Fashion Forecasting and Trend Resources
What fabrics and styles will be popular in future years? Fashion forecasting resources help predict trends in the fashion industry. The fashion forecaster must combine his/her own knowledge of fashion design and history with consumer business information. Design firms and retail markets utilize forecasting services to predict trends in color and fashion. DAAP Library provides access to many sources to assist the fashion design student in this area.
Where to look:
Books
Books will provide limited information on forecasting. However, you
may find general fashion merchandising and history books can provide an overview
of fashion history and trends, and thus provide you with a foundation in this
area. Search the Library
Catalog for books on forecasting, color and trend information. The best
way to start is a keyword search
using keywords such as fashion and forecasting. However, it is important
to keep in mind, since forecasting is a "current" topic, much better
sources of information are the periodicals and forecasting services.
Fashion Forecasting by Evelyn L. Brannon
DAAP Reference GT 511 .B73 2005
The world of fashion / Jay Diamond, Ellen Diamond
DAAP Reference
TT518 .D52 2002
Periodicals and Forecasting Services
DAAP Library subscribes to many periodicals that provide trend and color information. The major source of information is from the Doneger Group. This company provides online access to trend and color information as well provides seasonal updates sent directly to the library that provide fabric samples, as well as illustrations and trend information.
Ask at the library circulation desk for the Fashion Forecasting resources from the Doneger Group if you want to examine the actual publication. (This service is also called TFS, the Fashion Service.)
There is also an online service provided by the Doneger Group called Design Workshop. You must enter a password and user name to access information from this site. For password, please ask at the DAAP library. (This password is for DAAP students and faculty only and cannot be shared outside of the UC community.)
In addition, several periodicals are available for your review in the library. The periodicals are located on the main floor of the library and shelved in alphabetical order. Some of the most useful forecasting and color resources are:
CAUSEFFECT,
published by the Color
Association of the United States
CAUS News is a small newsletter that provides information on color, design,
exhibits, and events of the Color Association. In addition to the newsletter,
the library subscribes to two of the color forecasting services:
Men's Color Forecast
Women's Color Forecast
These color forecasts are presented on large (12"X 22") swatched
charts. A committee of eight working professionals selects each color on each
forecast. Fashion color forecasts are issued to members in September and in
March, 22 months ahead of a selling season. And as the Web site states,
"Do you need to pinpoint hot shades? Do you need to know whether a particular
season will be predominantly pastel or bright or dark?
Collections (Prêt-a-Porter)
While not a true "forecasting" resource, this publication provides a visual
review of major design collections from the fashion capitols of New York,
London, Milan, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Tokyo, and as a result does record
the fashion trends of the world.
DNR - First in
Men's Wear News and Trends (Daily News Record)
This trade publication provides information on the retail as well as the
design market. Includes trends in new textiles as well as
articles on individual men's wear manufacturers.
Textile View Magazine (often called View)
Textile View Magazine is a quarterly magazine showcasing inspirational color, texture,
images and design.
WWD Online/Print
This major trade publication is available for browsing in the DAAP Library and online as well. Ask library staff for the password to access the online version.
Besides the online version described above the library subscribes to WWD in print as well. Current copies are retained in the library for three months. Library copies are generally a day or so behind the online version.
The Fashion Service Forecast from Doneger Creative Services. On Reserve in the DAAP Library TT500. W6. Ask library staff for the password to access the online version.
More Fashion Periodicals
For a list of all Fashion periodicals to which the DAAP Library subscribes,
consult Fashion
Periodicals
Finding Articles from Periodicals, Trade Magazines, and Newspapers
about color, fashion trends, and forecasting
There are many "indexes" to the hundreds of periodicals, magazines and newspapers and these indexes can be used to locate specific information on designers, trends, color, fashion retail and merchandising, etc.
Different indexes are used for different purposes. For example, if you were more interested in finding "scholarly" or "historical" articles, you would not consult a business index. However, if you wanted to find retail and market information, you would want to consult a business/market index.
Below are several online indexes that will be of value to you as you research
color and trend information.
* Remember, if you are using these resources off campus and your Internet
service provider is not UC, you must be logged in to the library homepage
using the off campus access
link, otherwise you will be denied access to the index.
