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How is a fashion trend generated?

By 28 de September de 2015November 8th, 2023No Comments

Spanish fashion starts a new course that will culminate in a few months when the trends that are now displayed in fairs and catwalks jump to the street. The official opening started in IFEMA Madrid last September where the greater part of the footwear and leather goods brands coincided in pointing out that the aesthetic dominant will be that of the 70´s and 80´s, with soles marked and robust, heels in block, sandals with beads or sandals with long laces which are tied to the ankles, metallic leather, denim fabrics and floral prints.

But how are the trends generated? Why do different companies coincide in betting in the same decade, the same pattern and the same type of leather? What is the key to this relation?

Today, the trends are modified and evolve much faster than years ago. The current fashion is ephemeral, so it should always be aware of what is going to be used in the next season. We are in a globalized and excessive communicated world where there are influencers: a group in society that begins to wear a certain look and even think and act in the same direction. These characters are connected with a second group called trendsetters or early adopters that are the first ones in copying the influencers. The trendsetters are responsible for a trend to turn into fashion and reach the followers. We know that a trend is in its biggest diffusion when the followers wear it.

To understand this circle of influences, first of all it is necessary to place the trend laboratories, companies that specialize in detecting customs, ways of dressing and of consuming, as well as all that which breaks with established social patterns. They have specialized personnel or cool-hunters that look for styles in the streets of the world. They work with a minimum of two years in advance; therefore they already know what will be a trend in the year 2017. The studies that they prepare are applied to all the sectors and this way they decide that ramen will be a gastronomic trend, that in architecture we will speak about Tecvolution and that during 2016 bicycling will be much more popular. Trend Union, Nelly Rodi, Peclers Paris or WGSN are some of the most important on a global scale.

The sectorial fairs in which fabric manufacturers come together, designers, trend-seekers and professionals are another source of very important inspiration. Première Vision is one of the most out-standing fairs since in it are presented fabrics, materials, seams and patterns that will be a later trend on a global scale.

Fashion designers, which create currents of influence with their appeal to the emotions, are also very important. They are inspired by the looks that are seen on the street, on celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse or Kristen Stewart, in a movie, a book, a destination, and a literary character…

Finally, also the mass media have an excellent role in the creation of trends across sectorial publications that serve to the fashionable companies to predict trends, it is the case of Women World Daily, and of the traditional magazines.

In this framework, at a professional level, those who are fundamental are the companies of production of materials like laboratories of fibres, factories of yarn or skins. Here one places Acabados Abellán, which consistently seeks valuable information for the creation of raw leather material that turn out to be a success. Acabados Abellán counts with its own laboratory for analysis of trends that is inspired in the Stylesight hardware with the target that the design process is more efficient, less costly, more rapid and precise. After an initial selection of 50 fashion proposals, the creation process begins when the definitive trends that inspire Acabados Abellán collections are selected: more than 40 articles per season.

The role of these so-called companies of first level, as Acabados Abellán, is therefore fundamental since they are the start wheel of a trend that will stop years later when another trend will replace it.

Nevertheless, fashion can change for unforeseeable events as it happened immediately after the attacks of 11S: in the fair Première Vision of this year it eliminated any reference to the textiles, patterns and graphic symbols with Arab motives before the widespread rejection of the society.