Christelle
Cajalne

Fashion Forecast

As an individual who loves to draw inspiration from everything around me, this project was one of my favourites. Fashion forecasting is how we predict fashion trends, which includes colour, textiles, patterns, and silhouettes. It also takes data from consumer buying behaviours and habits. Fashion forecasting requires a lot of research and observation. In this class, we learned the importance of staying current on trends. Not just fashion trends, but everything that’s happening in the world. This is called the Zeitgeist, in which each time period differs. An era’s cultural, social, political, and intellectual activity is what defines its Zeitgeist, which all affects trends and production in the fashion world. We were assigned to create our own story/trend prediction backed up by heavy research.

My forecast is a prediction of Women’s Activewear S/S 2024 called ‘Sweet Escape.’ It encompasses the theme of wanting to pursue your dreams and live to your fullest potential, done so through health and wellness. I conducted research of past and current Zeitgeists to predict this activewear trend. This project opened my eyes to the realm of fashion forecasting, in which I have grown deep interest and fascination with.

Photoshoot & Fashion Styling

The photoshoot project was one of my favourite projects we did in the program. Through peer collaboration, we were assigned to execute an editorial style photoshoot. In this project, my peers and I acted as creative directors and stylists to visually tell a story. All other roles (photographer, model, hair/makeup artist) were externally collaborated with. One of the most important skills taught in the fashion marketing program is networking and making connections with other industry creatives and professionals. This project allowed us to apply our networking skills in the work produced by our shared creative control. The process of the photoshoot entailed coming to a consensus of theme/direction in all aspects such as clothing, photography, hair/makeup, and location. The main theme/direction of our idea was around warmth, comfort, and reconnection through researched fashion key stories of cozy knitwear. My love for fashion styling and storytelling was deepened through this photoshoot project and is something I would love to do in my budding career.

Planogram

In this project, we acted as a merchandiser in selecting product lines for two deliveries for our client. My first delivery for Oak + Fort Womenswear S/S 22 focuses on the transition between A/W and S/S, telling the story of ‘Carefree Comfort.’ My second delivery uses warmer hues and lightweight textiles for summer. Oak + Fort’s retail space is very clean and minimalistic, which I kept in mind when designing the planogram. I also kept in mind the customer’s flow when wandering through the store. I took into consideration design elements and principles to create a planogram that delivered aesthetically and logically, in a way the clothes made sense to both the client and customer. Learning how to merchandise clothing and create a planogram deepened my knowledge on the logistics of a retail space.

Shadow Box

The shadow box project is a mockup of what we envisioned a real window display would look like. The first step in tackling this project was to choose an object (accessory, jewelry, etc.) to be our display’s main focus in what we are trying to market. I went through different ideas and designs as to what I wanted my object to be and what I wanted my shadow box to look like. After several ruminations, I decided on a brown-swirled scarf that I found in my mom’s closet, as it gave me the most opportunity to be creative and implement design elements and principles. The scarf immediately reminded me of coffee/coffee swirls. With that, I used the elements already incorporated in the object to drive my creative direction for my display. I drew inspiration from Hermès window displays and their cleverness in the way they manipulate the product. This project taught me how to look at fashion textiles and patterns in a different light, and how to effectively display products in a way that both sells and brews imagination.