices; the choices are made for us, almost like censorship for apparel. Why must we wear the new spring collection of bright colors, gauze fabric, and polka dots? We want the new hot thing! Why? Is it because we truly like polka dots, or is it because we were only provided with polka dots as the new spring trend? We don’t recognize the people behind the threads working tirelessly to tailor the next season for us. They are the reason we wear what we wear. They are the reason you picked out your outfit today that you are wearing while reading this post.
In addition, trend researchers are not the only ones influencing our clothing decisions; social media and society impact the apparel choices we make. Social media is a beast of its own; it forces users to portray themselves a certain way to look like they are having fun and living their best lives. Influencers on social media also impact what we wear. This happens after the clothing they are wearing has been filtered down for them. Influencers are now a huge part of the fashion world with some being ambassadors for top designer brands like Dior, Chanel, and Gucci. Influencers don’t just influence how we act, but also what we wear. We want to dress like our favorite Instagram or YouTube influencers because we idolize them. I also fall victim to this. I find myself scrolling through Instagram and enviously looking at Negin Mirsalehi’s style. I bought her collection from Express in Fall 2019 and love it [5]. I bought her pieces because I envy and appreciate her style.
Aside from influencers and social media, society and gender constrictions are other areas that impact what we wear. As a woman, I oftentimes find myself limiting what I wear from my closet for fear of reactions from those around me. I’m not talking about trying to fit in with my peers, which is in fact another part of society that influences what we wear. I am talking about the baggage that comes with being a woman in our world: cat calling. I came from a small town and never had to worry about what I wore on a daily basis. I studied fashion in the Bay Area and had a wardrobe of beautiful, fashion-forward clothing. I wore a few pieces into the city and was immediately called out by men on the BART, streets, and stores. This largely influenced my wardrobe choices from that point forward. I was attending fashion school and looked sub-par every day because men on the streets couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Some of these instances can also taint our clothing pieces, leaving us with a bad remembrance of our favorite shirt. The same goes for people who identify as LGBTQ+; they too can be influenced in not dressing how they want to for fear of being called out, harassed, or verbally abused. This is a systemic issue in our society.
Whether it be trend forecasters, social media, influencers, or society, we are constantly being told what to wear. As a fashion designer and businesswoman, I do not want to influence you. I want you to have the opportunity to choose. This is why I have created a customization option on my website where you, as the consumer, can choose what you want to wear. You can be the trend forecaster, designer, and influencer [6]. Pantone predicted yellow and grey as the colors of 2021. What will you wear?
REFERENCES
[1] https://www.racked.com/2018/4/13/17230770/rana-plaza-collapse-anniversary-garment-workers-safety
[2] https://blacklivesmatter.com
[4] https://www.wayup.com/guide/how-to-become-a-trend-forecaster/