The Ask.
Prepare a short term forecast for Womenswear Fall/Winter 2023
The Process.
What’s going on?
In order to figure out what theme is going to be for our forecast, my team had to first brainstorm what the current zeitgeist was. After an experience like the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals were guaranteed to come out of it with personal change because they had never experienced something so bizarre and catastrophic. This meant they had time to reflect, to become comfortable with who they are or the person they are changing into. The zeitgeist can be described as self aware, open-minded, independent, grounded, and nostalgic. There was a stronger sense of independence because people had to rely on themselves, whether it was for company or survival. Living in a time of uncertainty, it pushed people to go back to what they knew and were comfortable with such as watching old TV shows, playing board games, or hanging out with their family. With this in mind, my team decided on “Rediscovery: Rising from the Ashes” because we as individuals are coming back stronger after something as life changing as the pandemic.
Who is this for?
For our target market, we have the three stages, the past, the present and the future. The first stage is called the nester and this is someone who is very comfortable in their fashion choices and feels safe sticking to what they know because they appreciate the familiarity and the routine of it. The second stage is “fit to fly” because with Covid-19 this individual fell into wearing more athleisure looks, and started to experiment with different styles. Since they were forced into casual wear, they ran to bold, new looks which meant trying new things, rediscovering parts of themselves they forgot about. The future stage is called soaring because although this person is somewhat settled back into their routine of fashion again, the experimenting with bolder looks during the pandemic made this individual more inclined to be more spontaneous and adventurous with their sense of style.
What does it look like?
We had to put together a color story mood board, as well as breaking down this main color story into two, more specific color stories. Our color palette features an array of color temperatures, from warm colors representing a spark of emotion and pain, and also cool colors showing the calm after the pain.These colors all represent rediscovery but each is a story that tells a different perspective of rediscovery.
Our first color story entitled, “Grounded” is a direct reflection of the rediscovery of many during the pandemic. When external influences surround us for a prolonged amount of time, we sometime forget who we are at our core. During stages of rediscovery we gravitate back towards what makes us feel comfortable, safe and our most authentic selves.
The second color story is called “Reemerge”, and this palette depicts saturated and vibrant colors, a strong contrast from our grounded color story. Reemerge expresses how people broke out from the routine of their day to day life during quarantine and chased after something entirely different and more exciting when they were able to leave the house. Colors like ember and mercury were inspired by fiery elements connected to the phoenix and the colors cosmic and enchanted were inspired by the bright colors of the 80s. Overall, these colors bring out feelings associated with adventure, living life to the fullest, and change.
Where have we seen this before?
For our forecast, we had to pull together images from street style looks and the runway and group them into trends that support our theme. We also had to highlight a few key items that were seen in these street style and runway photos.
“Outside the Box” depicts not only how individuals are wearing wild, out there prints, but also how people are physically out of the invisible box that was quarantine. Boxes can be associated with squares, and there is a repeating tile pattern across these looks. The mixing of geometric prints comes in all sorts of silhouettes, not just more structured pieces. Looking at the mixing of prints, vibrant colors, and tile patterns, it is very nostalgic because it takes us back to fashion during the 70's and 80’s. After being trapped in a so-called “box” for so long, people are ready to fully commit to a dramatic and funky look because they can dress up again.
Like the expanding wings of the Phoenix, these protective yet spontaneously feathered looks remind us that we too have the ability to fly. Inspired by the classic 1920’s flapper look, feathered dresses and long coats are making their long-awaited return to the runway and our wardrobes. After two years of being kept in solitary confinement, like a bird in a cage, humans are finally ready for take off.
Gloves, specifically leather gloves, have made a comeback. They are a pretty small detail in the grand scheme of a look, however, they add a sense of completeness and elegance to the whole outfit because not even the hands are forgotten about.This connects back to the pandemic because there were people using plastic gloves to protect themselves, and seeing leather gloves used fashionably seems like an elevated transition from the plastic gloves.
The Outcome
With this project, my collaboration, critical thinking, and research skills were put to the test. Every decision we made for our forecast had to be justified and we had to ensure that it connected back to our theme. In addition, our predictions needed to be logical because everything comes back in fashion, so did it make sense for this trend to come back during this particular zeitgeist? Working on this project made me realize how important honest communication is between a team, and I learned how extensive the research process is when it comes to forecasting trends; there are numerous moving parts to take into consideration.