or in other words, How to answer the question: Will gray be the next black?
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 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. From this link you can connect with the online service that DAAP Library subscribes to. You must enter a password and user name to access information from this site. We currently subscribe to the Women's Forecast portion of the web 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? The women's fashion
forecast can answer these questions. Pinks and fuchsia were everywhere in
spring 2003; CAUS members knew this in spring of 2001."
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. Recent issues have covered, for example, review of men's
wear trends in textiles for fall 2005, trends in new textiles, and 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
online as well. Consult with Library staff for the password to access
the online version.
WWD
The Library subscribes to WWD in a variety of formats:
Print: Current copies of WWD are retained in the Library for three months. Library copies are generally a day or so behind the online version.
Electronic: The library subscribes to WWD.com online and you have access via password to the last ten issuesonline
Electronic/archived information: Back issues of WWD can be accessed through a variety of databases that UC subscribes to:
from 01/01/1983 to 7 days ago in Business & Company Resource Center |
from 01/03/1989 to present in Factiva |
from 1995 to 06/30/2006 in Business & Industry |
from 1996 to 2000 in Business & Industry |
from 1997 to 2002 in Contemporary Women's Issues |
from 1997 to 2002 in OhioLINK Contemporary Women's Issues |
from 01/04/1999 to 7 days ago in General Business File ASAP |
from 12/29/2000 to 10/18/2006 in ABI/INFORM Complete |
from 05/19/2004 to present in Business Source Complete |
More Fashion Periodicals
For a list of all Fashion periodicals to which the DAAP Library subscribes,
consult Fashion
Periodicals from Research
& Class Guides/Design.
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 Premier
This database provides full text for over 2,710 scholarly business journals
covering management, economics, finance, accounting, international business
and much more.
Indexes WWD.
ABI/Inform
Comprised of full-text business periodicals and news sources, covers scholarly
research, businesses traditions and trends, corporate strategies, management
techniques, and competitive and product information. Some periodicals go back
as far as 1912.
Indexes the last several months of WWD and DNR.
Academic
Search Premier
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. Academic Search Premier 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
Indexes more than 2,500 general interest and academic periodicals in all fields, and provides full text access to many of them. Indexing begins about 1970.
Indexes Vogue 1988 to the present and provides fulltext 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.
Expanded Academic ASAP
Indexes articles from over 500 journals in all disciplines.
Indexes Vogue 1984 to the present and provides fulltext online for 2004 to the present.
Design and Applied Arts Index
Indexes the journals: Fashion Theory, Fiberarts
Readers' Guide Retrospective
Indexes the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States 1890-1962.
New York Times, 1851-2001
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 newpaper articles are listed on the Newspaper Articles section of the Article Resources page of the Library's website.
General Information on Designers and Fashion
Consult the following resources for general biographical information on fashion designers and related subjects:
Biography
Resource Center
Biographical information on more than 165,000 people from throughout history,
around the world, and across all subject areas.
Contemporary Designers
NK1166 .C66 1990 DAAP Reference Oversize
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 Reference
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.
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
Industry sector profiles within countries of the world. A good source for international marketing information. You may search by Industry or by Company and limit by country. This is also a good source of general market information with up-to-date news about the Industry. For example, current news items for Fall 2006 include updates on Coach merchandising, Old Navy personnel changes, and information that Gap is launching an online footwear concept, Piperlime.
MarketResearch.com Academic
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. Search via 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.
Mintel International Group Ltd.
Mintel's published market research has been helping leading businesses achieve their goals for over 30 years. As a globally recognized market analyst, Mintel produces some 600 reports into European, UK-specific and US consumer markets every year. In order to access market research reports, you will have to sign in individually and create an account. 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
Plunkett Research covers industry-specific research portals for several industry sectors including . IApparel, Textiles & Fashions. Plunkett includes market research and trends analysis, glossaries, statistics, company profiles and contacts and industry associations and organizations. For example, when looking for information on AnnTaylor Stores, the report provides information on brands and affiliates, growth plans, financials. It is also possible to retrieve a report on current industry trends which as of October 2006 included: articles on high tech and smart fabrics, domination of the market by baby boomers, and growth in alternative sizing. This database also provides the option to “build a market report” for your own use.
Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys
The surveys present, in two sections, discussions and analysis on various industries. The Basic Analysis section presents prospects, trends, problems, statistics, tables, charts and comparative company analysis for industries and their major segments. The Current Analysis section provides the latest developments and available industry, market, and company statistics. Additional useful information 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, as well as financial information. Some companies of interest covered in this database include: Federated, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, AnnTaylor, Urban Outfitters, Guess? Chico’s, Charlotte Russe, and many more.
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 a great web site 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.
