Trend Forecasting - From Fads to Fashion in the Digital Age

About This Class

Class Description

This course will be a general overview of the fashion design and merchandising industries with a focus on trend analysis and fashion theories as they apply to trend forecasting in a modern digital world. If you want to take your learning to the next level, please note this is the first in a three part series. If you want to learn more strategies and build the trend report make sure you check out my course: Trend Forecasting Two and if you want to apply forecasting to an end product take: Trend Forecasting three. The classes are meant to build off one another! In this class, students will get an insiders perspective of how trends cycle in and out over the years and an understanding of how society, culture, economy and politics can influence the trends seen in the fashion, lifestyle and creative industries.

What Will You Learn?

Students will learn some of the principles of fashion as well as how to describe the fashion cycle and its’ effects on the adoption of fashion and how to interpret fashion cycle theories to analyze and predict future fashion trends. 

Do I  Need Any Experience? 

This class is geared towards beginners. You don’t need any prior experience in the fashion industry, but an interest in fashion and trends would be helpful! The information outlined in the lessons are meant to be informative and offer a new perspective on the fashion and retail industries. 

You will get some great information on how the fashion theories like the diffusion of innovation and the fashion cycle work and how they can be applied to fashion trend forecasting. 

Fashion Theory Resource Imagery - Diffusion of Innovation & The Fashion Cycle

If you want to learn more about me you can check out my website: Bella + Sophia Creative and you can get a behind the scenes view of the work that I do over on my Youtube Channel: The Creative Studio. 

Class Project - The Trickle Theories in Action


For your class project, we will be applying forecasting methods by exploring the trickle up/trickle down theory. This will be completed using the Canva template provided in the class materials. The purpose behind this assignment is to showcase this theory at play in the real world as well as to get you to sharpen your eye to trends on the street and in research work. You will Review 3 key runway trends and show how they are executed in street style. Then, show 3 street style trends and how they are executed on the runway.

What You Need to Do:

Find 3 examples of trends that would be considered the trickle up theory by highlighting the runway look and then finding corresponding images that showcase the look in street wear. Then you will find 3 examples of trends that would be considered the trickle down theory by highlighting a street wear look then finding the corresponding images that show that look on the runway – include images of each one.

Find the following information:
- Explain what each trend is
- Who is the designer of any of the designer looks & what season and year the look is from.
- Explain why each would be considered the theory

Some very basic technical abilities will be needed to use the Canva template provided for the class project. Canva is a very intuitive online platform/software and is easy to use. To make things even simpler, I’ve created a template for the class project that only requires you to update text and drag and drop images.

You can access the class project template here: Remember to make a copy to save to your account - and work on that copy.

If you like what you learned here, please make sure you take Fashion Forecasting Twoto take your skills further!