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117 Awesome Fashion Research Topics: Inspirational Ideas List

fashion research topics

Finding some decent fashion research topics that you can use for your next papers is not easy nowadays. You want something new, something original. Your classmates are probably scouring the Internet as we speak, so why are you still wasting time? Take a look at our long list of 117 exceptional fashion research topics and choose the best one right now.

What makes our topics different, you ask? Our experts are constantly updating the list and adding new ideas. This means you will always be able to find an original idea here on this page. We will soon be adding new topics for 2023, so stay tuned!

What Is The Fashion Research Paper?

Keep in mind that finding some great fashion topics to write about is not enough. You need to be able to create a well-organized, concise research paper. To help you do just that, we will show you the 8 main parts of a research paper:

Title page (or cover page) Start with a hook to catch the attention of your readers, then talk a bit about the background of the problem and present your thesis. Literature review. Here, you will need to demonstrate that you have analyzed the literature related to the topic and that there is a gap in knowledge that needs to be addressed. Research In this section, you will explain in great detail all the methods you have used to gather the data. Be as specific as possible. Data analysis. This is the section where you present and analyze the data. Be objective and avoid discussing the results. This is the section where you can discuss your findings and prove how your research results back your thesis. Don’t forget to acknowledge the limitations of your research. Restate your thesis and summarize your research and findings. Show your readers how your findings answer the research questions. References page. This is where you list all the resources you have used to write your research Make sure you don’t miss any.

Now that you know the overall structure of a research paper, it’s time to give you some excellent topics to write about:

Brand New Fashion Research Paper Topics

We will start our list with the brand new fashion research paper topics. These have been added to the list recently, so you can pick one right now knowing that it’s original:

  • Fashion in Ancient Rome
  • The impact of Jane Austen on the world of fashion
  • Swimwear in the 1980s
  • Using bizarre colors in fashion
  • The rise and fall of the jeans
  • Peer pressure related to fashion trends
  • Social networking and fashion
  • The life and work of Giorgio Armani
  • Talk about hippie fashion
  • Fashion in Islamic religions

Interesting Fashion Topics To Write About

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, we have a long list of interesting fashion topics to write about. Take a look at the following ideas:

  • The rise of the Chanel brand
  • Does price reflect quality?
  • Fashion in Ancient Egypt
  • The sense of fashion in women
  • The link between art and fashion
  • Discuss ethics in fashion
  • The relationship between style and money
  • The role of clothes in your culture
  • Interesting fashion hacks

Fashion Research Topics 2023

In the fashion research topics 2023, you can find topics that were greatly appreciated in 2023. These may or may not be as appreciated in 2024 though:

  • Fashion in developing countries
  • Research smart casual fashion
  • Compare Asian fashion with American fashion
  • Fashion and aesthetics
  • Marketing a new brand of clothes
  • Fashion in vlogging
  • What are cycles in fashion?
  • The rise of the Versace empire
  • Fashion in Paris

Advanced Fashion Topics To Discuss

We also have a list of more advanced fashion topics to discuss. Just keep in mind that the following topics are not easy to write about. But as an option, you can buy a dissertation on any topic.

  • Negative effects of fashion on the environment
  • Forecasting new trends in 2023
  • Celebrities and fashion
  • Negative effects of fashion on the human psychology
  • Influencer marketing of fashion products
  • Fashion from a religious standpoint
  • The place of leather in fashion in 2023
  • Largest fashion shows in the world
  • The importance of Fashion Weeks in Eastern Europe

Fun Research Topics On Fashion

Who said a research paper can’t be fun? Choose one of these fun research topics on fashion and start writing the perfect paper today:

  • Fashion in 1990s media
  • Funny fashion mishaps
  • Men in fashion advertisements/commercials
  • Fashion in medieval times
  • Crossover fashion in 2023
  • Can you start a fashion business?
  • Fashion in the royal family (the UK)
  • Fashion and school uniforms

Important People In Fashion

One of the easiest ways to write a research paper in the field of fashion is to research an icon. Here are some important people in a fashion that you can talk about:

  • Karl Lagerfeld
  • Stella McCartney
  • Audrey Hepburn
  • David Bowie
  • Princess Diana
  • Charles Frederick Worth
  • Harry Styles
  • Kim Taehyung
  • Coco Chanel
  • Designer Paul Poiret

Fashion Research Paper Topics For High School

If you are a high school student, you need some easier topics to write on. Check out these fashion research paper topics for high school and pick the one you like:

  • Fashion in Ancient Egyptian times
  • Michael Jackson’s fashion
  • Fashion in Western Europe
  • Fashion at the workplace
  • Fashion in schools in the UK
  • Discuss fashion in North Korea
  • Luxury products and the human brain
  • Fashion trends and the science that explains them

Captivating Fashion Design Research Paper Topics

In case you want to discuss fashion design, we have a nice list of captivating fashion design research paper topics right here. All these topics are, of course, 100% free to use:

  • Fashion in the LGBTQ community
  • Fashion in Nazi Germany
  • Fun facts about beachwear
  • The role of Versace in fashion
  • New York as a fashion center
  • Effects of Tik-Tok on fashion
  • The origins of ethnic clothing
  • Mixing 3 styles the right way
  • Fashion and sexism in 2023

Fast Fashion Research Paper Topics

Don’t want to spend a lot of time working on that research paper? No problem! Simply choose one of these fast fashion research paper topics:

  • The role of politics in fashion in the United States
  • Talk about wedding ceremony fashion
  • Talk about trends in baby clothing in the United Kingdom
  • The role celebrities play in fashion marketing
  • Talk about 3 iconic fashion characters
  • An in-depth look at fashion in the punk world

Fashion Topics To Research In 2023

It’s time to think about the topics that should work great in 2023. In fact, our experts have already compiled a list of fashion topics to research in 2023:

  • Talk about the notion of “invisible branding” in fashion
  • Research women’s fashion in the 1980s
  • The role played by art in fashion trends
  • Research 3 major fashion companies
  • Talk about the low rise fashion trend
  • Discuss the women’s oversized bomber jackets trend

Fashion And Marketing Research Topics

As you probably know, fashion and marketing go hand in hand. Take a look at our latest and most interesting fashion and marketing research topics right here:

  • Fashion marketing on social media
  • Fashion marketing in the 1960s
  • Effective marketing strategies for luxury products
  • Style vs. functionality in marketing
  • Marketing and fashion cycles
  • The role of fashion in TV commercials

Fashion Ideas For College Students

College students should research topics that are more complex in nature. Don’t worry though; we have more than enough fashion ideas for college students:

  • Research the hoodies under blazers fashion trend
  • Compare Asian and European fashion
  • Research Jane Austen’s style
  • A closer look at minimalist fashion
  • The beginning of the Haute Couture
  • Fashion and the Internet

Unique Ideas Related To Fashion

This list of topics has been revised recently to make sure all ideas are unique. So, if you’re looking for unique ideas related to fashion, you have definitely arrived at the right place:

  • Analyze the cropped cardigans trend
  • Research the plus-size fashion industry in Indonesia
  • The impact of feminism on fashion
  • Social issues caused by fashion
  • Fashion and cheap labor
  • Effects of religion on fashion

Easy Fashion Essay Topics

If you want to make sure you ace that research paper, you should find an easy topic to talk about. Take a look at these easy fashion essay topics and pick one today:

  • Discuss the notion of “color blocking”
  • Fashion trends during World War II
  • The evolution of men’s suits over the last 100 years
  • Fashion and child labor
  • What is organic clothing?
  • Talk about the rise of wig fashion

Creative Fashion Research Questions

Professors really appreciate creativity, so you should definitely go through this list of creative fashion research questions:

  • A closer look at the puff sleeves trend
  • The Kardashian family’s impact on fashion
  • How did Chanel rise to fame?
  • Sustainability in the fashion industry
  • Fashion and body types
  • Interesting fashion trends in Dubai
  • Talk about fashion in the armed forces

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Popular Fashion Research Paper Topics Ideas and Examples

Updated 09 Jul 2024

Fashion research paper topics are sometimes hard to develop, as this subject is a popular context that changes rapidly. Still, we are all surrounded by trends in our daily lives – we always wear clothes that express our unique sense of style, so there is actually a lot to write about here.

Trends are not stable, so to keep up with the latest mode, it's better to know the background and appeal to tendencies that have taken place previously. Choosing the right topic is essential, as it will help define the angle of developing your ideas and demonstrate your skills in analytical thinking and a creative approach.

Topics about fashion are not limited to discussing clothes only. This subject is also about music, movies, art, and makeup. Those tendencies that were popular in the particular period affect the style and culture of the entire generations, so every topic on the subject has the potential to become something more than simply about trends. Continue reading to learn tips on choosing the most engaging fashion essay topics, before you pay someone to write my paper .

Tips on How to Choose Interesting Research Paper Topics about Fashion

Here are our topic recommendations of how to choose the topic that will be appealing for you:

  • Define a specific niche. Narrow down your search by defining whether you’ll be writing about stylistic trends for kids, teenagers, adults or seniors. Besides, you might be focusing on modern fashion or on some particular period.
  • Design an engaging title. The subject itself allows you to be as creative as possible. Try to engage a reader right from the title of your paper.
  • Make a prior research. Google the topic you’re interested in, look for some sources you can use to support your ideas in the college library. Search for some celebrities’ examples and pictures you can add to enhance your writing.
  • Think about the main message of your research. Every new writing should bear some value. Think about the main statement of your work. Is there any new approach you would like to share with your readers? Each essay should have its own unique idea.

To help you choose some nice options for your research, we’ve composed a list of 110 paper topic ideas dedicated to style for you to get inspired. College students who are into fashion and want to analyze some of the newest trends will have no trouble finding a compelling topic to write about from the list below. Feel free to modify those you find the most suitable to make them more precise and personalized.

We’ve made sure that all topics from the list you’ll find below are relevant for those who have connected majors. The ideas we share are either somehow connected to present trends or serve as an analysis of stylistical ideas from the past. Those old ones are essential for understanding modern culture as well, as they can change our modern-day perceptions and views. Besides, all trends have a tendency to reappear from time to time due to the fact fashion is cyclical.

What should be included in fashion research?

A student who starts writing on the task is expected to have an academic approach in developing the topic and rely on historical facts and information worthy of inclusion in the research paper. Prior writing, we recommend analyzing recent trends in clothes and connecting them to history, business, science, or art. This step will help to choose some relevant research paper topics on fashion. Exploring fashion research paper topics can be fascinating, but if you need specialized assistance for your healthcare-related assignments, seeking nursing paper help can ensure your nursing papers are thorough and well-crafted.

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Historical and Cultural Perspectives Topics

Want to write a research paper on the subject but lack the proper title? Here’s a list of creative fashion research topics for you to get inspired.

  • The evolution of fashion from the 1920s to the present.
  • The impact of royal figures on fashion trends throughout history.
  • Cross-cultural influences in fashion: East meets West.
  • The role of fashion in the feminist movement.
  • Fashion during the Renaissance: A symbol of status and power.
  • The influence of punk culture on mainstream fashion.
  • Traditional costumes around the world and their modern interpretations.
  • The history of haute couture and its relevance today.
  • Fashion icons of the 20th century and their legacy.
  • The evolution of men's fashion: From formal to casual.
  • The impact of war on fashion design and materials.
  • African textiles and their influence on global fashion.
  • The kimono: From traditional wear to fashion statement.
  • The flapper dress: Symbolizing women's liberation in the 1920s.
  • The history and significance of the fashion show.
  • Fashion in the Victorian era: Constraints and extravagance.
  • The rise and fall of the corset: A historical perspective.
  • The influence of cinema on fashion trends.
  • The globalization of fashion: A historical overview.
  • Fashion and identity among indigenous cultures.

