There’s a certain guilt attached to fast fashion, as echoed by purists who advocate shunning the trend for good. Indeed, ethical fashion is more than a choice but a responsibility. But the reality persists and fast fashion sells.
But not all of the fast fashion brands are mindless to what they do on a regular basis, which starts with bringing trendy clothes to the racks too often. Synthetic fibres and weekend fashion made available at cheap rates may be the norm. But even these fashion dream sellers have the need to forecast what is going to be the next ‘in’ thing in mainstream fashion. Here, fashion forecasting plays its role.
The Common Challenges
What is particularly challenging for fashion forecasters is a reality with fast fashion also – the dynamics of trends. Ethical or traditional fashion faces the challenge of correctly assessing the trend for a longer time than fast fashion. The longer the period to be assessed for, the harder it is to make a perfect one.
The general challenges surface for fashion forecasters when they face scenarios like:
- high impulse purchasing,
- vigorously shifting fashion choices, and
- scattered preferences on quality.
This is exactly why strategy building becomes an extremely professional affair and makes professional fashion education from a reputed institution becomes extremely resourceful.
Elements of Fashion Forecasting
Fashion forecasting is a practice that demands the knowledge of fashion history, insight into customer choices and determination of the trend timeline. Fashion designing colleges take this as an elaborate topic and help students imbibe this skill to become good designers and forecasters. Traditional forecasting methods are effective for long-term fashion, involving garments designed to be worn for years without the trend passing out sooner.
Smooth and infrequent demands set the stage for long-term forecasting. Lumpy demand scenario and short selling seasons demand short-term forecasting. The dynamics are different and the results need different approaches to succeed. There’s much one can learn about these at fashion designing institutes.
Transition of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion thrives by user demand. The rapid satiation of the want for wearing the latest designer wear right from the ramp prompts people to buy adaptations and copies from fast fashion retailers. If fast fashion has to decline, people have to stick to more sustainable fashion wear. A professional institute for fashion designing courses will stress on this ethical side of fashion design.
In fact, top fast fashion brands are also taking up ethical fashion gradually as people who are serious about fashion and environment are finding wider ground for their ideals, inspiring more people. But as the inherent nature of fast fashion is not going to be lost, their work at short term forecasts and faux fashion will go on.