FASHION MARKETING & FORECASTING FINAL PROJECT

STUDENT: ANJA BULAJIC

By writing this essay I intend to propose four fashion styles which are most likely to become
trends in the year 2012 to the high-end boutique ' Biffi ', situated in Milan in Corso Genova.
The styles that, in my opinion, will emerge in the following year are: color yellow, a white lace
dress, a printed jacket as well as floral trousers. My choice of these styles is supported by
prominent fashion magazine Vogue Italia, Vogue UK, and also by the blogs such as The
Sartorialist and The Simply Luxurious Life. The styles mentioned are mostly presented as
parts of new collections for s/s 2012 of the best-known fashion labels in the world, seen in
brand new advertising campaigns or ads, but also spotted on the streets in its innovation
phase. In order to further justify my choice I would mention Trickle Across Theory which
corresponds with the target market we are focusing on. It is either old rich, new rich, or a
woman from aspirational segment, belonging to the generation X or generation Y. In addition
to that, the target consumer comes from all socioeconomic groups, willing to select the style
according to her taste and pay a considerable amount of money to obtain it. As the boutique
sells exclusive, branded items, shoes, clothes and accessories, there is a great demand for
quality and the customer's expectations that styles will have to meet. The advantages that
each of the style has are in its simplicity, uniqueness. They are easily adaptable to the
everyday life of the modern woman , are light, cheerful with an emphasis on quality of design,
fabric, cut that the boutique's customers are most interested in.

The first objective I am about to formulate is- ' How will the price of a white lace dress
produced by hand influence the selling of a product ? As it is described in the first part of the
essay, the target customer of the boutique has expectations of a certain level once she enters
it, and knows exactly the price range and a quality of a product that is offered. In theory, she
would agree to buy a white lace dress, not only because of that, but also because of the
name of the brand, or perhaps because she was influenced by the new issue of her favorite

fashion magazine, because she has seen an actress on the red carpet wearing exactly the
same one, or because she has spotted it on the street, etc. The reasons are endless, but as
existing only in theory, they cannot be taken into consideration as valid. That is the principal
reason behind making an actual survey outside the boutique, asking loyal or potential
customers a question regarding the emerging style of a white lace dress in order to come
closer to the objective and to be as realistic as possible regarding expectations. Bearing it in
mind, I decided to ask a question- Would you buy an expensive white lace dress made by
hand because it is likely to become a trend? Out of 30 women involved in the survey, 23 of
them stressed the relative advantage of the product stating that they would buy it, but even
more because it is easily incorporated into the everyday life, could be matched with other
items, making it suitable for both day and night which perhaps could not be said for some
other items from the same product category. Also, some of them mentioned compatibility as a
reason for buying the dress because they see and recognize the value of the fabric produced
by hand, like the idea of femininity that the items transmits and that it could become a classic.
A piece they would wear season after season. As for the rest 7 women involved in the survey,
there are a few reasons that could come in the way to adoption. Firstly, a few of them were
convinced they wouldnt buy the dress even though they believe in the quality. They wouldnt
buy it because a trendy item doesnt mean anything to them personally. Others didnt have
such a level of conviction, but have put the emphasis on trialability. They wanted to try the
item first, feel it, see it, and then make a decision. In addition to that, some mentioned
economic risk, that investing in an item such as the white lace dress, wouldnt leave much
space for other purchases or completing an outfit.

The second objective I will determine is- How can color yellow be best incorporated into the
consumers wardrobe? Through which items? It is extremely important for the boutique to
have knowledge and reliable information about which items have the highest probability to sell
well. Around this objective, I proposed the question for the survey- If you were about to buy
something yellow, which item would it be? The survey included 30 women once again and
has led to surprisingly favorable results. 27 of them were thrilled about the mere mention of
the color, as it is sunny, cheerful and intensive in its nature. For the great majority, it could be
a new trendy color, but due to having problems in matching it with existing clothes, they would

choose an accessory in the color mentioned rather than the whole outfit. For some of them,
on the other hand, belonging to the younger generation, a yellow dress, skirt, trousers or a
shirt would be a great choice to make a statement and lighten up the whole outfit. The same
applies to the dress. Contrary to this, only 3 persons wouldnt buy a yellow item, for the
reasons Ill mention. For 2 of them there is an enjoyment risk, that they wouldnt like the item
after the purchase as much as they expected. Only one, simply stated that the color doesnt
appeal to her personally.

My third objective will be concentrated on floral trousers, as yet another style likely to become
a trend in the following year. Bold, floral prints that could be named as modern sixties, are
highly likely to be in fashion again, and are proposed by numerous designers as an inspiration
for their 2012 collections. Additionally, the objective would be- How could a pair of floral
trousers become an it item? In order to contribute to the profit margin of the boutique it is not
enough to have a pair of floral trousers only in a choice of a few pieces. Our goal is to see a
pair of floral trousers becoming a real trend, a desire, and a shopping decision of many
women. Moreover, my question while conducting the survey was Do you see a pair of floral
trousers as becoming a new big trend? 15 of them replied yes, knowing for sure that they
would buy them. The other 10 also replied yes, but with a slight difference that they would
consider buying it depending on the style, fit, designer, quality. Finally, only 5 woman stated
that it is highly unlikely to see such trousers becoming a trend as there is a social risk
according to their opinion. A risk that their social group wouldnt approve it which especially
applies to women belong to the baby boomers generation, which still has the biggest
purchasing power, but their tastes and expectations are more conventional. Furthermore, they
are likely to buy classics, and dont present a threat as baby boomers are not belonging to the
target group of the Biffi boutique.

In this part, I am proposing four styles that are most likely to become trends in the year 2012.
The first one, is the white lace dress, which, according to the survey has a great potential to
become a trend, especially because of its uniqueness, lightness, simplicity and the fact that is
practical. Matched with some other items as a blazer or ballerinas could be a part of the

casual daywear but at the same time with high heels, accessories could easily be turned to a
party or an evening outfit. In addition to the that, many women answered that they believe in
the quality of such an item, and would wear it not only because of the trend but see its future
as becoming a classic. For those less convinced, or more rational customers, visibility of the
item could be a solution, a chance to test it and try it on. In this case, a large scale survey
would resolve many uncertainties, and give us the idea about which directions to follow in the
next stage. Along with the white lace dress, a style which, in my opinion, has a lot of potential
is color yellow. As for that, I would strongly recommend investing most in
accessories(especially bags), and less in actual clothing items. With bags, as well as other
accessories there is less difficulty in finding perfect fit, size, as it is suitable for any woman
and will give a sort of freshness and definition to the existing outfit. As far as printed jackets
and floral trousers are concerned, I would place them into the same category, because they
are more or less the same. They both belong to the sort of a style which is defined,
noticeable, a sort of style which gives a statement. Exactly because of that there is a greater
risk while proposing them, as they could become either a great success or an utter failure. In
any case, I would stick to proposing those styles as I believe, that while making a large scale
survey, we could discover the potential. These styles are light, wearable, casual but at the
same time unusual, unique, bold, and that is exactly what makes them interesting . Also, I
would mention generally positive results of the survey which go in favor of these styles along
with their increasing presence on the fashion shows, marketing campaigns, ads

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Evelyn L. Branon: Fashion Forecasting, third edition, 2010