The past month has been a blur of runway imagery as the fashion pack have hopped from New York to London, Milan and Paris. It’s a thrilling ride for both show attendees and consumers, but what from the month will have an impact on retail sales in six months time? We cut through the hype to help apparel buyers and merchandisers understand what will be shifting units by analysing the top trends from the season.
1. Top Designer
Gucci warded off tough competition from New York’s main man, Marc Jacobs, and Paris’s arty Chanel to become the month’s most talked-about designer across social media platforms. How did they do it? An intoxicating blend of Eastern promise and sports luxe, which attracted 30% more online mentions than any other brand.
2. SS14 Palette
The colour wheel to the right summarises every shade used by every designer during fashion month. We can see that designers wholeheartedly agreed on red – and it came through as the month’s most talked-about shade. Blue, in electric and pale tones, orange and pink were other attention-grabbing shades from the month.
3. Gym Class
Sports luxe is going nowhere; it is the month’s most popular trend, scoring 76% more online mentions that other trends. Sweaters, bomber jackets and elasticated detailing are all pivotal components of this commercial superstar.
4. Finer Things
Metallic finishes, lustrous surfaces and high-impact embellishment were visited by designers at each of the four capitals. Wilfully disregarding the season, ornamentation is high on the agenda for Summer 2014.
5. Top Print
Despite florals making an elegant return to the runways for SS14, checks were the print that won most attention this month. Notable takes come from Erdem’s sheer layers, Vanessa Bruno’s 90s homage and Suno’s crisp interpretation.
6. All Weather Leather
SS14 proved to be a more trans-seasonal edit than ever before, with many savvy designers including sombre tones, winter florals and furs in their collections. Knowing that for many summer does not mean hot hot heat, designers continued Winter 2013’s love of leather into the new season- optimising on current chatter to ensure commercial success come March.
7. Functional Feet
The ornamentation of metallics, wispy laces and over-stated embellishment found its tonic in the season’s new footwear shape: the functional flat. Call it Jesus sandal, pool slider or go branded with Birkenstocks – no matter – so long as there are no blisters, your feet will be on-trend this summer.
8. Safari Trail
Ousting retro and vintage styles (finally!) to become the 2nd most talked about theme of the month, we detected safari references in all four cities. Make it khaki, keep fabrics natural, play with digital printing and keep forms crisp – you’ll be onto a winner.
9. Box Cutter
Silhouettes got loose for Summer 2014, with designers being generous in the cuts of billowing outerwear and loose-legged trousers. Of course, the cropped top was a recurring garment; the pick of the new season’s ab-baring attire were square in form, and stiff in fabrication.
10. Street Style
Increasingly, what happens off the catwalk is steering fashion’s consumers (and designers) as much as on-catwalk. The street style around the shows is monitored by thousands of trend-savvy spectators and can feed into retail direction faster than designer collections. Noticeable this season were the proliferation of outfits compiled from statement pieces. Gone is single-item-focused dressing, instead these thought leaders are layering on the references – a jewelled crop, a wide legged trouser, the latest print sneakers, techy raincoat and attention grabbing accessory. How will this impact retail? Be brave, play with separates and expect your consumer to pair things in ways you’ve never anticipated.
EDITD subscribers, our analysts are uploading extensive trend coverage to the site right now. Want to know more about real-time data and how it impacts your apparel business? Get in touch now.
Katie Smith
