How Trends Impact Fashion Brands

Crucial to our understanding of the market and our customer’s preferences, trends drive every industry in the world. And nowhere else can the direct correlation between trend forecasts and decision-making be seen more clearly than in the fast-paced world of fashion.

Even the words “trend” and “fashion” are synonyms of the other, denoting a surge in popularity for a particular product, style, or behaviour. Throughout the history of fashion, experts have debated the direction of influence in the phenomenon of clothing trends - does cause and effect work in a “trickle down” or a “bubble up” motion? Are designers influenced by what they see on the streets, or do people make their choices based on what they see in fashion marketing and stores?

Whatever direction you believe this influence moves in, the driver for changes in trends is an underlying power to shift opinion, and in time, encourage people to take action. Brands with the ability to predict what might cause the shift will, therefore, give themselves a competitive edge.