Fashion Industry and Business

  • The economics of the fashion industry: Challenges and opportunities.
  • The role of fashion weeks in shaping industry trends.
  • Sustainable fashion: Strategies for a greener industry.
  • The impact of fast fashion on the environment and labor markets.
  • Luxury brands and their marketing strategies.
  • The rise of e-commerce in the fashion industry.
  • Fashion merchandising: Principles and practices.
  • The psychology behind consumer behavior in fashion.
  • The role of fashion influencers in digital marketing.
  • Ethical considerations in the fashion supply chain.
  • Brand collaborations: A strategy for innovation and reach.
  • The future of retail: Physical stores vs. online shopping.
  • The impact of technology on fashion design and production.
  • Fashion entrepreneurship: Starting a brand from scratch.
  • The role of intellectual property rights in fashion.
  • Consumer trends shaping the future of fashion.
  • The challenges of size inclusivity in fashion.
  • The impact of social media on fashion brands.
  • Fashion and luxury goods counterfeiting: Impacts and solutions.
  • The role of fashion editors and magazines in the industry.

Fashion Design and Technology

  • The intersection of fashion design and wearable technology.
  • 3D printing in fashion: Opportunities and challenges.
  • The role of computer-aided design (CAD) in fashion.
  • Smart textiles and their applications in modern apparel.
  • The future of virtual reality (VR) in fashion design and retail.
  • Sustainable materials and innovations in textile production.
  • The evolution of fabric dyeing techniques and their environmental impact.
  • The influence of architecture on fashion design.
  • The science of pattern making and garment construction.
  • The role of color theory in fashion design.
  • Adaptive fashion for people with disabilities.
  • The impact of biomimicry on textile innovation.
  • The resurgence of artisanal and handcrafted fashion.
  • The role of costume design in film and theater.
  • Gender-neutral and unisex design in contemporary fashion.
  • The psychology of fashion design: Color, form, and function.
  • The influence of technology on fashion illustration.
  • Upcycling and repurposing in fashion design.
  • The future of bespoke and made-to-measure fashion.
  • The role of textiles in fashion: From natural to synthetic fibers.

Fashion Trends and Styles

  • The cycle of fashion trends: How old becomes new again.
  • Streetwear: Origins, evolution, and influence.
  • The impact of celebrity culture on fashion trends.
  • Athleisure: Blurring the lines between sportswear and casual wear.
  • The role of subcultures in shaping fashion trends.
  • Minimalism in fashion: Aesthetic and philosophy.
  • The revival of vintage and retro styles in contemporary fashion.
  • The influence of music genres on fashion.
  • Eco-fashion: Trends promoting sustainability and ethics.
  • The role of accessories in completing a look.
  • The impact of global travel on fashion trends.
  • Seasonal trends vs. timeless style.
  • The influence of art movements on fashion design.
  • The role of gender fluidity in contemporary fashion trends.
  • The impact of social movements on fashion statements.
  • The evolution of swimwear: From modesty to fashion statement.
  • The significance of the little black dress in fashion history.
  • The influence of youth culture on fashion innovation.
  • The role of bridal wear in fashion design.
  • The impact of social media trends on fast fashion.

Fashion and Society

  • Fashion as a form of self-expression and identity.
  • The role of fashion in social status and class distinction.
  • The impact of fashion on body image and self-esteem.
  • Cultural appropriation vs. appreciation in fashion.
  • The influence of fashion on gender norms and expectations.
  • Fashion activism: Using style to make a statement.
  • The psychology behind fashion choices and personal style.
  • The role of uniforms in society: Schools, military, and corporations.
  • Fashion and age: Challenging stereotypes and expectations.
  • The significance of dress codes in different cultural contexts.
  • The impact of fashion on LGBTQ+ identity and visibility.
  • The role of fashion in religious and cultural practices.
  • Fashion and disability: Inclusivity and adaptive design.
  • The influence of political events on fashion trends.
  • The role of fashion in historical and cultural preservation.
  • Fashion as a tool for social change and empowerment.
  • The impact of globalization on local fashion and traditions.
  • The role of fashion in celebrity culture and fandom.
  • Fashion and the representation of race and ethnicity.
  • The ethics of beauty standards imposed by the fashion industry.

Fashion Photography and Media

  • The evolution of fashion photography: From magazines to digital platforms.
  • The role of fashion photographers in shaping brand image.
  • The impact of social media on fashion photography trends.
  • The intersection of fashion and art in editorial photography.
  • The influence of digital retouching on perceptions of beauty.
  • Behind the scenes: The making of iconic fashion campaigns.
  • The role of fashion films in storytelling and branding.
  • The impact of fashion bloggers and influencers on industry trends.
  • The evolution of fashion magazines and their role in culture.
  • The significance of cover shoots in fashion media.
  • Ethical considerations in fashion photography.
  • The role of street style photography in capturing trends.
  • The impact of celebrity endorsements in fashion media.
  • The challenges of representing diversity in fashion photography.
  • The influence of technology on fashion film production.
  • The role of visual merchandising in fashion retail.
  • The impact of fashion advertising on consumer behavior.
  • The role of fashion editors in curating content.
  • The significance of fashion exhibitions and retrospectives.
  • The future of fashion media in the digital age.

Sustainable Fashion and Ethics

  • The principles of sustainable fashion: Reducing environmental impact.
  • The role of upcycling in promoting sustainable fashion.
  • The impact of fast fashion on the environment and labor practices.
  • Innovations in eco-friendly materials and textiles.
  • The challenges and opportunities of ethical fashion branding.
  • Consumer responsibility in promoting sustainable fashion.
  • The role of certifications and standards in ethical fashion.
  • The impact of water usage and pollution in textile production.
  • Strategies for reducing waste in the fashion industry.
  • The role of technology in creating sustainable fashion solutions.
  • The economics of sustainable fashion: Cost vs. benefit.
  • The impact of second-hand and vintage markets on sustainability.
  • Ethical issues in animal-derived materials: Leather, fur, and wool.
  • The role of fashion education in promoting sustainability.
  • Collaborations between environmental organizations and fashion brands.
  • The challenges of transparency and traceability in the supply chain.
  • The role of government and policy in supporting sustainable fashion.
  • Consumer trends and demand for ethical fashion products.
  • The future of sustainable fashion: Innovations and predictions.

Fashion and Globalization

  • The impact of globalization on traditional dress and fashion.
  • The role of global fashion brands in shaping consumer culture.
  • The influence of global fashion weeks on international trends.
  • The challenges of maintaining cultural identity in global fashion.
  • The impact of trade agreements on the fashion industry.
  • The role of global sourcing and manufacturing in fashion.
  • The influence of global celebrities and icons on fashion trends.
  • The impact of global economic shifts on fashion markets.
  • The role of digital platforms in globalizing fashion retail.
  • The challenges and benefits of cross-cultural fashion collaborations.
  • The impact of migration and diaspora on fashion innovation.
  • The role of global fashion media in shaping trends.
  • The challenges of ethical production in a globalized industry.
  • The influence of global tourism on fashion consumption.
  • The role of international fashion exhibitions and fairs.
  • The impact of cultural exchange programs on fashion education.
  • The challenges of language and communication in global fashion.
  • The role of international fashion awards in promoting designers.
  • The impact of global environmental concerns on fashion sustainability.
  • The future of fashion in a globalized world: Trends and predictions.

This extensive list of fashion research paper topics, divided into eight categories, offers a wide range of subjects for exploration, from historical and cultural perspectives to sustainability and globalization. Each category provides a unique lens through which to examine the multifaceted world of fashion, encouraging in-depth research and critical analysis.

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Fashion Research Paper Topics: History, Consumer Behavior and Industry Trends

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Table of contents

  • 1 How to Choose a Research Paper Topic On Fashion
  • 2.1 Fast Fashion Research Questions
  • 2.2 Sustainable Fashion Topics To Write About
  • 2.3 Ethical Fashion Essay Topics
  • 2.4 Topics about Fashion Designers
  • 2.5 Fashion Brands
  • 2.6 Business of Fashion
  • 2.7 History of Fashion Topics to Research

Fashion is a dynamic and ever-evolving field, blending creativity, culture, and commerce uniquely and captivating. It is an expression of personal style and a mirror reflecting societal changes, technological advancements, and varying aesthetic preferences across different eras and regions. Delving into fashion research opens a world of exploration, from the dazzling allure of high fashion and iconic designers to the critical issues of sustainability and ethical production practices.

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive list of fashion research topics, encompassing this complex industry’s diverse and vibrant aspects. It also covers a wide range of subjects, from the impact of cultural shifts on fashion trends to the evolving landscape of fashion marketing and retail. These topics offer a rich terrain for in-depth study and analysis.

How to Choose a Research Paper Topic On Fashion

Choosing the right research topics about fashion is a critical step that sets the tone for your entire study. It’s a delicate balance of aligning personal interest with academic value.

  • Start by pinpointing your area of passion within the broad spectrum of fashion. It could be anything from the intricacies of design and the rich tapestry of fashion history, to the pressing issues of ethics and the evolving dynamics of the fashion business of fashion articles.
  • Next, immerse yourself in current trends and pressing issues within the fashion world to carve out a unique and relevant angle for your research.
  • Availability of resources and existing literature is paramount. Ensure sufficient material and data are available to underpin your study with credible information.
  • Selecting a topic for a fast fashion argumentative essay that resonates with current discussions and contributes a fresh perspective or addresses market research in fashion is advantageous.
  • Striking the right balance between specificity and breadth is key; your topic should be focused enough to provide clear direction for your study, yet broad enough to encompass comprehensive exploration and analysis.

This approach guarantees a more manageable research process and enhances the potential for meaningful and engaging contributions to the field of fashion studies.

List of Research Topics On Fashion

Dive into the fascinating world of fashion with these compelling research topics. Covering everything from the glitz of designer brands to the pressing issues of sustainability, each topic offers a unique perspective on the multifaceted fashion industry.

Fast Fashion Research Questions

  • Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion. Investigating the ecological footprint of rapid production cycles in the fashion industry.
  • Consumer Perception and Fast Fashion. Understanding how consumer attitudes towards sustainability affect fast fashion.
  • Economic Viability of Fast Fashion Models. Analyzing the long-term economic sustainability of the fast fashion business model.
  • Social Implications of Fast Fashion. Examining the social consequences, including labor practices, of fast fashion.
  • Innovative Solutions to Fast Fashion Problems. Exploring new technologies and business models to mitigate fast fashion issues.
  • Globalization and Fast Fashion. Assessing the impact of globalization on the spread and practices of fast fashion.
  • Fast Fashion and Waste Management. Investigating waste generation and management in the fast fashion cycle.
  • Consumer Behavior in Fast Fashion. Analyzing how consumer buying patterns contribute to fast fashion.
  • Marketing Strategies in Fast Fashion. Understanding the role of marketing in promoting fast fashion trends.
  • Ethical Challenges in Fast Fashion. Examining the ethical dilemmas posed by fast fashion.
  • Fast Fashion and Cultural Appropriation. Investigating instances and impacts of cultural appropriation in fast fashion.
  • The Role of Media in Fast Fashion. Exploring how the media influences the fast fashion industry and consumer choices.
  • Fast Fashion and Its Impact on Traditional Retail. Analyzing how fast fashion is affecting traditional retail models.
  • Sustainability Initiatives in Fast Fashion. Examining efforts by fast fashion brands to become more sustainable.
  • Future Trends in Fast Fashion. Predicting future developments and changes in the fast fashion industry.

