The Trendmakers: Behind the Scenes of the Global Fashion Industry (Dress, Body, Culture)

Numerous tastemakers exist in and between fashion production and consumption, from designers and stylists to trend forecasters, buyers, and journalists. How and why are each of these players bound up in the creation and dispersion of trends? In what ways are consumers’ relations to trends constructed by these individuals and organizations? This book explores the social significance of trends in the global fashion industry through interviews with these ‘fashion intermediaries’, offering new insights into their influential roles in the setting and shaping of trends. The Trendmakers contains exclusive interviews with financial analysts, creative directors from high street stores like H&M to designer brands such as Erdem, trend forecasters at WGSN, buyers from Harvey Nichols, and major fashion names like The Telegraph fashion critic Hilary Alexander. In contrast to existing research, Lantz offers an international understanding of the trend landscape, engaging with industry professionals from fashion capitals like London, Paris, and New York, as well as BRIC countries and the new, emerging fashion nations. The fashion media may have declared that ‘trends are dead’ in the light of digital dissemination, but Lantz argues that trends still not only serve as a significant organizing principle for the fashion industry as a whole but also as a source for legitimacy. Engaging with classic fashion thinkers like Veblen, Simmel, and Bourdieu, as well as contemporary scholars like Entwistle and Steele, this book considers trends from an economic and cultural perspective to add to our knowledge of the complexities of the business of fashion. Cover Contents List of Images 1 Introduction Reflections on methodology 2 Trend Forecasters—Fashion’s “Insurance Companies” Online trend forecasters: WGSN and Stylesight It all began in France Fashion, capitalism and modernity Fashion’s movements Trend-forecasting agencies as tastemakers Two kinds of trend-forecasting agencies Offerings of trend-forecasting agencies: how do they claim their competence? 3 Trend-Forecasting Agencies—Backstage Legitimacy Inspirational or directive Fashion capital Confidentiality Merely communicating or creating and influencing trends The phenomenon of self-fulfilling prophecies 4 Tastemakers—Hunt for the Incipient Taste Tastemakers Tastemakers at a British fashion magazine Tastemakers at department stores Tastemakers at newspapers Bloggers as tastemakers Tastemakers at Swedish fashion magazines Tastemakers at Grazia UK Stylists as tastemakers Online fashion retailer as tastemaker 5 Gender and Trends—On Variability Femininity as volatile and capricious The importance of being right Fashion and trends: power and freedom 6 Designs, Brands and Trends—To Leave a Mark Mass-market fashion brands Consistency and change Brands in the mid-range segment Designer fashion brands The desire to be a trendmaker Trends as organizing principle Trends as personal growth Retromania Consistency versus change Consistency versus change and gender Fashion and economy 7 Financialization and Trends—Trends as Fashion Risk Fashion and capitalism Luxury fashion and trends from the analysts’ perspective Trend services Valuation of stocks in the luxury segment Distinctive features of the luxury industry Relationship to trends The tension between consistency and change Growth in the luxury industry Mass-market fashion and trends from the stock analysts’ perspective H&M The risk of not taking risks Valuation of fashion stock from the perspective of Swedish analysts Valuation of fashion stock from the perspective of British analysts The tension between consistency and change Expansion and growth 8 The BRIC Countries and Trends India China Russia Brazil 9 Final Discussion Trends as organizing principle New ways to manage uncertainty Fashion capital strikes back The fashionization of consumer society Trend imperialism Trends have become low status The discourse of individuality The relationship between trends and fashion Trendification Appendix: Contributions Notes Bibliography Index Numerous tastemakers exist in and between fashion production and consumption, from designers and stylists to trend forecasters, buyers, and journalists. How and why are each of these players bound up in the creation and dispersion of trends? In what ways are consumers relations to trends constructed by these individuals and organizations? This book explores the social significance of trends in the global fashion industry through interviews with these fashion intermediaries, offering new insights into their influential roles in the setting and shaping of trends. The Trendmakers contains exclusive interviews with financial analysts, creative directors from high street stores like H & M to designer brands such as Erdem, trend forecasters at WGSN, buyers from Harvey Nichols, and major fashion names like The Telegraph fashion critic Hilary Alexander. In contrast to existing research, Lantz offers an international understanding of the trend landscape, engaging with industry professionals from fashion capitals like London, Paris, and New York, as well as BRIC countries and the new, emerging fashion nations. The fashion media may have declared that trends are dead in the light of digital dissemination, but Lantz argues that trends still not only serve as a significant organizing principle for the fashion industry as a whole but also as a source for legitimacy. Engaging with classic fashion thinkers like Veblen, Simmel, and Bourdieu, as well as contemporary scholars like Entwistle and Steele, this book considers trends from an economic and cultural perspective to add to our knowledge of the complexities of the business of fashion "Numerous tastemakers exist in and between fashion production and consumption, from designers and stylists to trend forecasters, buyers, and journalists. How and why are each of these players bound up in the creation and dispersion of trends? This book explores the social significance of trends in the global fashion industry through interviews with these "fashion intermediaries", offering new insights into their influential roles in the setting and shaping of trends. The Trendmakers contains exclusive interviews with financial analysts, creative directors from high street stores like H & M to designer brands such as Erdem, trend forecasters at WGSN, buyers from Harvey Nichols, and major fashion names like The Telegraph fashion critic Hilary Alexander. Lantz offers an international understanding of the trend landscape, engaging with industry professionals from fashion capitals like London, Paris, and New York, as well as BRIC countries and the new, emerging fashion nations. The fashion media may have declared that "trends are dead", but Lantz argues that trends still not only serve as a significant organizing principle for the fashion industry as a whole but also as a source for legitimacy. Engaging with classic fashion thinkers like Veblen, Simmel, and Bourdieu, as well as contemporary scholars like Entwistle and Steele, this book considers trends from an economic and cultural perspective to add to our knowledge of the complexities of the business of fashion."--Page 4 de la couverture Numerous tastemakers exist in and between fashion production and consumption, from designers and stylists to trend forecasters, buyers, and journalists. How and why are each of these players bound up in the creation and dispersion of trends? In what ways are consumers' relations to trends constructed by these individuals and organizations? This text explores the social significance of trends in the global fashion industry through interviews with these `fashion intermediaries', offering new insights into their influential roles in the setting and shaping of trends.