Fashion Trends
There is in the fashion industry a constant flow of information about
what the customer is buying. From the manufacturer of the finished
garment, information about customer preferences, as expressed in
customer purchases, flows in several directions. One example is when
information flows back to the retail store, via the manufacturer’s
sales representative, who alerts the store to trends they may not have
noticed. Sales representatives are constantly analyzing the fashion
trends, and a good representative can help a manufacturer with such
information. Another flow is to the fabric producers, in the form of
the garment manufacturers’ reorders for the most accepted materials,
patterns and colors. From the records of an individual store, the
retailer can discern sudden or gradual changes in the preferences of
the customer and is able to spot new trends. There are, however,
professional trend services that provide manufacturers with future
trends in design, fabric, and trim that will likely be in the stores in
the forthcoming seasons. These trend services can be expensive, but
many manufacturers feel they are worth it.