Sustainable Fashion Topics To Write About

  • Sustainable Materials in Fashion. Exploring eco-friendly materials used in sustainable fashion.
  • The Lifecycle of Sustainable Fashion Products. Understanding the production, use, and disposal of sustainable fashion items.
  • Consumer Awareness of Sustainable Fashion. Assessing how consumer knowledge impacts sustainable fashion choices.
  • Challenges to Sustainable Fashion Manufacturing. Investigating barriers to adopting sustainable practices in fashion production.
  • Innovations in Sustainable Fashion Technology. Examining technological advancements in creating sustainable fashion.
  • Sustainable Fashion and Global Supply Chains. Analyzing the role of global supply chains sustainably.
  • Marketing of Sustainable Fashion Brands. Strategies for marketing sustainable fashion to a wider audience.
  • Economic Aspects of Sustainable Fashion. Understanding the economic implications and viability of sustainable fashion.
  • Policy and Regulation in Sustainable Fashion. Examining the role of policy in promoting sustainable fashion practices.
  • Social Responsibility in Sustainable Fashion. Exploring the social impact of sustainable fashion on communities and workers.
  • Sustainable Fashion and Consumer Behavior. Investigating how sustainable fashion influences consumer buying habits.
  • The Role of Designers in Sustainable Fashion. Examining how designers can drive sustainability in fashion.
  • Upcycling and Recycling in Fashion. Exploring the role of upcycling and recycling in sustainable fashion.
  • Sustainable Fashion and Cultural Shifts. Assessing how cultural changes are affecting sustainable fashion trends.
  • Case Studies of Successful Sustainable Fashion Brands. Analyzing successful examples of sustainable fashion brands.

Ethical Fashion Essay Topics

  • Defining Ethical Fashion Topics. Understanding what constitutes ethical practices in the fashion industry.
  • Transparency in Fashion Supply Chains. Examining the importance of transparency for ethical fashion.
  • Consumer Role in Promoting Ethical Fashion. Exploring how consumers can influence ethical practices in fashion.
  • Ethical Fashion and Labor Rights. Investigating the intersection of fashion production and labor rights.
  • The Impact of Ethical Fashion on the Environment. Assessing the environmental benefits of ethical fashion practices.
  • Challenges in Implementing Ethical Fashion. Understanding the obstacles to adopting ethical practices in fashion.
  • Ethical Fashion and Cultural Sensitivity. Examining the importance of cultural sensitivity in an ethical fashion.
  • The Business Case for Ethical Fashion. Analyzing the economic benefits of adopting ethical practices in fashion.
  • Ethical Fashion and Consumer Trust. Investigating how ethical practices influence consumer trust in brands.
  • Innovations in Ethical Fashion. Exploring new developments and practices in an ethical fashion.
  • Ethical Fashion and Globalization. Assessing the impact of globalization on ethical fashion practices.
  • Marketing Strategies for Ethical Fashion. Understanding how to market ethical fashion effectively.
  • The Role of Governments in Ethical Fashion. Examining the role of policy and regulation in promoting ethical fashion.
  • Ethical Fashion and Social Media Influence. Exploring the impact of social media on ethical fashion trends.
  • Case Studies of Ethical Fashion Initiatives. Analyzing successful examples of ethical fashion initiatives.

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Topics about Fashion Designers

  • Influence of Iconic Fashion Designers. Exploring how legendary designers have shaped fashion trends.
  • Biographies of Renowned Fashion Designers. Investigating the life stories and career paths of famous designers.
  • Emerging Fashion Designers and Industry Impact. Examining the influence of emerging designers on the fashion industry.
  • Fashion Designers and Brand Identity. Analyzing how designers shape and define brand identities.
  • Collaborations between Fashion Designers and Brands. Exploring successful collaborations and their outcomes.
  • Fashion Designers and Cultural Influences. Investigating how cultural backgrounds influence designers’ work.
  • Sustainability Focus of Fashion Designers. Examining designers’ approaches to sustainable fashion.
  • Fashion Designers and Technology Integration. Analyzing how designers are incorporating technology into fashion.
  • Fashion Designers and Political Statements. Exploring how designers use fashion to make political statements.
  • Innovations by Fashion Designers. Investigating groundbreaking innovations introduced by fashion designers.
  • Fashion Designers and Celebrity Influence. Assessing the impact of celebrity endorsements on designers’ work.
  • Design Philosophy and Techniques of Fashion Designers. Examining the unique design philosophies and techniques of designers.
  • Fashion Designers and Global Trends. Analyzing how designers respond to and shape global fashion trends.
  • Fashion Designers and Ethical Practices. Investigating how designers are incorporating ethical practices into their work.
  • Fashion Designers’ Role in Fashion Education. Exploring the involvement of designers in fashion education and mentorship.

Fashion Brands

  • History and Evolution of Major Fashion Brands. Tracing the development and growth of leading fashion brands.
  • Branding Strategies in Fashion. Analyzing effective branding strategies used by fashion companies.
  • Consumer Perception of Fashion Brands. Understanding how consumers view and interact with different fashion brands.
  • Luxury Fashion Brands and Market Positioning. Investigating the strategies of luxury brands in the fashion market.
  • Sustainability Initiatives of Fashion Brands. Examining how brands are incorporating sustainability into their operations.
  • Fashion Brands and Global Expansion. Analyzing how brands are expanding and adapting to global markets.
  • Collaborations between Fashion Brands and Designers. Exploring the impact of collaborative projects.
  • Fashion Brands and Technology Integration. Investigating how brands are utilizing technology in fashion design and retail.
  • Marketing and Advertising Strategies of Fashion Brands. Analyzing the marketing approaches of successful fashion brands.
  • Fashion Brands and Consumer Engagement. Understanding how brands engage with their customers.
  • Fashion Brands and Social Responsibility. Examining the social and ethical responsibilities of fashion brands.
  • Innovations in Fashion Branding. Exploring innovative branding techniques in the fashion industry.
  • Fashion Brands and Cultural Impact. Assessing the cultural influence of prominent fashion brands.
  • Challenges Facing Fashion Brands Today. Investigating current challenges and how brands are addressing them.
  • Case Studies of Successful Fashion Brand Revivals. Analyzing how struggling brands successfully reinvented themselves.

Business of Fashion

  • Globalization and Its Impact on Fashion Business. Examining how globalization has transformed the fashion industry.
  • Fashion Retailing Strategies. Analyzing effective retailing strategies in the fashion industry.
  • Fashion E-Commerce Trends and Challenges. Investigating the rise of online fashion retailing and associated challenges.
  • Business Models in the Fashion Industry . Exploring different business models and their effectiveness in fashion.
  • Marketing and Promotion in Fashion. Analyzing marketing techniques and promotional strategies in fashion.
  • Fashion Industry Supply Chain Management. Examining supply chain dynamics in the fashion industry.
  • Fashion Brand Management and Development. Investigating strategies for managing and developing fashion brands.
  • Consumer Behavior Analysis in Fashion. Understanding consumer purchasing patterns and preferences in fashion.
  • Fashion Business and Sustainability. Analyzing the integration of sustainable practices in fashion business operations.
  • Innovations in Fashion Business Models. Exploring innovative approaches to fashion business and retail.
  • Fashion Industry Economic Analysis. Examining the economic aspects and impacts of the fashion industry.
  • Fashion Business and Global Market Trends. Assessing global market trends and their influence on fashion businesses.
  • Fashion Startups and Entrepreneurship. Investigating the rise and challenges of fashion startups.
  • Fashion Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Examining ethical considerations and social responsibilities in the fashion business.
  • Case Studies of Successful Fashion Business Strategies. Analyzing successful strategies implemented by fashion businesses.

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History of Fashion Topics to Research

  • The Evolution of Fashion from Ancient Civilizations. Exploring fashion trends and their significance in ancient societies like Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
  • Medieval Fashion and Social Hierarchies. Analyzing how fashion in the medieval era reflected societal structures and class distinctions.
  • Renaissance Fashion and Artistic Influence. Investigating the influence of Renaissance art and culture on fashion trends of the era.
  • 17th Century Baroque Fashion. Examining the opulence and extravagance of Baroque fashion and its reflection on the socio-political climate.
  • 18th Century Rococo Style and Femininity. Discussing the Rococo style’s emphasis on ornamentation and its impact on the perception of femininity.
  • Fashion During the Industrial Revolution. Understanding how technological advancements in the 19th century transformed the fashion industry.
  • The Birth of Haute Couture in the 19th Century. Tracing the origins of haute couture and its founding designers like Charles Frederick Worth.
  • Fashion in the Victorian Era. Exploring the fashion trends and social norms that characterized the Victorian period.
  • The Roaring Twenties and Flapper Fashion. Delving into the revolutionary changes in women’s fashion during the 1920s.
  • Fashion During World War II. Investigating how wartime restrictions influenced fashion, introducing utility clothing and fabric rationing.
  • The Post-War Fashion Boom and the New Look. Analyzing the impact of Dior’s New Look in shaping post-WWII fashion.
  • Swinging Sixties and Youth Culture. Examining how 1960s fashion was influenced by and influenced youth culture and social movements.
  • Punk Fashion and Subculture in the 1970s. Exploring the emergence of punk fashion and its challenge to mainstream norms.
  • The Influence of Pop and Celebrity Culture on 1980s Fashion. Discuss how pop culture icons and music influenced 1980s fashion trends.
  • Fashion in the Digital Age. Understanding how the advent of the internet and digital media in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has transformed fashion consumption and trends.

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  • Berg Fashion Library
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  • Fashion Research Collection (Toronto Metropolitan University) The School of Fashion centres Inclusive, Decolonized and Sustainable perspectives and positions the School as a place to inspire positive action and innovation grounded in social and environmental justice. Our main goal for the Fashion Research Collection (FRC) is to expand the archive by adopting these principles to further build the collection as a place that includes the perspectives and histories of diverse groups. In support of this goal, we encourage research and conversations from our students, faculty, visiting scholars, and community that promote an inclusive, sustainable and decolonized fashion system. The FRC contains over 3500 garments, accessories and objects from 1815 to present day.

Key journals for Fashion

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management

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Fashion Theory - Journal of Dress Body and Culture

International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education

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Fashion Practice

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Fashion, Style & Popular Culture

Cover of Fashion, Style and Popular Culture journal

International Journal of Fashion Studies

Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty

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International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

  • Open access
  • Published: 25 December 2022

Evaluation and trend of fashion design research: visualization analysis based on CiteSpace

  • Yixin Zou   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1880-6382 1 ,
  • Sarawuth Pintong 2 ,
  • Tao Shen 3 &
  • Ding-Bang Luh 1  

Fashion and Textiles volume  9 , Article number:  45 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

11k Accesses

5 Citations

Metrics details

Fashion or apparel refers to a topic discussed publicly as an indispensable discipline on a day-to-day basis, which has aroused rising attention from academic sessions over the past two decades. However, since the topic of fashion design covers knowledge in extensive ranges and considerable information, scholars have not fully grasped the research field of fashion design, and the research lacks directional guidance. To gain more insights into the existing research status and fronts in the fashion design field, this study conducts a quantitative literature analysis. The research of this study is conducted by employing CiteSpace technology to visualize and analyze 1388 articles regarding “fashion design” in the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection. To be specific, the visualization and the analysis concentrate on the annual number of articles, author collaboration, institutional collaboration, literature citations, keywords clustering, and research trend evolution of the mentioned articles. As highlighted by this study, the effect of the US and the UK on academic research in fashion design is relatively stronger and extensive. Sustainable fashion refers to the research topic having aroused more attention since 2010, while new research topics over the past few years consist of “wearable fashion”, “transgender fashion” and “medical fashion”. The overall research trend of fashion design is developing as interdisciplinary cross research. This study systematically reviews the relevant literature, classifies the existing research status, research hotspots and frontier trends in the academic field of “fashion design”, and presents the knowledge map and information of literature for researchers in relevant fields.

