Whether we are talking about fashion as the general phenomenon of fleeting and intense interest in something or whether we mean literal clothes, there is one thing which applies in either case – it changes all the time.
This is something that anyone who has ever been remotely successful in fashion understands very well, from Karl Lagerfeld down to the individual selling home-made handbags on their Etsy store. For online fashion businesses of all sizes, this makes careful inventory selection absolutely necessary for success.
More specifically, this means inventory selection with reference to prevailing trends right now. These trends do not necessarily mean specific fashion items, brands, colors, or materials. All of that is important too, but trends can also involve other things that make clothes popular.
For example, Plurawl, a company which sells designs for hoodies in Spanish, frequently have their T-shirt and hoodie slogans make reference to social issues within the Hispanic community. This is a good example of inventory following fashion, but in a way that isn’t actually related to how the fashion looks.Fashion trends are diverse, and there can be many of them at once.
Another thing to keep in mind is that fashion trends can either be generalor they can be specific to a particular demographic or interest group. If that demographic or interest group is precisely your target customer base, then it is wise to research the fashion trends within this group. Fashion which displays socially-conscious messages relevant to the Hispanic community, to return to that example, is only a trend within that community.
All of this only underscores the great importance of having a defined customer base, even if it hasn’t materialized yet. You should also pay attention to broader fashion trends, but look for the ones unique to your customer base too.
Fashion Trends to Capitalize On
Of course, we cannot really give you the more specific fashion trends that only apply to specific demographicsin this general guide. Very often, however, the general fashion trends have different iteration within specific groups. To return once more to Plurawl, socially conscious clothing is a wider fashion trend; socially conscious clothing focusing on Latino issues is the trend within Plurawl’s specific niche.
So, while stressing that this is especially important to keep in mind, here follows some of the general fashion trends you can capitalize on right now:
Sustainability and Ethical Conduct
Across the board, there is a generally increased interest in sustainable clothing and ethical production methods. This is partly because of years of bad press about the fashion industry’s often exploitative practices overseas, and partly because sustainability and eco-friendliness have never been a bigger issue. If you can assure ethical and sustainable production, you should make the most of this badge of honor.
Mainstream Luxury
Mainstream luxury based on the idea that luxury high fashion items can be made affordable. We might think here about cheap designer-like sunglasses that offer everything an expensive pair does, out of season big-brand items sold at a discount as well as fashion items of high quality but lacking a famous brand name. Mainstream luxury has a potentially limitless customer base.
Fashionable Sports wear
This type of thing started in the 1980s, when various subcultures started wearing tracksuits and sports gear in non-sporting contexts. Browse any fashion Instagram pageand you’ll see that this style is very much back in and, to be original, all you need to do is find an item associated with sports and repurpose/remarket it for the fashion market.
In the end, if there is one golden rule when selling fashion, then it is this – you must keep up.
