As the year’s end draws closer, let’s take a moment to roundup the stuff that mattered most to the industry this year.
From strategy analysis, runway data crunching, trend tracking to industry goings-on. Read on for the top five articles that you read, shared and talked about. We couldn’t have done it without you.
We’ll see you back here in January to tackle retail’s next challenges. For now,
here’s the greatest hits.
Securing your place in the activewear game
In the new year we looked at the activewear market growth and price changes over the last two years, alongside up and coming trends and fresh opportunities.
Top takeaways:
- Forget athleisure! Apparel that is actually made for movement is where retailers should focus on.
- While traditional sports retailers climbed 33% in Q4 over two years, non-traditional retailers rocketed 99%.
- Matched sets of leggings and crop top or sports bra sold well, in singular, mostly neutral tones.
Read it here: What will happen to activewear in 2018?
Sizing up the underwear industry
It’s not just activewear that has shifted thanks to consumers’ more active lifestyles. The types of underwear people want to wear has changed too.
Top takeaways:
- Consumers demand more skin tones in underwear: the best selling nude tones were up by 101% in the first quarter.
- The bust-emphasising push-up had fallen down the hit list, replaced by sports bras and the softer lines of the triangle bra/bralette.
- The number of padded styles in stock in March had grown by 17% since two years ago. Meanwhile, nursing bras were up 36% and bralettes were up 123%.
Read it here: The lingerie market today, explained in 7 charts
Here’s what floats in the swimwear industry.
In March our data uncovered a shift in the seasonality of swim, an uptick in luxury and the hottest swim trends of Summer 2018.
Top takeaways:
- Luxury swimwear accounted for just 9% of the women’s swim market, with Solid & Striped, Eres and Melissa Obadash the most-stocked brands.
- The bikini still represents the bulk of the global market, accounting for 68% compared to 28% for swimsuits.
- New in women’s performance swimwear were down by 22% in Q1 2018 compared to Q1 2016.
Read it here: Life’s a beach for the swimwear market
Going green, and not just because it’s a trend.
Here, we looked at the growth of sustainable apparel and highlighted areas that you can get involved in.
Top takeaways:
- Self-described ‘sustainable’ products have grown by 139%, vegan products grew 116%, bamboo is up 36% and recycled up 35%.
- There was growth in the use of ‘non-toxic’ dyes – up 302% in two years.
- Swimwear and nightwear are still hugely underrepresented in sustainable apparel, so what are you waiting for? Go own it.
Read it here: When will the fashion industry take sustainability seriously?
The state of play in denim today
We got onboard with the denim comeback and did a complete review of the market.
Top takeaways:
- Denim struggled through 2015 and 2016 with it being peak athleisure.
- Skinny jeans are still popular, representing 58% of women’s jeans in fact.
- The outerwear category in denim has grown 101% in the last two years.
Read it here: The EDITED Denim Report: market & product trends
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as we had