Introduction

In academic research and writing, researchers should constantly search relevant literature to gain systematic insights into the subject area (e.g., the major research questions in the field, the seminal studies, the landmark studies, the most critical theories, methods and techniques, as well as the most serious current challenges). The process to answer the mentioned questions refers to an abstract process, which requires constant analysis, deduction and generalization. Any literature emerging over time may be critical, any research perspective may cause novel inspiration, and any detail can be the beginning of the subsequent research. However, when literature is being sorted and analyzed, if judgment only complies with personal experience, important literature will be inevitably missed, or the research direction will be lost in the research. For the process of conducting literature analysis, Hoover proposed that the quantitative methods of literature represent elements or features of literary texts numerically, applying effective, accurate and widely accepted mathematical methods to measure, classify and analyze literature quantitatively (Hoover, 2013 ). On this basis, literary data and information are more comprehensively processed. Prof. Chaomei Chen developed CiteSpace to collect, analyze, deliver and visualize literature information by creating images, diagrams or animations, thereby helping develop scientific knowledge maps and data mining of scientific literature. Knowledge visualization primarily aims to detect and monitor the existing state of research and research evolution in a knowledge field. Knowledge visualization has been exploited to explore trends in fields (e.g., medical, management science, biomedicine and biotechnology).

However, the international research situation in fashion design has not been analyzed by scholars thus far. Fashion, a category of discourse, has been arousing scholars’ attention since the late nineteenth century (Kim, 1998 ). In such an era, fashion is recognized by individuals of all classes and cultures, and it is publicly perceived. The field of fashion design is significantly correlated with people's lives (Boodro, 1990 ), and numerous nations and universities have long developed courses regarding fashion design or fashion. Besides, the development of fashion acts as a symbol of the soft power of the country. The discussion on fashion trend, fashion designer, fashion brands, artwork and other topics in the society turns out to be the hotspot discussed on a nearly day-to-day basis, and the discussion in the society even exceeds the academic research. However, the academic research of fashion design refers to a topic that cannot be ignored. The accumulation and achievements of academic research are manifested as precipitation of knowledge for developing the existing fashion field, while significantly guiding future generations. Studying the publishing situation and information in fashion design will help fashion practitioners or researchers classify their knowledge and provide them with novel inspiration or research and literature directions.

This study complies with the method of quantitative literature analysis, and CiteSpace software is adopted to analyze the literature in fashion design. Through searching web of science (WOS) Core Collection, 1388 articles regarding “fashion design” are retained. Co-citation, co-authoring and co-occurrence analysis refer to the major functions of CiteSpace. This study analyzes the articles regarding “fashion design”, and the focus is placed on the annual publication volume, author collaboration, institutional collaboration, national collaboration, literature citations, keyword co-occurrence, keyword clustering, and the research evolution, and visualized the literature and research as figures of these articles. The results here are presented as figures. This study provides the fronts knowledge, the current research status research, the hotspots and trends in fashion design research.

In this study, CiteSpace technology is adopted to analyze all collected literature data. CiteSpace, developed by Professor Chaomei Chen, an internationally renowned expert in information visualization at Drexel University, USA (Wang & Lu, 2020 ), refers to a Java application to visually analyze literature and co-citation networks (Chen, 2004 ). CiteSpace is capable of displaying burst detection, mediated centrality and heterogeneous networks regarding literate information. Visual analysis of the literature by using CiteSpace covers three functions, i.e., to identify the nature of specialized research frontiers, to label and cluster specialized research areas, as well as to identify the research trends and abrupt changes based on the data derived from the analysis. CiteSpace provides a valuable, timely, reproducible and flexible method to track the development of research trends and identify vital evidence (Chen et al., 2012 ).

To analyze the existing status of research and publications on the topic of “fashion design” in academia and different nations, the “Web of Science” (WOS) database is adopted as the data collection source here. Web of Science provides seamless access to existing and multidisciplinary information from approximately 8700 of the most extensively researched, prestigious and high-impact research journals worldwide, covering Science Citation Index (SCI) Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), as well as Arts and Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) (Wouters 2006 ). Its vital feature is that it covers all article types, e.g., author information, institutional addresses, citations and References (Wouters 2006 ). Research trends and publications in specific industry areas can be effectively analyzed.

To be specific, the “Web of Science Core Collection” database is selected in Web of Science and the indexing range includes SCI, SSCI, A&HCI, CPCI-S, CPCI-SSH, BKCI-S, BKCI-SSH, ESCI databases. This step aims to expand the search scope of journals and search a maximal amount of relevant literature. A “subject search” is adopted, covering the search title, the abstract, the author and the keywords. There have been other areas of research on clothing or textiles (e.g., textile engineering and other scientific research areas). However, in this study, to ensure that the topic of analysis is relevant, the subject search is conducted by entering “fashion design” or “Costume design” clothing design”, or “Apparel design”, and only academic research regarding fashion design is analyzed. To ensure the academic nature of the collected data, the search scope here is the “article” type. The time frame was chosen from 2000 to 2021 to analyze the publications on “fashion design” for past 21 years. After this operation, the results of the search were filtered two times. The search was conducted until September 23, 2021, and 1388 articles were retained on the whole.

All bibliographic information on the pages was exported into text format and subsequently analyzed with CiteSpace software. Retrieved publications were filtered and copies were removed in CiteSpace to ensure that the respective article is unique and unduplicated in the database. 1388 articles filtered down from 2000 to 2021 were analyzed in all time slices of 1 year, and most of the cited or TOP 50 of the respective item were selected from each slice.

Results and Discussion

Publications in the last 21 years.

The publication situation of WOS database with “fashion design” as the theme from 2000 to 2021 shown in Fig.  1 . On the whole, the number of articles published on the theme of “fashion design” is rising from 2000 to 2007, the number of articles published each year is almost identical, and the number of articles published in 2008–2009 is slightly increasing. The second wave of growth is in 2011, with an increase about 60% compared with the number of publications in 2010, and it has been rising year by year. 2017 is the peak year with a high volume of 171 publications. 2018 shows another decline, whereas over 100 publications remain. 2018, 2019 and 2020 show continuous growths again. As of September 2021, the number of publications in 2021 is 77. Although the number of articles declines in 2018, the overall number of articles over the past 2 decades is still rising. The reason for the low number of publications around year of 2000 is that fashion as a category of discourse has aroused the attention of scholars from the late nineteenth century (Kim, 1998 ). The year-on-year increase is explained as research on fashion is arousing rising attention from scholars. The significant increase in research papers regarding “fashion design” in 2016 and 2017 is that around 2016, and the fashion industry has been impacted by technological developments. Moreover, the way in which design and clothing made has incorporated considerable technological tools (e.g., 3D printing and wearable technology).

figure 1

Total publications and sum of times cited from 2000 to 2021 according to the web of science. Data updated to September 2021

Author co-authorship analysis

The knowledge map of cited authors based on publication references can present information regarding influential research groups and potential collaborators (Liang, Li, Zhao, et al., 2017 ). The function of co-authorship analysis is employed in CiteSpace to detect influential research groups and potential collaborators. Citespace can calculate the most productive authors in related fields. Table 1 shows that the most productive authors, which related with fashion design theme.

The author with the maximal number of publications is Olga Gurova from Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki (Finland). Her research area has focused on consumer nationalism and patriotism, identity politics and fashion, critical approach to sustainability and wearable technology and the future. Sustainable design has been a hotspot over the past decade and continues to be discussed today, and wearable technology has been a research hotpot in recent years. Olga Gurova is in first place, thereby suggesting the attention given to the mentioned topics and studies in society and fashion area. The second ranked author is Marilyn Delong from University of Minnesota (The USA). The research area consists of Aesthetics, Sustainable apparel design, History and Material Culture, Fashion Trends, Cross-cultural Influence on Design, as well as Socio-psychological aspects of Clothing. The author with the identical number of 7 publications is Kirsi Niinimäki from Aalto University (Finland). Her research directions consist of sustainable fashion and textiles, so her focus has been on the connection between design, manufacturing systems, business models and consumption habits.

For Caroline Kipp, her research area includes modern and contemporary textile arts, decorative arts and craft, craftivism, jacquard weaving, French kashmere shawls, as well as color field painting. For Nick Rees-Roberts, his research area includes fashion film, culture and digital media. Veronica Manlow from Brooklyn College in the Koppelman School of Business (USA.) The research field consists of creative process of fashion design, organizational culture and leadership in corporate fashion brands. Kevin Almond has made a contribution to creative Pattern Cutting, Clothing/Fashion Dichotomies, Sculptural Thinking in Fashion, Fashion as Masquerade. Hazel Clark, and his research field covers fashion theory and history, fashion in China, fashion and everyday life, fashion politics and sustainment. As revealed from the organization of the authors' work institutions and nations in the table, most of the nations with the maximal frequency of publications originate from the US, thereby revealing that the US significantly supports fashion design research. In general, the research scope covers fashion design, culture, mass media, craft, marketing, humanities, technology and etc. Based on the statistics of authorship collaboration, this study indicates that scholars from the US and Finland take up the top positions in the authorship publication ranking.

Moreover, Fig.  2 shows the academic collaborations among authors, which are generated by selecting the unit of analysis, setting the appropriate thresholds. The distance between the nodes and the thickness of the links denote the level of cooperation among authors (Chen & Liu, 2020 ). The influential scholars and the most active authors have not yet developed a linear relationship with each other, and collaborative networks have been lacked. It is therefore revealed that the respective researcher forms his or her own establishment in his or her own field, whereas seldom forms collaborative relationships. Thus, this study argues that to improve the breadth and depth of the field of fashion design research, the cooperation and connections between authors should be strengthened (e.g., organizing international collaborative workshops, joint publications and academic conferences) to up-regulate the amount of knowledge output and create more possibilities for fashion research.

figure 2

Author collaboration network

Institution co-authorship analysis

The number of articles issued by the respective institution and the partnership network are listed in Table 2 .

Figure  3 shows the collaborative relationships among research institutions, while the distance between nodes and the thickness of links represents the level of collaborative institutions. The size of the nodes represents the number of papers published by the institutions, while the distance between the nodes and the thickness of the links indicates the level of cooperation between the institutions.

figure 3

Co-relationships between nations in “fashion design” research

As indicated from the Table 2 , most of the top ten publishing institutions are from the UK and the US, and two universities in the UK rank first and second with more than 20 publications, and most of the institutions are from the UK, thereby demonstrating that the UK's achievements and effect in the field of fashion are far more than other nations. According to the cooperation network between institutions, there are 5 main cooperation networks. First, London College of Fashion, achieving the most number of articles, and there are 8 institutions cooperating with London College of Fashion, among which the closest cooperation is with Parsons Paris Sch Art & Design in the US, whose more influential areas of articles are consumers behavior, unisex clothing, third gender, communicating sustainability, real installation, Italian fashion system, global market, local culture, knitwear and textile design, international scenario, conventional craft methodologies, innovative potential, as well as 3D software application.

The second network of partnerships concentrates on University Arts London as the central node, with frequent collaborators (e.g., Center St Martins Coll Art & Design, Loughborough University Technology, Hut Grp, Sothebys Inst Art, Project Mobile Ising Sexual Hlth, De Montfort University, University of Southampton, Royal Soc Arts, Royal Coll Art). The more influential areas of publication are: electric corset, future histories, clothing sustainability, south Asian youth culture, textile patterning technique, hybrid functional clothing, UK fashion upcycling businesses, rematerializing crafting understanding, fashion designers apprentice, design ethnography approach, developing apparel design guideline and so on.

The third collaborative network is formed by Aalto University, DongHua University, University Southern Denmark, and other institutions, with more influential publications below: haring clothe; fashion designer; Chinese ethnic minority; design recipe; clothing carbohydrate binge; training design researcher; fashion design; traditional handicraft, etc.

The fourth cooperation network consists of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Ryerson University, Queensland University of Technology, Tsinghua University, York University, Art Comm China Fashion Associate, and other institutions. The influential publications areas are: Zhongshan suit; creative application; clothing design; Chinese male; medical moment; menswear design preference; cross-national study; aesthetic aspect; evaluative criteria; disease prevention.

