Unit 1: Trend analysis fundamentals
Trend Forecast notes · PTU syllabus (BSTD 507-20)
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Unit summary
Forecasting predicts what customers will want. This unit explains trends and trend cycles, market research and how to follow designers and brands.
After this unit you can
- Explain a trend and a trend cycle
- Use market research for forecasting
- Follow designers and brands
PTU syllabus topics
- Analysing trends and trend cycles to predict future trends
- market research for trend analysis
- researching current designers and brands
Fad
Weeks to a few months
Viral novelty accessories
Trend
One to several seasons
Oversized fits
Classic
Years to decades
Denim jeans, white shirt, trench coat
Topic 1
Trends and the trend cycle
A trend is a general direction in which taste is moving; a fad is a short-lived craze; a classic lasts for years.
Designers launch trends; innovators and early adopters follow; the mass market adopts them at the peak; they then fall away
| Type | Life | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fad | Weeks or months | A novelty print |
| Trend | One to several seasons | Pastel tailoring |
| Classic | Many years | White shirt, denim |
Topic 2
Market research and sources
Sources: fashion weeks, trend agencies (WGSN, Pantone), magazines, street style, social media, retail visits, sales data and celebrity and film influence.
Key terms
- Trend
- Direction of fashion
- Fad
- Short-lived craze
- Classic
- Long-lasting style
- Trend cycle
- Rise and fall in adoption
- Early adopter
- Person who takes up a trend first
Quick revision
- Cycle: introduction → rise → peak → decline → obsolescence.
- Fad < trend < classic in life span.
- Sources: runway, trend agencies, street, social media.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Define trend.
- Q2.Differentiate fad and classic.
- Q3.Name two trend sources.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the fashion trend cycle with a diagram.
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