Before we call it quits on 2015 and throw ourselves wholeheartedly at whatever is about to happen to retail in 2016, let’s take a moment to recap the stuff that mattered most to the industry this year.
How do we know? Because our researching and reporting stretched far and wide. From strategy analysis, trend tracking, runway data crunching to newsworthy industry goings-on, we wrote about all of it. Below are the ten articles that you read, shared and talked about most. And thanks, by the way, for all of it.
We’ll be back in January to give you a data-aided perspective on all the good things you get up to on your end. Until then, here are our Greatest Hits of the Year, Vol. 2015.
1. Job Misconceptions Struck a Chord
We had some fun compiling this list of 9 assumptions people make about jobs in fashion, because we’ve all lived through them! Heck, my parents still refer to my fashion degree as my ‘coloring-in certificate’. We didn’t anticipate quite how many of you would enjoy and share this article though – it was the most read of the year!
Read it here: 9 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Your Job
2. Being a Buyer is Tough
Our second most-read article confirmed that there’s a real community around EDITED. Not just the buyers and merchandisers who use EDITED software, but those who read our blog, attend our events or interact with us on social media. It’s good to have you guys around. Especially when blowing off some steam about how tricky the buying role can be.
Read it here: 22 Moments Any Buyer Knows Well
3. The Trends of 2015
At the start of every year we use our data insights and industry observations to make comments on the year ahead (that means we’re days away from announcing 2016’s trends – sign up for the Insider Briefing here and we’ll email you as soon as it’s live! #plug). In January 2015 we said wide-legged pants, denim and the 1970s would be major trends and sportswear would go from novelty to normal. We think we got it pretty spot on, what do you reckon?
Read it here: The 10 Biggest Retail Trends in 2015
4. Zara and H&M Rule
Here’s some insight we picked up this year from someplace other than our data: people’s interest in the world’s two largest apparel retailers is pretty much endless. Thankfully, so is our global real-time data. And as long as you guys want to know more, we’ll keep on digging into strategy at H&M and Zara. In fact, we wrote about their festive strategies a couple of weeks ago, which you might want to look over too.
Read it here: 5 Things Making Zara and H&M Successful
5. Trouble At the Top – A J.Crew Double Whammy
We wrote about J.Crew’s struggle twice this year and both times it sparked wide interest. But that’s not to say we don’t have mixed feelings about it. First we had a look at what other retailers could learn from the mishaps at the troubled retailer. Then J.Crew did the whole Tilly sweater thing and we couldn’t resist taking a look at the data behind the press-labeled ‘scandal’. Here’s hoping things pick up in 2016.
Read it here: 5 Lessons Learned From J.Crew’s Mistakes
And here: The J.Crew Tilly, A Sweater With the Ability To Scandalize
6. Boys Are Back In Town
Menswear shone in 2015; in retail, on the runway, in the press and on the red carpet. This article from February outlined the key runway trends for Fall 2015. Did you buy into them?
Read it here: Fall 2015 Menswear Trends
7. Abercrombie’s Fitchin’ New Look
Here we dug into data to understand why Abercrombie had been missing the target. With positioning askew and a misguided following of fast fashion trends, we looked at what could A&F do to win back shoppers. Not sure if they saw it, but we’re glad the company is back on track regardless.
Read it here: How To Get Abercrombie & Fitch Back On Track
Fun fact: the above pun was voted our “most painful of 2015” just moments ago.
8. Buzzword: Athleisure
If you work in apparel and didn’t name-check athleisure in 2015 you probably took a really lovely 12-month sabbatical. In which case, you should read this and get your sabbatical-ized self back into the office, pronto.
Read it here: Athleisure, A Mass Movement Not A Trend
9. The Plight of Brands
There are challenges associated with bringing products to market across every segment of apparel. Here we looked at the major difficulties facing brands, including how to strike that commercial/creative balance.
Read it here: 3 Challenges Brands Face Bringing A Product To Market
10. Color Forecasting, R.I.P.
We wished color forecasting a happy 100th birthday and then we sent it to its grave. Here’s the one where we explained why industry-wide predications around color serve no purpose.
Read it here: Why Color Forecasting Is No Longer Relevant
Here on the blog we’ve had an absolute blast researching and writing for you over the last 12 months – thanks for spending it with us. Here’s to a prosperous and exciting year in retail for 2016.
Katie Smith
