Fashion Crossroads in Casper, Wyoming offers info on the latest fashion and fashion industry topics.
In my Wednesday Wardrobing Vlog series this month, I have been doing a deep dive into the way the retail clothing industry is changing due to current market trends. We’ve looked at the causes of store closures and the importance of shopping local. Today, having just returned from the clothing markets in Las Vegas, I wanted to talk about industry trends and how they will impact you, the shopper.
As a buyer for my store, here are the trends I noticed from multiple brands that I carry:
- Larger brand lines with more options
- Brands direct selling to the consumer
- Collaborations and partnerships between brands
- Greater focus on building a line around several key colors
- Focus on reworking best selling styles and scaling back on fringe items
Below, I’ll describe each of these trends and the impact you will likely see as a result.
Larger Brand Lines With More Options
While in years past, brands tended to keep their seasonal collections small and tight, over the past several years, I have noticed the number of style options growing. It used to be that I could see an entire line in an hour. Now, more often than not, it is taking me two hours and sometimes more to see an entire seasonal line. It is not uncommon for a brand to have over 600 items to choose from. The way I see this impacting the customer is that with so many items to choose from, you could have two stores in the same town carrying the same line and both could have entirely different inventories.
Brands Direct Selling To The Consumer
More and more brands are selling direct to the consumer via online platforms. A local store still offers the huge benefit of being able to touch the fabric, see the actual color and not a digital representation, and to try the item on, as all styles vary in fit. Most brands give stores a MSRP or manufactures suggested retail price, and typically brick and mortar stores price at this or just a big higher. This slightly higher price reflects the fact that in a brick and mortar store, you don’t have to wait to see the item and have access to store benefits like loyalty programs and layaway. This direct selling trend does enable the consumer to have more options to go directly to the brand for an item that is either sold out or not available in their size.
Collaborations And Partnerships Between Brands:
Tribal Sportswear, one of the brands I have carried for years and is a customer favorite, has added small collections within their line that are the result of collaborations with other brands. They have a swimming suit line, for example, that is the result of a partnership between them and a famous swim wear maker. These collaborations allow new designers to have an impact on the line and bring a fresh perspective. It is almost like a shop in shop idea where the collection offers something outside of the ordinary. The benefit of this to consumers is that if you know a brand fits you well and speaks to your personal style, these collaborations will offer you a new option within the brand.
Greater Focus On Building A Line Around Several Key Colors:
More than in past years, I noticed this season that more of my lines were building their collections around fewer, key colors. This allows mix and matching across the line which enables the consumer to build outfits with more than one matching item to greater extend their wardrobe options. It also means that stores will likely have tighter collections with fewer color options. I can really see this trend at work in my Charlie B and Tribal Sportswear fall lines that are just arriving in store. The first Tribal Sportswear shipment revolves around a collection of red and black and a collection of taupe and blue. The first group of Charlie B, which we are launching this Saturday during our Live Sale, revolves around butternut, caramel, tan and olive green.
Focus on Re-Working Best Selling Styles and Scaling Back on Fringe Items:
Brands know that store owners are working off tighter budgets than in years past. You can find out more about this in my first blog post in this series. As a result, I noticed that most of my bigger brands re-styled tried and true cuts and updated them with new fabrics. I also noticed fewer options in the harder to sell items. Last week while at market I was looking at the Spring/Summer lines for 2025 with all my brands that pre-book. One of my favorite brands Soya had cut out all of their scarves and focused instead on core tops and bottoms, as an example.
Other notable trends included brands expanding into plus sizes, like Tribal Sportswear. Ethical production and sustainability are also becoming more and more important. Additionally, consumers are putting comfort as a key factor in their clothing purchases. This trend was represented in every line I saw while at market.
Fashion Crossroads and FC Outlet in Casper, Wyoming offer some of the best selling brands in the industry in women’s clothing. Our new fall is arriving daily! Save 10% with the blog reader coupon TRENDS when you use this as a PROMO Code online at www.fashioncrossroadsinc.com or in store by mentioning this promo.