FA130: Trend Forecasting

This course presents the theory and practice of forecasting trends in the world of fashion.Topics include the purpose of trend forecasting, sources of data and techniques of data collection, tracking trends across time, the use of trend forecasts in fashion design and fashion retail. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to identify an area for trend research, collect and analyze trend data, and report the trend forecast.

Purpose of Trend Forecasting

CNN/Money
Article on the field of fashion trend forecasting

NPD Fashionworld
Provides insight into apparel and footwear markets to help companies make fact-based business decisions

Tracking Trends Across Time

A Century of Fashion
Article discussing the fashion cycle

Fashion-Era
Fashion history and costume history organized by eras

Timeline: Modern Fashion
From Fact Monster

Additional Sites of Interest

AAFA
American Apparel and Footwear Association

AATCC
American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists

ACCESSORIESmagazine.com
2004 census statistics on trends in women's accessories

Apparel
Website for print magazine

Apparel Search
Clothing and fashion business directory

ApparelNews.net
Links to industry websites

Best Dressed
Exhibit from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Costume Institute
Collection housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

DailyCandy
Free email newsletter and website detailing new and undiscovered trends

FabricLink
Fabrics, Apparel, and Clothing Care

Fashion Careers
Guide to jobs in the fashion industry

Fashion Week in New York City
Great collection of resources from NPR.org

FashionCapital
Online support resource for all areas of the clothing and fashion industry (UK)

FashionDig
Vintage clothing gallery and store

FashionInformation.com
Fashion forecasting and trend reporting (access requires subscription except for Daily News)

FIDM Zine
Online resources from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

FirstVIEW
View the latest fashion collections

Just-Style.com
Textile, apparel, and footwear industry news, analysis, and research

My Virtual Model
Create a 3D version of yourself

OTEXA
Office of Textiles and Apparel

Standardization of Women's Sizes
Resources from the National Institute of Standards & Technology

Style.com
Online home of Vogue and W magazines

Textile Source
Textile design and innovation

Sources of Data & Techniques of Data Collection

Fashion Snoops
Online forecasting and trend information

Fashion Windows
The Internet's database on fashion, visual merchandising, and mannequins

TheTrendReport
Geared towards consumers this sites describes current styles and trends

Trendstop
Trend forecasts up to 18 months ahead of the season

TrendWatching
Information on consumer trends and insights

Worth Global Style Network

WGSN
This is a free resource that provides fashion forecasting and trend analysis, the latest fashion news, reports from trade shows and runways, and color images. Access requires a PIN. Please ask your instructor, or contact wolresources@westwood.edu.