The idea is we don’t just look at the fashion industry, we look at politics, economics, culture, high culture, pop culture.

Michael Leow, director and CEO of Creative Trends Services, explains the latest fashion forecast for the year 2020.

When we talk about trends, we usually base them on looks on runway exhibitions during international fashion weeks, from Paris to Milan, New York and Hong Kong, or designers’ and artisans’ showcases online.

Fashionistas look to these catwalks as inspiration for what they should get their hands on, how they should look in their next soiree or what their wardrobe should contain the following year.

What most people don’t know is that behind the news about emerging trends are people who dedicate their time and effort into researching up-and-coming fads in the industry. If there are weather forecasters, there are also trend forecasters on the watch for the latest trends almost 24/7.

One of those companies is Fashion Snoops, an online trend forecasting service. It is a subscription-based website that is updated daily with the latest fashion news and forecast information. It empowers diverse groups around the world with inspiring content, spot-on research, on-trend forecasts and strategic overviews.

Michael Leow, head of sales and marketing for Fashion Snoops — Asia-Pacific shared with the audience of Style Fest 2019 Day 3 what their trend forecasting company does on a daily basis, as well as the outcome of their work.

Surprisingly, Michael’s talk was not just about styles and colors of the coming years but also their psychological aspects.

“The idea is we don’t just look at the fashion industry — we look at politics, economics, culture, high culture, pop culture, Hollywood movies, music videos and TV shows. Increasingly, we look at social media and bloggers. Basically, we’re casting a very wide net to be able to really connect all the dots to lead our clients from the journey from culture all the way to product,” Michael stated.

“For 20 years that Fashion Snoops has been in existence, we’ve really told stories and that’s what trend forecasters do — we create these stories every season which designers would then follow to create the themes around their collection. We’ve really taken a bold step this season for Spring/Summer ‘21, moved away from stories, and moved more into emotion because we feel like it allows more flexibility to brands to really create your own stories that we can then tailor to your specific customer base,” he added.

To avoid information overload, here are the keynotes in his speech as dissected by Daily Tribune:

Visionary Trends. These are not necessarily about men’s and women’s wear but stories that would be relevant for a specific season for the lifestyle industries in general. Every aspect of living is included when researching trends — politics, economics, culture, high culture, pop culture, Hollywood movies, music videos, TV shows and social media and bloggers.

Megatrends. A factor that would impact lifestyle in general. At the start of every year, Fashion Snoops puts the top 10 megatrends on its site which would impact lifestyle for the next two years.

Vulnerability. The first story for Spring/Summer 2021. True vulnerability emerges as we question what’s missing and crave to connect back to the true self —‘to become authentic. An exploration of what it means to be yourself and how you can use it as a resource for boundless creativity.

Distrust, Human Level and One-to-One. Megatrends under Vulnerability.

Solitude, Flow State, Reveal and High and Embrace Hue. Four moods under Vulnerability.

Reverence. The second story of the season. A story all about the divinity of nature mainly sustainability and climate change.

Greener Ages and Human Level. Megatrends under Reverence. It talks about the necessity to shift towards a better, more thoughtful and ethical future and exploring what it is to be human in a digital age, respectively.

Recovery, Creation, Transcendence and Symbiosis. Four moods for Reverence.

Artisan and Craft Culture. The next trend. People are seeking a slower pace of life. People are looking for more products that are handmade and of high quality. Unfortunately, there is already a lack of artisans in this day and age.

For more information, visit www.fashionsnoops.com to get your latest news on upcoming trends.