For a complete list of indexes and databases, click
here.
Selected list of indexes useful for forecasting/color/trend information:
Business
Source Complete Connect
Indexes WWD. Business database with full text for over 3,600 serials, including over 1,000 peer-reviewed business journals. Additional full text, non-journal content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, book digests, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses and more.
ABI/Inform Connect
Indexes the last several months of WWD and DNR.
ABI/INFORM Complete is comprised of full-text business periodicals and news sources from ABI/INFORM Global, Dateline, Trade & Industry, and ABI/INFORM Archive. This combination of products, covering different aspects of business information, covers scholarly research, businesses traditions and trends, corporate strategies, management techniques, and competitive and product information. Some periodicals go back as far as 1912.
Academic
Search Complete Connect
Especially useful to locate information from both a design and business perspective.
Articles from New York Times, DNR, as well as popular journals are
available from this index. Also indexes many
trade publications focused on specific markets in the fashion industry such
as womenswear apparel, shoes, leather goods, and children's wear as examples.
Indexes DNR, but does not contain full text online.
Research Library Connect
Indexes Vogue 1988 to the present and provides full text online for April 2005 to the present.
Indexes Harper's Bazaar 1988 to the present and provides full text online for 1999 to the present.
One of the most comprehensive databases available through the ProQuest online system, Research Library provides access to full-text journals across a wide range of subject areas, including business, education, literature, political science, and psychology. The database can be customized to meet the specific needs of many different types of libraries and information centers.
Expanded Academic ASAP Connect
Indexes articles from over 500 journals in all disciplines.
Indexes Vogue 1984 to the present and provides full text online for 2004 to the present.
Design & Applied Arts Index Connect
Contains over 130,000 annotated references from more than 500 design and craft journals published between 1973-2002, and data on over 50,000 designers, craftspeople, studios, workshops, and firms. All areas of design and craft are covered, including industrial design, vehicle design, architecture, interior design, environmental design, computer aided design, furniture design, ceramics, glass, jewellery, metalsmithing, silversmithing, goldsmithing, fashion design, textile design, embroidery, graphic design, typography, multimedia design, illustration, book design, photography, advertising, marketing, retail design, packaging, exhibition design, theatre design, design and craft history, design and craft theory, ergonomics, design for disability, design for the elderly, design and craft education and design management.
Readers' Guide Retrospective Connect
Readers' Guide Retrospective, produced by The H. W. Wilson Company, is a database containing comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America.
New York Times, 1851-2001 Connect
The New York Times (1851-2005) offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
Searching other newspapers : Additional databases that index newspaper articles are listed on the Newspaper Articles section of the Article Resources page of the library's Web site.
General Information on Designers and Fashion
Consult the following resources for general biographical information on fashion designers and related subjects:
Biography in Context + Who's Who Connect
This is a comprehensive database of biographical information on more than 220,000 people from throughout history around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. It combines over 300,000 biographies from respected Gale Group sources with full-text articles from more than 250 periodicals. The Complete Marquis Who's Who's comprises every person who has appeared in any of 20 Marquis Who's Who's titles from the past decade.
Contemporary Designers
NK1166 .C66 1990 SW Depository
A fairly comprehensive guide to contemporary designers, including fashion.
Each entry includes a short biography with a list of exhibitions, major works,
and publications written BY and ON the particular designer. A short essay
about their work is also included.
Contemporary Fashion
TT505.A1 C66 2002 DAAP Reference
A comprehensive guide to contemporary fashion designers. Each entry
includes a short personal and professional biography, bibliographic citations
by and about the designer, and if possible, a statement by
the designer on his or her own work or design philosophy, as well as a critical
essay by a scholar or critic in the field of fashion and
costume history.
McDowell's Dictionary of Twentieth
Century Fashion
TT505.A1 M37 1985 DAAP Stacks
Contains a short introduction to the history of fashion. A directory that
covers the major designers from A through Z includes a short biography of
each. Also included is a directory of the "Image Makers", or major
fashion photographers of the twentieth century, each also accompanied by a
short biography. Guides to fashion education, fashion organizations and fashion
awards.