The fifth network organized by University Minnesota Sch Design, Seoul Natl University, Cornell University, University Calif Davis, University North Carolina Greensboro, Colorado State University and others, with the influential research areas if sustainable apparel design practice, sustainable clothing, female users’ perspective, up-cycling design process; apparel design education; strategic ambiguity effective instructional tool, as well as apparel design.

It is noteworthy that: (1) although the University of Leeds has the maximal number of papers, it has not formed a collaborative network with the University of Leeds in the analysis of collaborative relationships; UK institutions have achieved prominent research results, but in the analysis of the number of author papers, and most of the authors with more papers originate from the US. In brief, British institutions, especially university institutions, generally achieve a high level of research, whereas there are fewer authors with a particularly high number of publications. (2) Asian culture covering South Asian youth culture and Chinese fashion culture appear 3 times in the research network as one of the important research areas that combine fashion and culture. (3) Moreover, the respective sub-network has exchanges and cooperation with universities or institutions from other nations, whereas the distance between the sub-networks is long. It indicates that the self-networks have not yet formed a unified network structure among each other, and are only active within their own groups. The issuing institutions that enter the top ten are nearly universities, which acts as the main power of academic articles punishment, and few other institutions (e.g., companies or social organizations). Accordingly, the cooperation between institutions should be boosted. It is necessary to exploit their strengths and advantages, expand the research field and research scope, and make more contributions to the research on “fashion design” topic.

Country co-authorship analysis

Table 3 lists the studies status on “fashion design” in different nations. The US has the maximal number of publications with 257 articles, followed by the UK with 226 articles.

Figure  4 shows the co-relationships between differently nations. The nodes in the Fig.  4 represent nations, and their sizes indicate the number of articles from different nations. The distance between the nodes and the thickness of the links represents the level of cooperation between nations. The purple rings of the purple nodes indicate high centrality, which means that the mentioned nodes are key points connecting different parts of the network. The thicker the purple ring, the higher the centrality of that node. With the U.S. as the centrality degree, it links France, Lebanon, Scotland, Nigeria, Italy, Ireland, South Korea, Thailand, England, the People’s Republic of China, Sweden, Turkey, Canada, Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Australia, 17 nations in total. With the U.S. as the centrality degree, it links France, Italy, Brazil, Scotland, Denmark, Thailand, South Africa, Turkey, Australia, Sweden, Wales, the People’s Republic of China, North Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Egypt, America, a total of 22 nations are linked. Although the previous information on the volume of publications by institutions shows that institutions in the UK nations are dominant. However, the total volume of publications compared, the US is higher than the UK, thereby demonstrating that some other institutions or organizations besides universities also contribute to the volume of publications. Furthermore, as revealed from the degree of crossover of the cooperation network in Fig.  5 , except for the UK and the US, there is but not close cooperation and connection between other nations, the nodes are far away, and the more prominent node centers are the US and the UK. This leads to the conclusion that nations should strengthen the intensity and density of cooperation and enhance their influence in fashion design research.

figure 4

Linking relationships between nations

figure 5

Cited references network among the literature

As indicated from the analysis of the previous network of authors, collaborating institutions and collaborating nations, the research results are more superior in the US and the UK. However, given the research statistics issued by WOW Travel in 2019, the top 10 influential nations in the field of fashion consist of the USA, the UK, Italy, France, Japan, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, the People' Republic of China, including Korea. This phenomenon is likely to be attributed to the different language systems of nations other than the UK and the US, and that some of the mentioned nations have their own search databases for articles. For this reason, the publication data are not retrieved. Other nations should actively publish in English or international academic journals to expand their effect on the international research field, not only in fashion trends or arts work creation.

Co-scholar study based on cited references

The literature can be termed a knowledge base, as well as a source of knowledge and ideas. A novel research cannot be outputted without the contribution of knowledge from previous authors, as well as the insights into and mastery of the literature. Co-scholar analysis builds a literature co-citation network by selecting several representative studies as the object of analysis. Vital references in a specific research area can be detected, and a knowledge graph of cited authors by complying with published references can present information regarding influential research field and knowledge. Table 4 shows the most distribution of the references in fashion design theme. Figure  5 is an analysis of the highly cited literature network. Describe and summarize the high-cited literature based on the information in the two charts.

The node density is 0.00313 for cited reference network, thereby illustrating that fewer links and co-citations among the literature. For the citation status of the respective literature, the analysis begins with the work of Fletcher Kate, appearing more frequently in the table, Fletcher Kate’s 2016 book “ Craft of use: post-growth fashion ” pertains to label 0 “fashion system”. The book explores “craft of use”, using ingenious ideas and practices to make garments/fabrics present as an alternative, dynamic, experiential framework for articulating and promoting sustainability in the fashion world (Fletcher, 2016 ). Fletcher, 2012 and Fletcher and Tham, 2014 pertain to the identical cluster 6. Fletcher Kate’s 2012 “ Fashion Sustainability ” counting 12 times, with ranking No.1 in Table 4 . The book’s contents about fashion sustainability in three main parts, i.e., fashion products, fashion system, as well as fashion design practice (Fletcher, 2012 ). According to the graph, Fletcher Kate's book exhibits a high frequency in the citation network and overall citation. The book from Fletcher ( 2008 ) talking about sustainable fashion and clothing, which has the second maximal citation, frequency of 9. The book is primarily concerned with sustainable fashion and sustainable design. Routledge handbook of sustainability and fashion, published in 2014. The major contents focus on sustainability, and fashion recognizes the complexity of aligning fashion with sustainability. It explores fashion and sustainability at the levels of products, processes and paradigms, while employing a truly multi-disciplinary approach to critically question and suggest creative responses to issues, i.e., Fashion in a post-growth society, Fashion, diversity and equity, Fashion, fluidity and balance across natural, social and economic systems, social sciences, arts and humanities interested in sustainability and fashion (Fletcher and Tham, 2014 ). Fletcher Kate made prominent contributions to fashion sustainable design and sustainable development.

The third most frequently cited book is Manzini’s ( 2015 ) book " Design, When Everybody Designs ", with eight citations. It presents Design and social Innovation, Collaborative organizations and encounters, Design ways and Design for novel cultures (Manzini, 2015 ). The ideas of social innovation design and sustainable design are presented.

The journal of “You are what you wear: How plus-size fashion figures in fat identity formation” from Lauren Downing Peters, takes up the third place in terms of frequency of citations. The research regarding fat identities are formed through the intimate practices of self-fashioning and via social channels (e.g., shopping and fashion blogging), thereby bridging the fields of fat studies and fashion studies. It also considers issues of performativity and is reflected as a situated bodily practice. Fashion design is combined with humanistic care (Peters, 2014 ).

The book Fashion and Culture: Cultural Studies, Fashion Studies, from SB Kaiser, 2012 be cited 7 times. The main topic is the integration of fashion, design and culture (Kaiser, 2012 ). Jenss ( 2016 ), Fashion Studies: Research Methods, Sites, and Practices , is cited 6 times. The book explores fashion in wide-ranging contexts by stressing material culture and ethnographic approaches in fashion studies. Ryan ( 2014 ), Garments of Paradise: Wearable Discourse in the Digital Age, research about the wearable fashion based on the new era (Ryan, 2014 ). Fashion design industry impressions of current sustainable practices , 2014, Noël Palomo-Lovinski, the article explores professional fashion designers' understanding and awareness of current sustainable design (Palomo-Lovinski & Hahn, 2014 ).

As revealed from the analysis of the co-cited literature, the literature and research areas arousing more attention in the fashion design area from 2009 to 2016 consist of fashion sustainable design and sustainable development, fashion humanities, fashion design strategies, wearable technology, fashion and culture, and Chinese fashion.

Co-occurrence analysis for the research frontier and trends

Hot research topics.

A research hotspot refers to a research issue or topic explored by a relatively large number of articles that are intrinsically linked within a certain period. The keywords are the authors' high distillation and summary of the core content of the article, reflecting the research value and direction of the article. Keywords achieving high frequency are generally exploited to identify the hot issues in a research field. The noun phrases extracted from the article can also represent the hotspot of research in a particular field to a certain extent. Clustering analysis of keywords is performed by CiteSpace software to generate keyword clustering knowledge graphs (Hu et al., 2019 ). The mentioned clusters reflect the last 21 years of topics in fashion design research (shown in Fig.  6 ).

figure 6

Co-citation clusters about “fashion design” theme

The silhouette scores of the major cluster that were focused on in the review were sufficiently high. Analyzing the size of clusters by Silhouette and size, and the cluster labels could be defined by log-likelihood ratio (LLR) to explain the term contained in. The top 10 keywords in the respective cluster are summarized in the Table 5 .

As indicated from the analysis of the keywords in the respective cluster, the research content of the respective cluster overlaps with each other. However, international research in the “fashion design” field can be summarized as eight major research fields: “Skill/Tools/Technologies/Material with fashion innovation”, “Wearing class and Art”, “Sustainable fashion”, “fashion design/ fashion designer and arts work”,” Education”, “fashion industry and business”, “fashion with culture”, “Medical fashion”.

(1) Skill/ Technologies/Materials with fashion design innovation. The common label that appears are: Wearable new materialism; technological innovation, wearable technologies, future mode, digital exploration, digital design, technological innovation, smart material systems. Promoted by the rapid development of society and science and technology, interdisciplinary learning and research has also emerged in the fashion industry. Innovative design, fabric innovation or innovative display combined with high-tech, novel materials and virtual or digital industries turns out to be a novel topic of great interest in the fashion industry (Barati, Karana, & Hekkert, 2019 ; Burns, 2022 ; Bower & Sturman, 2015 ; Chuah, Rauschnabel, Krey, et al., 2016 ; Feng, 2020 ; Ferrara, 2019 ; Huang, Tang, Liu, et al., 2018 ; Juhlin, 2015 ; Rocamora, 2017 ; Smelik, 2018 ; Smelik et al., 2016 ; Ünay & Zehir, 2012 ).

(2) Wearing culture and Arts. The common labels consist of dressing strategies, transgender fashion, men fashion, human right, accessorizing bodyscape, popular art, applied art. It focuses on different types of people, human rights and humanistic concerns, including unisex fashion. The collection is designed and worn with a mix of different arts, cultures and trends, as well as regional dress cultures, such as Chinese. The collection is inclusive of fashion and highly integrated with art (Chance, Camilleri, Winstone, et al., 2016 ; Geczy & Karaminas, 2011 ; Hancock, Johnson-Woods, & Karaminas, 2013 ; Martin, 1999 ; Mocenco, Olaru, Popescu, et al., 2016 ; Nelson & Hwang, 2019 ; Sabine Linke, 2013 ; Tullio-Pow, Yaworski, & Kincaid, 2021 ; Vainshtein, 2012 ).

(3) Sustainable fashion. Including the labels of sustainability knowledge, sustainable fashion, sustainable practice, communicating sustainability, sustainability knowledge, sustainable consumption, etc. Sustainable development and sustainability are a hotspot of discussion in academia. Sustainable fashion, i.e., Eco-fashion, refers to part of a growing design philosophy and sustainable design trend aiming to create a sustainable system capable of supporting environmental, socially responsible and sociocultural aspects (Aakko & Koskennurmi-Sivonen, 2013 ; De Brito, Carbone, & Blanquart, 2008 ; Fletcher, 2013 ; Gordon & Hill, 2015 ; Gwilt, 2020 ; Henninger, Alevizou, & Oates, 2016 ; Lundblad & Davies, 2016 ; Mukendi, Davies, Glozer, & McDonagh, 2020 ; Niinimäki, 2013 ; Shen, 2014 ; Wang & Lu, 2020 ).

