Have you ever wondered what goes into trend forecasting for the activewear and outdoor markets?
Read on as Jenna Caccavo, a senior trend forecaster at Cotton Incorporated, gives an inside look at the process with a peek of what’s coming in summer 2021 and take a look at a few of the latest FABRICAST™ collection developments.
Q: Jenna, how do you develop trend forecasts for upcoming seasons?
A: As a team, we are always trying to focus on the why rather than just the what. A main facilitator in this process is continually immersing ourselves in the market and culture domestically and internationally. We begin our development process by looking at the trends from the past season and try to hypothesize how these concepts may evolve or, in some cases, fade out. We then focus on conducting extensive lifestyle research – looking at upcoming trends bubbling up in art, entertainment, technology, medicine, design, architecture, etc. – and determine how these influences will play out and impact the psychology of the consumer. From there, we build out the prominent macro trends we discover through this process. We take these main influences which prove the why to then forecast the how, such as influence in color choice, fabric trends, and overall design.
Q: What key activewear trends are you forecasting for summer 2021?
A: We have five main macro trends. First is Childhood Dreams, the exploration of the ageless society we live in and the nostalgic influences in overall design and lifestyle. Modern Myth is a look at modern-day storytelling and the importance of owning your narrative in a time warp trend that blends the past, present, and future. On the Mend looks at the next phase of the global self-care movement where everything is softened, and focus is placed on the recovery (more than the activity) of the mind, body, and soul. Singularity imagines the “post human existence” as the merging of machine with man and the implications of such. Lastly, Faux Real is inspired by Anthropocene, synthetic biology, and the lab grown movement. With these trends in mind, we explore the new aesthetic created by such influences.
Q: What’s your favorite trend from this upcoming season?
A: My personal favorite trend is On the Mend, a great reflection on a shift taking hold of mindsets within the active market. This is one that is a bit softer and more approachable with a refocus on being human rather than superhuman. We explore the global mental health focus and the importance of self-care, not just as a hashtag or a marketing term, but in a truly profound way. It’s interesting to see the focus becoming more on recovery rather than a particular trend in fitness. These ideas and notions have such beautiful translations into color, fabric, and styling. In general, I personally always gravitate towards lifestyle movements with substance.
Q: How can cotton excel in upcoming active and outdoor trends?
A: Cotton can and will always excel due to its natural properties such as comfort, ease of care, breathability, and its ability to be enhanced via technology and chemistry. Cotton is such an adaptable fiber and that is key to fitting into a multitude of different trends. Cotton can be nostalgic, and cotton can be futuristic and our forecast surely touches on both.
Active Fabric Inspiration
Click on an image from our FABRICAST™ collection for more details.
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