The St. James Fashion Encyclopedia:
A Survey of Style from 1945 to the Present.
TT505.A1
S7 1997 DAAP Reference
Revised edition of Contemporary Fashion (1995). Includes a fashion chronology,
nationality index, and appendix of brief descriptions of a number of fashion
houses, designers, merchandisers, photographers, and other contributors to
the world of fashion.
Who's Who in Fashion
TT505.A1 S74 1996 DAAP Reference
Short biographies of this century's most noted names to know: foreign and
American designers.
Market Reports
There are many specialized indexes and databases that cover industry information. For a complete listing of resources consult the Business Subject Pages.
Listed below are some of the most useful.
Marketline Connect
Marketline provides 10,000+ global company reports. Each includes the following: Company & Business Description, History, Key Employees, Products & Services, Competitors, Company View , Locations & Subsidiaries. Marketline also provides 3,000 industry profiles. Each includes: Overview & Size, Segmentation, SWOT Analysis, Competitive Landscape, Leading Companies, Definitions & Key Terms, Forecasts. Marketline also provides 100 country reports. Each includes: A description of the country's economic performance and GDP, An assessment of the potential for development, Detailed market and industry analysis of the country's business environment.
MarketResearch.com
Connect
Search on Consumer Goods and Retailing and find reports on such diverse topics as market trends in footwear, plus-size apparel, and infant, toddler, and pre-school clothing.
MarketResearch.com Academic presents full-text market research reports. Two kinds of reports are available, full-blown market research reports and "Market Looks", a 10-15 page data and graphics report on various markets. Topics range from beverages to food, and from healthcare to telecommunications.
Mintel Market Research Reports Connect
Market research reports for U.S. and international. Reports cover a variety of sectors including beauty and personal, health and medical, electronic, consumer goods, lifestyles, travel and tourism, financial industry, internet industry, retail, and food & drink. Reports discuss market drivers, market size & trends, market segmentation, supply structure, advertising and promotion, retail distribution, consumer characteristics, and future and forecasts. Users will need to click on "I Agree" with the "Conditions of use" statement - each time they enter the database, and to establish and login into a profile with a UC e-mail address. Examples of the reports you can retrieve include: men’s clothing, character merchandising, womenswear retailing, children’s clothing, fitness clothing, handbags, bridalwear, women’s outerwear, hosiery, nail color and care, sleepwear, etc… Not only is market information such as forecasts and market segmentation included, but updated news from sources such as the New York Times and trade publications.
Plunkett Research Online Connect
Plunkett Research covers industry-specific research portals for several industry sectors including: Apparel, Textiles & Fashions. Plunkett research online takes you directly to industry-specific research portals for the most important business sectors, from energy to e-commerce and retailing to financial services. Includes market research and trends analysis, glossaries, statistics, company profiles and contacts, and industry associations and organizations.
Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys Connect
Includes industry survey information on apparel and footware. You may also search on a company and receive a list of competitors as well as personnel and financial information. Some companies of interest covered in this database include: Federated, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Ann Taylor, Urban Outfitters, Guess? Chico’s, Charlotte Russe, and many more.
The S&P Industry Surveys, present individual reports on approximately 60 industries. The reports include data and analysis current environment, industry trends, how the industry operates, key industry ratios and statistics, and comparative company analysis within the industry.
Useful Web Sites
There are many commercial Web sites that provide previews of collections. www.style.com is a good site with many images. Remember free sites will often have many advertisements/pop-ups as fashion information.
www.wgsn-edu.com (World Global Style Network)
UC provides access to the educational site for students. Consult with your fashion professor for login information. Provides market and trend forecasting information and is an excellent resource for emerging style information.
www.infomat.com
Described as the “the largest fashion industry search engine” this commercial site provides useful information to the general public, but the majority of detailed reports are fee based. Useful “free” information includes a calendar of fashion events, consumer trendwatching, and review of runway shows. Great source for ideas and current information.
www.fidm.com
The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California has industry links for all aspects of the fashion industry. Organized by apparel megasites, this site also includes categories for associations, retailers, e-zines, news and designers – this is a great “one-stop” shopping for fashion information.