(4) Fashion design, fashion designer and arts work. As the fundamental topic in fashion design field, the labels consist of design strategies, young fashion designer, costume design, South Korean contemporary fashion design, China fashion design, etc. Is the research about the characteristics of fashion in different historical stages, region, area, culture and style study (Bugg, 2009 ; Chang & Lee, 2021 ; Creigh-Tyte, 2005 ; Kawamura, 2004 ; Kim & Farrell-Beck, 2005 ; Larner & Molloy, 2009 ; Ling et al., 2016 ; Millspaugh & Kent, 2016 ; Park, 1993 ; Sterlacci, 2019 ).

(5) Education. Responsible fashion business education, teaching system, fashion design course, interactive teaching, fashion entrepreneurship education, etc. Educational methods have constantly been a vital topic required to be discussed, and teaching methods and concepts have been reformed and innovated to respond to social and economic development, as well as to the constant innovation of knowledge, skills and cultural heritage (Armstrong & LeHew, 2013 ; Faerm, 2012 ; Fletcher, 2013 ; Lee & Sohn, 2011 ; Stensaker, 2007 ).

(6) Fashion industry and business. In modern commodity society, the concept of fashion is more than a way of life and an inner state of mind. People's pursuit of fashion will change the existing mode of life and behavior, thereby constantly creating new demands. Accordingly, the emergence of new products is promoted, as well as the development of novel industries. Fashion products are not only characterized by commercial products, but also help create a fashion industry chain and huge economic benefits for its high added value, easy dissemination and wide circulation (Guercini & Runfola, 2010 ; Pal & Gander, 2018 ; Pedersen, Gwozdz, & Hvass, 2018 ; Şen, 2008 ; Shamsuzzoha, Kankaanpaa, Carneiro, et al., 2013 ; Todeschini, Cortimiglia, Callegaro-de-Menezes, & Ghezzi, 2017 ).

(7) Fashion with culture. The labels include cultural heritage, traditional craft methodologies, new vision, cultural identity, cultural knowledge, etc. Understanding the effect of culture on the fashion industry and design creation gives insight into the style of fashion people want. For the identical reason, fashion impacts the way we live. Fashion is impacted by changes in culture (e.g., modernization, art, and even innovative technology). It is noteworthy that fashion is created by people living in different cultures and places. If one wants to understand fashion, one should be aware of the cultures of different places (e.g., traditional cultures, cultural heritage, new cultural contexts, and cross-cultural exchanges) (Fillin-Yeh, 2001 ; Jansen, 2014 ; Ko & Lee, 2011 ; Roche, 1996 ; Rocamora, 2017 ; Woodside & Ko, 2013 ; Zou and Joneurairatana, 2020a , b ).

(8) Medical fashion, the labels (e.g., mask making, world view, disease prevention, wearable development and fashioning masks). The medical area fashion is listed as a separate field because of the specificity and timing of this field. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, the concern for health and disease worldwide has become an essential topic, and almost every research area has a connection with medical care, as impacted by such a general trend and environment, led to developments in the field of “medical care fashion” (e.g., the development of new materials, masks and protective fashion). In addition, due to the development of “human centred design” thinking, the current fashion industry not only pays attention to the creation of artistic works, but also pays more attention to humanistic care. The needs of special groups have also attracted the attention of the fashion industry, such as disabled people, etc. (Kim, et al., 2021 ; Koenig & Carnes, 1999 ; Li & Yim, 2021 ).

Keywords with the strongest citation bursts

Keywords with the strongest citation Bursts can be exploited to reflect the main research content of a research topic over time, and also to reflect the research trends in a certain time period. The tracking and identification of research trends can offer researchers information regarding the changes in research hotspots in the field of specialization, and can provide relevant inspiration and information for researchers in the field. Research frontiers are emerging theoretical trends and new topics that can be synthesized and judged in CiteSpace based on analysis of keywords with the strongest citation bursts (Li & Wang, 2018 ).

After running the CiteSpace software, 13 keywords with maximal citation bursts were obtained (shown in Fig.  7 ).

figure 7

Top 13 keywords with the strongest citation bursts in “fashion design” area

In this study, the research scope is selected from 2000 to 2021, and the strongest citation bursts are concentrated after 2010. The mentioned consist of identity, culture, fashion trend, popular culture, design process, education, design practice, craft, etc. Moreover, the analysis of the strongest citation bursts complies with the following noteworthy points:

The topic of sustainable fashion has burst on the scene three times over the last decade, i.e., in 2015 for “sustainable design”, in 2015 for “sustainability”, as well as in 2018 for “sustainable fashion”. The evolution of sustainable fashion can be identified in the shift from “sustainable production” to “sustainable fashion” concepts. In the wake of the world's biggest ever garment industry disaster, the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh, having caused death of over 1100 people (Rahman, 2014 ) the fashion movement by complying with the concept of “sustainability” is fading massively, which reveals an increased interest in sustainable fashion and ethical practices in the fashion industry (Westervelt, 2015 ). As sustainability turns out to be a “megatrend” (Mittelstaedt, Shultz, Kilbourne, et al., 2014 ), the fashion field has changed dramatically in accordance with the concept of “sustainable fashion” (e.g., sustainable design, fabrics, production and consumption) (Watson & Yan, 2013 ; Mora et al., 2014 ). Moreover, today sustainable fashion refers to a movement and process facilitating the transformation of fashion products and fashion systems towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. Sustainable fashion is not only concerned with fashion textiles or products, but concerned with the dependent social, cultural, ecological and financial systems correlated with people.

Research rends and frontier on fashion design

The identification and tracking of research frontiers present researchers with the latest developments in the disciplinary research evolution, predicts the trends in the research field, and identifies issues required to be explored more specifically. Research frontier topics are novel topics of interest in the field, indicating the social environment and research context. In brief, it can be referenced for relevant researchers in this field.

After CiteSpace is run, keyword timing profiles are generated by time segment based on Cluster co-occurrence analysis (shown in Fig.  8 ).

figure 8

Time zone view in fashion design research

From the time zone view, the research in fashion design can fall into four phrases. The first phrase is that the research situation before 2004 did not form a cluster, thereby indicating that the research on fashion design was scattered before 2004. The second phrase is from 2004 to 2010, thereby revealing that the term of “international modernism” appeared twice. It can be explained by the frequent cross-cultural exchange activities between nations. The research emphasis shifts from fashion research in the traditional sense (e.g., apparel characteristics, designer and design styles) to cross-cultural and regionally fashion culture research (e.g., China, Europe, and the US). The third phase is from 2011 to 2017, more clusters appear in this time period, thereby demonstrating a higher volume of articles published. The research topics in fashion design show a diversity of clusters keywords and a wider range of research directions (e.g., culture, regional fashion, traditional apparel, humanities, education, design approaches and techniques). The fourth stage is from 2017 to the present, the keywords of clusters are more obvious, especially the label around 2017: “wearable technologies”. The mentioned keywords include wearable technology, wearable devices, fashion technology, smart wear, and technology socks. This novel technology is “skin electronics” or “fashion electronics”, which are intelligent electronic devices worn near or on the skin surface to detect, analyze and transmit information regarding the body information, body signals, vital signs or environmental data and others; in several cases, the information can be delivered to the wearer (Chuah, Rauschnabel, Krey, et al., 2016 ; Çiçek, 2015 ; Farrington, 2016 ). The second label is “Transgender Fashion”, unisex fashion, embodies the humanistic nature of fashion. Moreover, the label in 2021 is concerned with “Medical Moment”. With the global outbreak of Covid-19, how to against the virus is the daily topic be concerned by global. Protective clothing, mask has become a necessity in people's lives. Based on this context, the fashion industry has also been affected. The fashion industry think more about the care and needs of the human body, “Medical fashion” has become a popular topic of research. As indicated from the academic view, the research direction of fashion design is closer to the society hot trends and interdisciplinary research. Caring for people's physical, physiological and psychological aspects, fashion research tends to be more human centred design.

Conclusions

By analyzing the frontiers and trends of fashion design research, this study reveals that at the beginning of the research period, the topics of academic research were biased towards research in the humanities (e.g., fashion design, designers, culture, humanistic care, locality, as well as arts work). The direction of research over the past few years has been impacted by the overall global dynamics as well as technological and economic development, thereby demonstrating that the trend of interdisciplinary and cross-border cooperation has entered a stage of development in recent years. The data collection and analysis time of this article is at the end of 2021, but with the development of time and science and technology, such as Digital fashion, Virtual fashion, AI design, Inclusive design, etc. have also become hot topics at the moment. The researcher believe it will produce more academic research in fashion design in the future time.

On the whole, research on the topic of fashion design still has a considerable scope for research. Scholars, designers and practitioners in the fashion field still face huge task. Accordingly, the researcher proposed several suggestions for how to strengthen the process and results of academic research. From a horizontal perspective, (1) the international academic community and researchers should enhance the interact, discuss and conduct collaborative research with each other to provide sustainable vitality and motivation for the research; (2) transnational, cross-unit and cross-border academic exchange and cooperation should be enhanced to create more possibilities for academic research; (3) additional, multilingual journal platforms should be offered for fashion or art fields. From vertical perspective: Combining or contrasting history with modernity. For instance, using new technologies to redesign or study historical apparel, etc. By combining traditional culture with modern technology, the scope of the time-line of fashion design research can be extended.

This study uses quantitative literature analysis to convey information from the literature by creating images, diagrams and information description. The existing state of research in fashion design is reviewed, and provide the knowledge base, the existing state of research, as well as research hot-spots and publication trends in fashion design research. This study can provide existing literature, knowledge map, new inspirations, and research directions to fashion practitioners, researchers, and research institutions. Based on this paper, scholars can efficiently familiarize the field knowledge and facilitate strategic adjustments by relevant institutions.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets supporting the research process and conclusions of this article are included within the additional files. For databases and research results, which is available and has no restrictions to its use by academics or non-academics.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Design Science and Art Research Center from Guangdong University of Technology, for providing the research facilities and environment for this study.

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YZ: Postdoctor, School of Art and Design, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510062, China.

SP: Lecturer and Ph.D., Ph.D in Culture-based Design Arts Program, Faculty of Decorative Arts, Silpakorn Univeristy, Bangkok 10170, Thailand.

TS: Postdoctor, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.

D-BL: Professor and Ph.D., School of Art and Design, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510062, China.

This research was received financial support from “Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Province: Overseas Famous Master Project” Guangdong province, China. The Project No. is 2020A1414010314.

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YXZ conceived the ideas, experimental design, data analization, interpretation of the results, and drafted the manuscript of the analysis. SP and ST gave technical guidance and provided continuous support to perform the experiment successfully,and gave the suggestions about the writing. DBL contributed to the interpretation of the results and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Advances in Fashion and Design Research

Proceedings of the 5th International Fashion and Design Congress, CIMODE 2022, July 4-7, 2022, Guimarães, Portugal

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This book offers a multidisciplinary perspective on research and developments at the interface between industrial design, textile engineering and fashion. It covers advances in fashion and product design, and in textile production alike, reporting on smart and sustainable industrial procedures and 3D printing,  issues in marketing and communication,  and topics concerning social responsibility, sustainability, emotions, creativity and education.  It highlights research that is expected to foster the development of design and fashion on a global and interdisciplinary scale. Gathering the proceedings of the 5th International Fashion and Design Congress, CIMODE 2022, held on July 4-7, 2022, in Guimarães, Portugal, this book offers extensive information and a source of inspiration to both researchers and professionals in the field of fashion, design, engineering, communication as well as education.

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Table of contents (67 papers)

Front matter, fashion and communication, case study of the influence of fashion trends on brands from different sectors: fashion and wine on social network instagram.

