Introduction
The fashion industry is mainly about trends which are usually very dynamic. Trend is a very important aspect of the fashion industry and fashion designers need to ensure that they are always up to date as far as the latest trend is concerned. Since fashion trend and fashion forecasting in the fashion industry is a very important aspect, it needs to be given a lot of attention since they literally drive the apparel industry and ensure its success. The existence of a trend is not very important. The trend needs to be reported so that people can be well conversant with it so as to ensure that the trend remains relevant. Trend reporting can be accomplished in a number of ways. Fashion industry consumers and producers in the sector can accomplish trend reporting through the involvement of fashion magazines, newspapers and other print media. However, it is not a good practice for the professional fashion designers to obtain information from the fashion news resource materials. Therefore for the designers to obtain information of better use, they need to visit the clothing stores, attend fashion shows, attend fashion week events and probably participate in the trade shows. Apart from conducting such visits which in real sense is not practical, the best method that the fashion designers can choose in order to ensure that they are always on top of the latest fashion trends is to use a trend report which will have all the necessary information needed for a success of any fashion industry. The fashion trend report plays a very important role in helping the designers and other stakeholders in the apparel industry to analyze the most current status of fashion.
In this trend report we are mainly going to lay more focus on the “Hard Rock trend” which mainly focuses on men’s leather jackets. The leather jackets in this category are the bomber leather jacket and the biker leather jacket. The fabric used for the manufacture of these leather jackets are cowhide and sheepskin. Extensive research in this field has also shown that youths who fall within the age groups 18-25 like black and ox colored leather jackets. Therefore in this trend report, we will mainly focus on leather jackets and jeans jackets which are mainly black, indigo and ox-blooded. After attending a fashion show and carrying extensive research, there are several issues that erupted in connection with the fashion trends. Most people falling within the age group 18-25 prefer some unique types of leather jackets fitting only members of this group. The picture below shows the finished leather jacket. This leather jacket cannot be comfortably used by older people probably in their late sixties. It is specifically designed for young adults falling within the age group between 18 and 25. This trend report is very crucial as it plays a very important role in ensuring that in ensuring that the fashion designers are always on top of the fashion trend and that they are always up to date on what is taking place in the apparel industry. This report also helps the designers to remain relevant as they produce items suitable for a given season hence helping in boosting their sales.
This type of leather jacket is likely to remain at the top of fashion for a period of about two years (2012 and 2013). It is a new design that features four external pockets and two internal pockets. All the pockets are zipped with different alignments. The breast pockets are zipped vertically while the rest are zipped horizontally. During the fall season, temperatures are relatively lower and this calls for warmer clothing. Using this type of jacket is very essential since it not only helps in keeping the person warm, but can also be used during the day when the temperatures are a bit higher. The user simply needs to unzip and he/she can be able to enjoy the warm temperatures during the day without having to remove the jacket.
This season, designers are moving away from the traditional men’s wear patterns of pinstripes and the popular plaid to some kinds of fashion that looks somehow wild and crazy. Fashion is ever changing and as the designers attempt to make their users look unique, they also have to make their users more comfortable and sensitive to the prevailing temperatures. This jacket has some features previously used on the older versions but has been improved to make the user more comfortable during the day and night. The previous version of a similar jacket was relatively warmer and could not be used when the temperatures are high. With the new improvements incorporated into this jacket, the users can comfortably put on the jackets both at daytime and night without worrying much about the external temperatures.
A
B
The leather jacket in A is an improved version of the previous one shown in B. The jacket shown in B was much warmer than the one in A which made it ideal mainly during cold temperatures at night. Therefore many designers have opted to a provision of a jacket that is heavy enough to be used during the night and can also allow for free circulation of air hence ensuring a cooler feeling especially during the day. The target market for these jackets are young adults who do not like carrying items around, therefore providing them with jackets that will force them to remove and carry around when the temperatures are not favorable is likely to affect the sales of the items. Therefore there is need to have jackets of all seasons which can be used both during the day and at night and jacket A provides one of the best solutions for this.
As we move from the fall to winter, it will also be necessary to have jackets that can be able to withstand the cold temperatures and ensure that their users are well protected. The new jacket shown above can play both roles to be used for the fall and also to be used during the winter. Therefore most people are likely to purchase an item that can serve two different seasons without forcing them to discard the older items and then purchase new ones.
