 | Swarovski has released its version of a Fall/Winter Color Trends Forecast. I like the fact that they have supplied suggestions for contrast colors. This handy guide will help you design jewelry for your own winter wear, and winter craft sales, that will have a better chance of (a) matching customer’s new outfits, and (b) fitting in to their perceptions of what is currently fashionable. |
There are quite number of companies that offer color trend forecasts to the fashion and home design industries. One of the best-known is Pantone. These firms churn out reports several times a year, often charging big bucks for them. They employ fashion designers, magazine editors, photographers and artists. These experts watch fashion trends in Europe and the Americas carefully. Some companies even create trend reports specific to locales such as individual cities or countries. All are dedicated to creating condensed reports on what’s happening in diverse arenas, from haute couture runway shows to the homemade innovation of street kids’ fashions.
I have a friend who is a veteran of the garment industry, and I asked him about these reports, and whether he thought they weren’t creating self-fulfilling prophecies. After all, if everyone reads them, and follows them, then the trend predictions will come true, right?
My friend shrugged. “Who knows? I think they are an aid for the mass market fashion industry to show a cohesive vision. When you go to the mall, you will see similar color stories in a lot of different stores. This means you can buy separates from different designers and still coordinate them.
“But not everyone follows these reports. The great fashion houses and up and coming avante garde designers go their own way. They inspire future trends. When those trends finally filter down to popular fashion, the really original designers have moved on.”
So should you take this Swarovski color report seriously? I would look at it more as a possible guide. If the colors don’t excite you, go your own way. That’s what the best innovators do.