  • Ana Maria Pais Soares, Maria José Araújo Marques Abreu

Fashion Open Book: A Digital Platform for the Valorisation of Fashion-Oriented Made in Italy Companies

  • Roberta Angari

O Bobo’s Costume: Analysis of the Portuguese Wardrobe in Theatre and Cinema

  • Carolina Fadigas, João Barata

Tree Fashion and Rhizome Fashion: Perspectives to Think About Fashion

  • Anamélia Fontana Valentim

A Reflection on the Meaning of Fashion

  • Irina Parreira

Online Trend Observation: Analysis of Free Content Available by Fashion-Directed Agencies

  • Layla de Brito Mendes, Ana Cristina Broega, Nelson Pinheiro Gomes

Fashion, Identities and Cultures

Aristocratic glamour. the spanish female archetype disseminated by american fashion magazines.

  • Daniele Gennaioli

HIV Under the Spotlight of Fashion: The Case of Benetton

  • Carlos Andre Luis Sampaio do Nascimento, Simone Wolfgang, Denise Portinari

Wearing Flowers Art, Fashion and Masculinity in 1920s Italy

  • Alessandra Vaccari

Disguise or Transmutation? the Role of Mask in the Contemporary World

  • Renata Pitombo Cidreira, Beatriz Ferreira Pires

Stories of Linen at Procida: An Upcycling Project for Fashion Conscious Design

  • Ornella Cirillo, Roberto Liberti, Caterina Cristina Fiorentino, Andrea Chiara Bonanno

Our Image, Our Reflection: A Personal Image Analysis During the Covid-19 Pandemic

  • Ana Claudia Alcantara, Gisele de Lima Melo Nepomuceno

Textile Material: From Art to Industry - A Future-facing Approach Aimed at Santa Catarina

  • Aline Monçores, Dulce Maciel

Amid Costumes and Points of Opposition: Design, Embroidery and Resistance

  • Fernanda do Nascimento Cintra, Cristiane Mesquita

Becoming-Woman as a Strategy for Subverting the Great Male Renunciation from the Global South

  • Juliano Guimarães Felizardo

Explorations About Textile Artisan Practices in the Minho Region

  • Cleonisia Alves Rodrigues do Vale, Ana Cristina Broega, Gianni Montagna

The Fashion System as Soft Power in a Geopolitical Framework. A Critical Investigation of the Kenya and Liberia Athlete’s Delegation Garments Dressed at Olympic Games Tokyo 2021

  • Bárbara Pino Ahumada, Q’ala Blacker Polanco

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Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Advances in Fashion and Design Research

Book Subtitle : Proceedings of the 5th International Fashion and Design Congress, CIMODE 2022, July 4-7, 2022, Guimarães, Portugal

Editors : Ana Cristina Broega, Joana Cunha, Hélder Carvalho, Bernardo Providência

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16773-7

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Engineering , Engineering (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-031-16772-0 Published: 20 October 2022

eBook ISBN : 978-3-031-16773-7 Published: 19 October 2022

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XXI, 795

Number of Illustrations : 39 b/w illustrations, 221 illustrations in colour

Topics : Industrial and Production Engineering , Structural Materials , Industrial Design

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Fashion Market Research: Specifics, Challenges, and Tips

  • by Alice Ananian
  • May 2, 2024

Fashion Market Research

In the fashion industry, being on top of trends and consumer preferences is the key between launching a hit product and facing an inventory full of unsold merch. Market research is the compass that guides fashion entrepreneurs, retail analysts, and marketing professionals in the right direction, helping them to stay ahead of the game.

Understanding the specifics of fashion market research, overcoming industry-specific challenges, and utilizing the right tools and resources are essential for any player in the fashion industry who wants to thrive. This comprehensive guide equips you with the knowledge and techniques necessary to excel in fashion market research.

Market Research for the Fashion Industry

Market research within the fashion industry is not merely about spotting trends; it’s about understanding the complex web of factors that influence buying decisions. From cultural shifts to economic indicators, a multitude of elements influence what we wear and why. Brands that translate this data into innovative products and marketing strategies are the ones that capture market share.

The fashion industry, notorious for its rapid shifts and turnovers, demands a heightened emphasis on timeliness and accuracy in market research. What was “in” last season might be long-forgotten by the time the next collection hits the shelves. Therefore, the methodology and tools must be as dynamic and trend-responsive as the industry itself.

Fashion market research typically encompasses four key components:

Consumer Behavior and Trends

Studying consumer behavior involves collecting data on shopping habits, brand loyalty, and demographics. To predict upcoming trends, fashion researchers need to be one step ahead, analyzing emerging micro-trends that reflect a changing social landscape.

Competitive Analysis

Understanding your competitors is crucial in the saturated fashion market. This includes identifying key players, benchmarking performance, and keeping an eye on their moves in terms of products, pricing, and promotions.

Product Research and Development

Researching products involves exploring concepts, materials, and designs that resonate with consumers. Feedback loops from surveys, focus groups, and prototype testing can be invaluable in refining products prior to launch.

Marketing and Branding

Effective marketing and branding research involves evaluating the impact of advertisements, the effectiveness of branding statements, and the resonance of the brand’s image with the intended audience.

How to do Fashion Market Research [Step-by-Step Guide]

Fashion is a dynamic industry fueled by trends and consumer preferences. Conducting thorough market research is crucial for any fashion business, from established brands to aspiring designers. Here’s a step-by-step guide to navigate the process:

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

What do you want to learn? Are you trying to validate a new product idea, understand your target audience better, or analyze competitor strategies?

Clearly defined goals will guide your research methods and ensure you gather relevant information.

Example:   A handbag designer wants to launch a line of eco-friendly totes. Their research objective might be to understand consumer preferences for sustainable materials in handbags and their willingness to pay a premium.

Step 2: Find the Right Sources and Tools

There are two main types of research sources: primary and secondary.

Primary Research: Data you collect directly from your target audience. This can involve:

Surveys: Online questionnaires to gather a large pool of data on demographics, preferences, and buying habits. (e.g., Google Forms , SurveyMonkey )

Focus Groups: In-depth discussions with a smaller group to gain qualitative insights into attitudes and motivations.

Interviews: One-on-one conversations for detailed feedback from potential customers.

Pre-launching: This is a goldmine for market research in the fashion industry. By creating a landing page with your concept and gauging customer response, you gain real-time insights into demand, iterate on your design based on feedback, and avoid investing heavily in an idea that might flop. This direct interaction with potential customers makes pre-launching a powerful primary research tool.

Secondary Research: Existing data collected by others. Look for:

Industry Reports: Market research firms publish reports on fashion trends, consumer spending, and market size. 

Here’s where to look:

  • Euromonitor International : Provides comprehensive reports on various fashion segments like apparel, footwear, and accessories, with a global perspective. 
  • LWD (Leather Working Group) : Focuses on the leather industry, offering reports on sustainability practices, sourcing trends, and market analysis. 
  • Nielsen : Offers reports on consumer spending habits and demographics, including insights relevant to the fashion industry. 

Fashion Publications: Trade publications and online fashion magazines often feature trend forecasts and consumer analysis. 

  • The Business of Fashion (BoF) : Publishes insightful reports on various fashion industry topics, including market analysis, trend forecasts, and business strategies. 
  • Vogue Business : Offers in-depth reports on luxury fashion trends, consumer preferences, and the business landscape within the high-end segment. 
  • WWD (Women’s Wear Daily) : Provides regular reports on fashion trends, retail analysis, and industry news, often with a focus on the US market. 

Step 3: Analyze Your Insights

Once you have collected data, it’s time to make sense of it. Analyze survey responses and identify trends in demographics, preferences, and buying habits.

Look for common themes emerging from focus groups and interviews. Summarize key takeaways from industry reports and publications.

Step 4: Develop Buyer Personas

Use your research findings to create detailed profiles of your ideal customers. These buyer personas should include:

  • Demographics (age, gender, income)
  • Lifestyle and interests
  • Fashion preferences and needs
  • Shopping habits and preferred channels

Example: Based on your research, you discover a significant demand for eco-friendly totes among millennial women who prioritize sustainability and ethical manufacturing. This informs your buyer persona.

Pro tip: Make sure to leverage the power of online communities like those on Reddit . Use platforms like this to examine your target audiences threads and not what topics they discuss. 

Step 5:  Understand Your Competitors

Start by identifying your main competitors in the market and conduct a thorough analysis of their products, pricing strategies, marketing channels, and brand image. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of their offerings and how they position themselves in the industry.

Next, scrutinize the market to identify any gaps or unmet needs that your competitors are overlooking. This is your opportunity to carve out a niche for your brand. Think about what unique value proposition your brand can offer to fill these gaps and differentiate itself from the competition. Consider how your products or services can solve problems or meet needs that are currently being neglected.

By focusing on these areas, you can develop a strategic approach that leverages your brand’s unique strengths, setting you apart in a crowded marketplace and positioning you for success

Pro tip: To circumvent all the hassle of a detailed competitor analysis use tools such as the AI Market Research Assistant by Prelaunch.com. This tool allows you to analyze thousands of reviews and feedback to discover top customer praises and complaints simply by entering your competitor’s links.

Step 6:  Summarize Your Findings and Take Action

Create a clear and concise report summarizing your research findings.

Use this information to make informed decisions about product development, marketing strategies, and pricing.

Step 7:  Keep Checking In

Fashion trends and consumer preferences are constantly evolving.  Monitor industry publications, conduct surveys periodically, and stay updated on competitor strategies.

Here’s a list of major fashion industry publications:

  • Harper’s Bazaar
  • WWD (Women’s Wear Daily)
  • The Business of Fashion (BoF)
  • Another Man (menswear)
  • GQ (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) (menswear)
  • Numéro (considered more avant-garde than mainstream publications)

By following these steps and continuously refining your research, you can gain valuable insights that will give your fashion business a competitive edge.

Tools and Resources for Fashion Market Research

Fashion market research equips you with valuable customer insights to design successful clothing lines, marketing campaigns, and pricing strategies. Here’s a breakdown of tools and resources categorized by primary and secondary research methods:

Primary Research

SurveyMonkey and Google Forms : Create online surveys to gather a large pool of data on demographics, preferences, and buying habits from your target audience. These tools offer user-friendly interfaces for designing questionnaires, distributing them electronically, and analyzing the collected data.

UserTesting : Conduct remote usability testing to see how potential customers interact with your clothing line prototypes or website. This online platform allows you to recruit participants, moderate testing sessions, and gain valuable insights into user experience.

Focus Group Discussion Platforms: Platforms like Lookback and User Interviews enable you to conduct online focus groups where you can moderate discussions with a smaller group to gain qualitative insights into attitudes and motivations.

Pro tip: Instead of scattering around to compile a combination of different primary research sources, get all your data in one place with Prelaunch.com . The idea validation platform lets you quickly create a landing page and share it with your friends and wider community to start generating first-hand feedback on your latest apparel concept.

Secondary Research

Industry Reports: Market research firms like Euromonitor International , LWD (Leather Working Group) , and Nielsen publish comprehensive reports on fashion trends, consumer spending, and market size. These reports provide valuable data-driven insights into the industry landscape. Fashion Publications: Stay updated on current trends and consumer analysis through trade publications like Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) and online fashion magazines like The Business of Fashion (BoF) and Vogue Business .

Social Media Listening Tools: Brandwatch and Sprout Social are social media listening tools that allow you to track brand mentions, analyze online conversations, and understand consumer sentiment about fashion trends and brands.

E-commerce Trend Reports: Platforms like Etsy and Trendalytics offer trend reports based on their sales data, giving you insights into what’s popular with online shoppers.

Additional Resources:

Fashion Trend Forecasting Services: WGSN and NellyRodi are fashion trend forecasting services that offer insights into upcoming trends, color palettes, and materials. Subscription fees apply, but these services can be invaluable for staying ahead of the curve.

By leveraging this comprehensive toolkit, you can conduct thorough market research that empowers you to make informed decisions and achieve success in the ever-evolving fashion industry.

