What is a trend ?
The return of the Nike Dunk . The advent of Barbiecore . Quiet quitting . Sustainable development . From the most trivial of phenomena to the most decisive of social movements , whether they are market concepts or seem to fly in the face of all economic logic , trends can be found throughout our society . Nonetheless , it is difficult to settle on a precise definition . There is only one constant that unites trends : each in its turn survives trial by public opinion – a merciless court that has the right of life or death over every new sociocultural impulse – with flying colours . Potentially , anything can become a trend - or not . Collective belief releases potential , but direction is required first , and that is where the style agencies come in .
The zeitgeist
Emerging in the 1960s , design agencies set themselves the task of capturing the zeitgeist – the spirit of the age – and advising companies on strategy with this in mind . Promostyl , Peclers , NellyRodi : these are the stand-out names of the past and present . With a particular brand of foresight at the heart of their process , these agencies ’ trend books – bibles of socio-cultural analysis – are used to guide companies towards a successful future . These creative catalogues , full of colours , textures , and shapes , identify the major trends of the coming seasons and their socio-economic counterparts , eighteen months in advance . Deciphering tomorrow ' s ( expected ) consumption patterns , these books are created for an audience of senior decision-makers in all sectors : fashion , beauty , hotels , mass retail , automobiles , telephony , etc . Everyone wants to know what is going on in the mind of the consumer , that fabled being who is demanding and ambivalent in equal measure .
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