Forecast
As we move into the fall and later on to winter, this trend is likely to stay for some more time since the jackets takes into consideration the temperatures for the two seasons. This jacket is ideal especially during the cold seasons but challenging during the hot seasons especially during summer. However, even during summer it can still be used at night hence making its usage quite extensive. The jacket also has new improved features of the older versions of a similar jacket. This therefore makes this jacket to be widely acceptable and hence more popular as opposed to other previous versions. The users therefore can easily appreciate its usage and the store keepers are already increasing their stocks ahead of the fall season to ensure that they don’t run short of stock. Apart from the comfort experienced by the users, this jacket is very presentable and can be put on by both sexes even though the initial target was the male population. Therefore as more research is being done and proposals for improvements made, this jacket is likely to stay in the market for at least two to three years before a perfect replacement is found.
Skinny Cut Trend
This trend mainly focuses on the new developments in the apparel industry which features young adults whose preferences are the skinny and cut jeans. These jeans are mainly manufactured using Raw and salvage materials. Jeans manufactured using these materials are mainly meant for young adults falling within the age groups 18-25. Such youths often prefer jeans that tend to be tight and fitting. In this trend, we will focus mainly on the new developments in the market targeting the youths who fall within this category. As we move into fall, most youths tend to shy away from the use of loose jeans but prefer putting on tight skinny jeans that makes them more comfortable with the prevailing weather conditions during the season. Most designers tend to move away from the use of traditional loose jeans that were commonly used by the youths in the past. Instead they are designing items that are not only unique in appearance but also unique in comfortability as expressed by the users. This trend report is very useful as it helps different stakeholders in the apparel industry to know the needs of their consumers hence design items that fit their needs. It is also very informative especially to the users so that they can know when and where to find items that fits their needs. This trend report is also very necessary as it contains credible research conducted on the fashion trend for the next two years hence helping the store operators to stock those items that are fast moving and can ensure that they are able to sufficiently compensate their efforts in business. In most cases, older adults have criticized the use of skinny and cut jeans by the young adults. These criticisms have been attributed to the fact that they may not understand the reasons behind the young adults putting on such types of clothing. Extensive research conducted which involved people falling within the age group 18-25, showed that there are some hidden reasons behind the young adults preferences of the skinny and cut jeans. The skinny jeans makes the user feel more light and comfortable and can exercise much easier and move faster without difficulty. As we start the fall season, temperatures keep on fluctuating and the skinny jeans are a good apparel to be used especially at day time when the temperatures are relatively higher. Therefore there are some reasons that lead to the preference of such apparels especially by the young adults. As we start the fall season, many youths especially those ones aged between 18 and 25 will be flogging the stores to purchase these items so that they can keep in line with the fashion trend and also be able to portray some sense of season sensitiveness.
The above sketches show the pair of skinny jeans of the fall season. These jeans are light in weight and can also prevent the user from cold temperatures. This type of jeans is also suitable only for young adults and can be ‘bad news’ if older adults in their late sixties are also found in such types of apparel. As the fall season begins, many stores increases their stock on jeans and the designers are also working very hard to design items of all seasons. The older versions of the skinny jeans are similar to the ones shown below.
This type of jeans has been widely criticized especially by the older adults and a section of the ladies with claims that it leaves the user exposed. This type of jeans cannot be put on by people who are muscular hence being body-sized biased. The new improvements proposed in the new skinny and cut jeans ensures that the user is comfortable and also looks more presentable as opposed to the older versions of the skinny jeans.
The sketch shown below is the finished piece of the jeans.
Most people prefer blue and black jeans for a number of reasons. First, they hardly get dirty and even if they do it is not easily noticeable. Therefore washing such materials is not an issue to bother the users. Blue jeans and black jeans can go with any color of jacket – they simply match with any mixture of colors hence making it ideal to be used during different seasons and at different times.
Forecast
The apparel industry has undergone a number of improvements in the recent past and people are making several adjustments so as to come up with items that can be able to ensure comfort and also at the same time remain fashionable. The skinny jeans is reappearing in the fashion industry after making a spectacular appearance in the late 80’s and early 90’s. there are however some few improvements that have been made to the later types of the skinny jeans among them, the types of materials used and the new models are a bit more comfortable that the older types of the skinny jeans. It is however not clear whether they will remain in the market for a bit longer duration but it is clear that they are much more fashionable than the older types and at the same time more comfortable than their predecessors.
Conclusion
It is the dream of every person to remain fashionable all the time and ensure that their clothing is always on top of the fashion trend. Therefore there is need to obtain credible information about the fashion trends and use the gathered information to determine their wardrobe. The designers also need to use the services of various trend reporting companies so that they can be able to learn on the tastes and preferences of their customers and hence produce items that fit their needs. However if the designers do not take into consideration the tastes and preferences of their customers, then they may not be relevant for a given market segment. Fashion shows and attending various fashion events plays a very important role in equipping the designers with the necessary information crucial for their success in the apparel industry.
References
http://www.fashiontrendsetter.com/
http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/071612_Trend_Report/
www.infomat.com
