FASHION TRENDS

This week on my course we had a lecture where we learnt about the different types of trends, this is a topic I hadn't been taught or looked into before so I found it very interesting and wanted to undertake more research into them.

The word trend can be used in two ways; as a verb, for something to trend means bend in a certain direction and as a noun, the way something bends.

Trends are present everywhere in our lives whether it be in maths or science when looking at graphs or the clothing we see on the runway, there can be trends in almost anything. They can be emotional, intellectual and even spiritual. Simply a trend can be defined as the direction in which something moves, which has an impact on culture, society or business sector.

The difference between trends and styles is that a style is a distinctive manner, aesthetic, method or way of expressing something new, whilst a trend is the direction something moves.

Trends can last over many different timeframes, they could be seasonal, annual, last a decade or even epitomise an era. However recently trend changes are becoming a lot faster, therefore garments, ideas, styles and designs are coming in and out much quicker and we need to be able to anticipate the changes to keep on top of the trends.

Megatrends are trends which effect the whole world, these are trends like an ageing population, globalisation, increasing technological change and just the overall speed of everyday life. A megatrend is a large social, cultural, economic, political or technological change which is slow to form but will have a huge impact on the market for a long time as its usually very slow to change as its so big.

For example a global fashion mega trend is denim. Denim is a fabric that is used in clothing all over the world and all different ways such as jeans, jackets and shirts. Denim fabric originated from France which is considered to be one of the fashion capitals of the world. Up until the Second World War, denim jeans weren't highly popular, jeans were seen as a work clothing option that was rugged and comfortable to wear. When residents of eastern states started to travel to the American West for vacations that the concept of jeans caught on.

Elvis Presley, James Dean and Marlon Brando all wore jeans during the early days of their popularity and being worn by a celebrity kick starts the jeans reputation. It wasn't common for women to wear jeans until the 1960s, the ’50s were a period of rebellious attitudes, and jeans were the focal point of that. However, it was soldiers in WW2 who spread the jean look outside of America as whilst stationed across Europe and in Japan, the men of the U.S. armed forces would wear jeans while off-duty and they quickly complied to the trend. Still to this day a pair a denim jeans are an outfit staple, most people will have several pairs in different styles, colours and fits to suit them everyday. It's also present in denim jackets, skirts and many more pieces of clothing which almost everyone, any age, gender or style will own worldwide.

Macrotrends are smaller than megatrends but are the most powerful trends, they are directional shifts that involve large populations and last five to 10 years or more . They influence a wide range of sectors, markets and demographics, as they represent a broad, simple theme. Macrotrends are usually something shops, businesses and designers like to pick up on, the sort of things we as consumers will see. Macrotrends are hugely impacted by what else is happening in the world and they act as a reaction. As the world has become more technologically advanced we crave the need for nostalgia, authenticity, simplicity and the outdoors, things we don't get to experience on the day to day anymore. They have an effect on all aspects of society such as food, travel and education.

Microtrends are specific shifts in consumer behaviour that are changing the business environment in the short-term. They are small under the changes which can involve as little

Nina Ricci's show at Paris Fashion Week

as 1% of the population, but they are still powerfully shaping our society. The hundreds of tiny shifts in attitude and behaviour combine to create a greater, larger consumer change. These can change at almost any time of year. A recent microtrend in 2019 has been bucket hats. They have been making a few appearances over the last few years but thanks to Prada, bucket hats started to make a very noticeable comeback on the streets of Milan Fashion Week. While it may still take a while for the mass market to catch

on, winter has seen many swapping beanies for buckets of all colours, prints and price points. The trend had already taken over streetwear, becoming a staple for teens at festivals and raves, they are available at most fast fashion stores such as Primark, PLT and Topshop, varying in styles, I even found a fluffy one in Primark ready for winter, really changing to summer concept it originated from. A multipurpose accessory from Nina Ricci's show at Paris Fashion Week went viral, and shows how far the return of the bucket hat has really gone.

Fads are trends which get popular very quickly and fade out just as quickly. Fads can be any type of trend including; clothing, foods, exercises, hairstyles, languages and lifestyles. They often feel gimmicky or

superficial, over complicated and often driven by social media and influencers. We join the trend with by irrational thinking and impulsive decisions. Examples of fads would be in 2012 when it was all the rave to have a Pauls Boutique bag or jacket. I remember at school all the girls would come in with their bags and jackets and I would be so jealous and I would beg my mum for one, but then after about a month or two they died out and no one really wore them anymore, and I'm so glad I didn't have one as now when I look back they were really ugly. Although fads are

the smallest trends they can sometimes move up the trend scale and become a megatrend, for example at one time social media was a fad in the late 1990s, no one really used it and it looked as though it was going to die out but now in 2019 most young peoples lives revolve around social media, thousands of people jobs are social media, acting as influencers and majority businesses use social in one way or another. In 2019 there was a big fad for tiny bags, they were worn all through fashion week and red carpets, as high end designers as well at fast fashion brand released their own takes on the time bag. But I think people have now realised how impractical they are as they don't even fit most phones and the trend has died out.

And the final type of trend is a Classic. Certain garments are just classics which will carry on being worn and used forever. Many classic clothing pieces have developed from mens clothing, they were often military and utilitarian, which therefore means these garments are very useful, practical and free from fads and trends in the first place. When the pieces were designed they were not done so to take account of the prevailing trends so were very unique and basic. For example, trench coats, denim jackets and a mens white shirt has been worn and reinterpreted by women throughout the 20th century. All of these pieces are very basic and universal, one of the reasons they will have become classics is because they are so adaptable. They can be worn by anyone with anything at any time of year,

making them something which nearly everyone has in their wardrobe. From one of the most iconic pieces of military uniform, to one of the most iconic pieces in fashion, the trench coat is a classic. It was originally developed even earlier than the First World War, the trench coat was used as an item of clothing worn Army officers. It was adapted to be worn quite literally in the trenches. After the war, Officers grew

attached to their coats, and continued to wear them at home. Burberry and Aquascutum were leading menswear and sportswear designers at the time, this only added to the trench coat’s popularity in civilian life. They continued to be seen as a coat of distinction and recognition. The golden age of Hollywood contributed to the trench popularity as it was seen in various films, being worn by stars of the silver screen. Detectives, gangsters, femme fatales and leading men could be seen wearing the iconic garment. It continues to be a fashion staple and an iconic garment that can be seen almost every year on catwalks all over the world. Burberry continues to be leaders in trench coat production.