Simply put, what's the most effective strategy for trends tracking? Look for patterns. I like to stay as in the know as I can manage, but that doesn't mean it needs to feel like work. I follow my favorite brands and creatives on social media, I read design and fashion blogs. And I'm a sucker for window shopping and appreciating storefront displays. On a side note, Simon Doonan is a legend.

He's the creative ambassador for Barneys and is a creative genius when it comes to storefront displays. In fact, he's pretty much the OG of window dressing. Simon is also a frequent contributor to the moth, a storytelling podcast and I highly recommend you check him out. His stories are self deprecating, enlightening, relatable to all creatives out there and absolutely hilarious. Okay, tangent over back to trend tracking. The point I'm trying to make here is to be observant and absorb as much as possible Then pinpoint the patterns.

For example, I'm searching through new additions on anthropology. And here's what I'm noticing. So as I'm scrolling through the anthropology, new arrivals for bedding, pillows and throws, I'm noticing a few similarities. One is this ochre, yellow and teal palette seems to be popping up a lot in their fabrics. I've also seen a lot of plaid, especially in throw pillows and some of these throw blankets as well. Another pattern I'm catching is there seems to be a lot of neutrals with one big pop of color as kind of that power Whew, that holds it all together.

There's been a few instances of animal prints and little animal motifs as well especially with big jungle cats like leopards. And lastly, I'm noticing a lot of really delicate and refined florals especially when they're printed very small and on bedsheets or pillows. So by catching these patterns, it's really key me into the indicators for what's on trend right now and what anthropology has really been highlighting in their collection topics rounds aren't just going to give away their valuable trends projections, but they will show you what they're thinking through other means. Take a look at Target styles Instagram accounts. sure they're showcasing products that are sold at targets. But out of hundreds of thousands of products sold in Target stores.

These are the Select products, they're making a decision to highlight. When you start to take it all in, you'll begin to notice some patterns. Trends may be constructs versus it, but they do have life cycles. First, they're born aka introduced by innovators and influencers. At this first level they're purchased in small quantities at really high price points. This makes sense because a good chunk of trends will initially be introduced on the runway by the fashion powerhouses.

Do your product Versace Gucci Chanel Sunday you get the gist. price points are higher at this level because the trendsetters are producing premium products. I want to throw an example out here so Let's take a look at leopard prints. Christian Dior is the first designer that's credited with introducing leopard prints to the masses. And this was way back in 1947. Since then, the popularity of animal prints has risen and fallen countless times in the past 70 years.

Season after season fashion gurus predict the return of the leopard. So naturally, other brands will begin to adapt to this trend in order to remain relevance and appeal to the customer demands. This is when the trend lifecycle reaches its second stage, it begins to be mass produced on items with a more moderate selling points, which means it's more accessible to the everyday consumer. This is followed shortly by the plateau of the trends. It's no longer innovative or refreshing. Rather, it's starting to feel mundane and a little bit oversaturated and this is when the decline begins.

There's a boredom with the trend and the popularity has begun to wane, enter crash and burn territory if the trend is low. Key it will become a classic or an icon. icons are great because they generally face a resurgence in the years to come, so you can always leverage it later. Anyway, rinse and repeat across nearly every high visibility fad out there. Beanie Babies, auto tune songs, Crocs, energy drinks, grills, live strong wristbands, low rise jeans, Razor scooters, trucker hats, and I'm just naming some of the top fads of the early 2000s. So really nice back into trends tracking.

Let's talk micro trends versus macro trends. macro trends, define and disrupt an industry, they tend to trickle down last longer, and inform what's coming in the next two to five years. Some examples of notable macro trends are cloud computing, social media and urbanization. These are all examples of movements that aren't going away anytime soon. The other hand we have micro trends, micro trends are more inclined to bubble up. Think avocado toast and matcha lattes, because they usually start from a release specific cultural context.

They explode and then tend to disappear shortly thereafter. Think fidget spinners. They're specific and generally short term, and they generally don't Outlast macro trends, you can capitalize on both, and I definitely do. But it's important to understand the differences between the two. Micro trends have a short shelf life and a very noisy landscape. macro trends are altering the trajectory of our future.

So to wrap this lesson up, the single biggest factor that will help you predict upcoming trends, be observant and take note of patterns. If you're suddenly noticing a lot of kammo prints across a variety of industries, it's safe to say that camera will absolutely be relevant in the months or years to come. Now, let's dive into some specifics, starting with something basic yet insanely impactful color