Case Study [Start-up brand]: Reformation – Sustainable Style Takes Root

Brand: Reformation

Challenge: Reformation, a sustainable fashion brand launched in 2009, aimed to disrupt the industry with eco-friendly clothing but needed to validate their concept and target market.

fashion research board topics

Market Research Strategy: Reformation utilized a combination of online and offline methods:

  • Social Media Engagement: Reformation actively engaged with their target audience on social media platforms like Instagram, conducting polls and surveys to understand their preferences for sustainable clothing.
  • Trend Analysis: The company closely monitored fashion trend reports and social media conversations to identify styles and silhouettes in high demand.
  • Customer Reviews: Reformation analyzed customer reviews of their existing products to understand what resonated with their audience and identify areas for improvement.

Key Insights:   The research revealed a strong consumer interest in sustainable fashion, particularly among millennials and Gen Z.  They identified a demand for trendy yet timeless pieces made with eco-friendly materials.

Action Taken:

  • Focused on using recycled and sustainable materials like organic cotton and Tencel.
  • Developed a core collection of versatile pieces that aligned with current trends but offered longevity.
  • Utilized social media to showcase their commitment to sustainability and connect with environmentally conscious consumers.

fashion research board topics

Results:   Reformation’s market research ensured their products catered directly to their target audience’s desires.  Their focus on sustainability and trendy styles propelled their growth, establishing them as a leader in the sustainable fashion movement.

These case studies illustrate how established and start-up brands can leverage market research to gain valuable customer insights, adapt their offerings, and achieve success in the dynamic fashion industry.

Overcoming Challenges in Fashion Industry

The fast-paced and ever-evolving nature of the fashion industry presents unique challenges for market researchers. Here are some common roadblocks and how to navigate them:

Fickle Consumer Tastes: Trends shift quickly, making it difficult to predict what will be popular next season.

Social Media Influence:   Viral trends and influencer marketing can significantly impact buying decisions, adding a layer of complexity.

Data Saturation & Inaccuracy:   Consumers may not accurately report their preferences or be swayed by marketing messages in surveys.

Reaching Target Audiences:   Identifying and engaging with specific demographics across diverse online and offline channels can be tricky.

Fast Response Times:   Fashion cycles are short, requiring research to be agile and deliver insights quickly.

Embrace Trend Forecasting: Utilize trend forecasting services and analyze historical data to identify emerging trends with long-term potential.

Monitor Social Media Conversations: Track social media buzz, analyze influencer endorsements, and engage with online communities to understand real-time trends.

Employ Qualitative Research Methods: Conduct focus groups or in-depth interviews to gain deeper insights into consumer motivations and purchase decisions.

This is easier said than done. So a more realistic alternative is to set up a landing page on using the Prelaunch concept validaiton tool to start gaining real insights into purchase intent, as well as what could be improved. 

(e.g. You might offer a garment in certain colors and not others. Based on feedback that is conveniently complied into a single Dashboard you’ll be able to learn what iteration is most popular with your target audience, who they are both demographically/psychographically and and even the optimal price point to set.)

Utilize Diverse Research Methods: Combine quantitative surveys with qualitative methods like focus groups to get a more holistic picture of consumer preferences.

Partner with Social Listening Platforms: Track brand mentions, sentiment analysis, and competitor activity to gain real-time market intelligence.

Rapid Prototyping & A/B Testing:   Create low-fidelity prototypes of designs or marketing campaigns and conduct A/B testing to gather quick feedback and iterate quickly.

Market research is the backbone of success in the fashion industry. By meticulously studying consumer behavior, keeping a finger on the pulse of trends, and analyzing the strategies of competitors, fashion professionals can craft a robust business model. Utilizing the right tools, case studies, and overcoming challenges, your path to informed decision-making is set.

In a realm where yesterday’s fad is tomorrow’s old news, thorough market research ensures you’re always on the cusp of what’s next in fashion. It’s the secret to crafting not just great products, but legacies.

What is fashion market research?

Fashion market research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of data that pertains to the market’s preferences, economic indicators, and various other factors that contribute to the behavior of fashion consumers. This research helps brands and retailers understand what products to create, how to promote them, and at what price point.

Who should be conducting fashion market research?

Anyone involved in the lifecycle of a fashion product should be involved in market research to some degree. This includes designers, manufacturers, retailers, marketers, and any other professionals with a vested interest in the success of a product in the market.

What types of market research are most appropriate for the fashion industry?

A mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods are most appropriate for the fashion industry. This includes surveys, focus groups, trend analysis, and consumer panel studies, among others. These methods help capture both broad market trends and individual consumer preferences.

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Alice Ananian

Alice has over 8 years experience as a strong communicator and creative thinker. She enjoys helping companies refine their branding, deepen their values, and reach their intended audiences through language.

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How to Conduct Fashion Market Research Like a Pro

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Fashion market research provides business owners and entrepreneurs with valuable insights so they can make confident, informed decisions to guide the development or evolution of their fashion business. 

Valued at an impressive 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2020 , the global fashion/apparel industry is a behemoth industry covering a wide variety of garments and accessories.

While this sector has traditionally experienced consistent growth, the past year has been turbulent and challenging. Whether you are considering a new fashion venture or are looking for innovative ways to recover from an unprecedented year, market research is an effective way to guide your efforts.

This article covers how to conduct a combination of primary and secondary research o to power your fashion market research campaign. 

Fashion Market Research Overview 

Fashion market research is the process of gathering and analyzing information to  gain insights into the fashion industry, which includes its top players, your competitors and mainly, your target market. Whether you own an existing apparel business or are considering an entry into the world of fashion, market research can ensure effective use of your marketing expenditure and increase the likelihood of business success.

fashion research board topics

Fashion market research is used to achieve the following:

  • Understand how customers relate to your brand or a competitor’s brand.
  • Identify areas for growth, new markets, and customer segments.
  • Understand how existing customers would like to see your brand evolve.
  • Gain insight into consumer spending when it comes to fashion needs and wants.
  • Collect information about consumer opinions and interactions with various fashion segments (e.g. fast fashion vs. luxury brands).
  • Understand how fashion marketing campaigns influence consumers’ opinions and behavior.

Undertaking a market research campaign project can provide you with the confidence you need to succeed in a highly competitive industry. The end-goal of fashion market research is to gain sufficient information to make informed decisions about your business so that it can thrive. 

The Makeup of Fashion Market Research

Fashion market research is made up of two sources of information, referred to as primary and secondary research. By using both primary and secondary sources of information, you can determine several key factors about your target market and its various segments. These include:

  • Annual spend on fashion in your niche
  • A comparison of shopping experience frequencies, in-store vs. online
  • Wardrobe share of certain brands and/or apparel categories
  • Where and how your target market discovers your brand
  • Shopping triggers
  • Spending forecasts
  • Marketing channels
  • Product diversity 
  • How in-demand your products or brand are

To reap the most insights, you should plan to incorporate both primary and secondary sources to drive your fashion market research towards success.

Primary Research for the Fashion Industry

Primary market research refers to the unique data that is gathered from first-hand sources. While it is more labor-intensive to gather primary information, you are rewarded with data that is particularly relevant to your particular business and customer base. It also puts you in control in terms of the data you collect and then leverage. 

The most valuable sources of primary information for fashion market research are:

  • Online survey tools about existing or prospective customers, i.e., those in your target market that have not yet bought from you.
  • Phone, in-person, and mall intercept interviews
  •  In contrast to one-on-one interviews, a focus group allows for moderated discussion among participants. This provides the opportunity for the group to share ideas and discuss a topic or trend, which is particularly useful when conducting fashion market 
  • This gives marketers an opportunity to observe and understand how customers behave in a natural setting. When it comes to fashion market research, field research provides valuable information about how customers browse and shop, both in-store (through natural observation) and online (via session replay tools). 
  •  Often used to test out new design concepts, user testing gauges customer interest and reception. It is also used to test out in-store shopping experiences and changes to fashion websites. 
  • Consumer research panels

Secondary Research for the Fashion Industry 

Secondary research is performed by sourcing data from existing, published sources, i.e., data that you don’t need to amass yourself, as it has already been conducted. You should then parse through and organize the secondary data to prepare it for analysis.  A strong analysis involves comparing the secondary resources against each other, along with their primary source counterparts.

Good sources of secondary information for the fashion industry include:

  • Market and industry research reports and white papers
  • Fashion industry websites 
  • SEO, keyword, and trends research
  • Governments statistics
  • Your competitors’ websites and other digital properties such as apps, mobile sites, ads, etc.

Secondary Research Sources for Fashion Market Research

To give your fashion market research a jumpstart, we have gathered some of the most relevant sources of secondary information for the fashion industry. 

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  • Marketresearch.com Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis : A veritable font of information about the fashion and apparel industry, this site lets you search and filter to find general industry reports and more specific reports that pertain to your niche or sub-sector. 
  • McKinsey’s State of Fashion Annual Report : A trusted global consulting group, McKinsey publishes a free annual report on the fashion industry that contains insights on the global economy, consumer spending and behavior and the fashion industry as a whole. The recently published report on fashion in 2021 pays special attention to the impact that COVID-19 has had and will continue to have on the industry in the coming year.
  • Statista.com Global Apparel Market – Statistics and Facts : Statista offers a wealth of information and statistics on the fashion market. You can access a variety of charts and reports for free, or purchase more comprehensive reports, such as Apparel Market Worldwide dossier . 
  • NPD Fashion Trend Tracker : The global consulting group NPD has created a subscription-based trend tracker that provides the latest information on changing fashion trends. Use this to track change and identify areas of growth in your vertical. 
  • NPD website : In addition to paid sources of information, the NPD Group is also an excellent source of free information about the fashion and apparel industry, published as articles and blog posts on their website. 
  • The Business of Fashion : This online magazine collates insights gathered by journalists in over 125 countries. Subscription-based memberships are available for those who want to gain insights from a leading source of fashion industry news and information. 
  • KPMG Sustainable Fashion report : Published by KPMG, this free report focuses on consumer perception of sustainable fashion. The group interviewed over 1,000 individuals in the world’s largest cities to understand how consumers relate to sustainable fashion and responsible buying behavior. 
  • CommonObjective.co : For anyone with an eye on sustainability as it pertains to fashion, Common Objective is a valuable source of both free and paid information about trends, sourcing, marketing, consumer behavior, and more.

Confront New Challenges with Market Research 

Fashion businesses have more challenges to consider than ever before. If your business is struggling to recover from the global pandemic, market research can help you identify new areas of growth. With a tightened budget, market research is vital to ensure your marketing and advertising spend is used wisely.

Or perhaps you are looking to evolve your business in response to the concerns of “woke” consumers , who demand a higher level of environment and social responsibility from fashion brands. Market research can help you meet these demands and shape your targeted messaging. 

Even without new challenges, every fashion business fights the constant battle to remain relevant and stylish in an ever-changing landscape. Consumers on the hunt for something unique and new will continue to push fashion brands to evolve their style to satisfy their customers’ demands. 

Fortunately, this demand comes with more direct access to your customers via social media. You can benefit from an engaged audience by regularly deploying online surveys to gather insights about their needs and desires, no matter how often they change.

Regardless of your motivations, fashion market research can provide you with valuable insights to help you make confident decisions in the months and years to come. 

Frequently asked questions

What is fashion market research.

Fashion market research involves collecting and analyzing data in order to gain a better understanding of how an apparel business is positioned in the competitive landscape.

Who can benefit from fashion market research?

Fashion market research is beneficial for a wide variety of businesses that operate within the fashion industry. This includes established brands, fashion startups, brick-and-mortar stores, apparel chains, and artisan fashion producers.

What are some of the reasons for conducting fashion market research?

Fashion market research can help a business identify new target markets, understand how existing customers feel about their brand, gain insights into fashion spending, and explore how marketing campaigns can affect buying behavior.

How is fashion market research conducted?

After identifying the goals of the fashion market research project, the team will conduct primary and secondary research to gather information from the appropriate sources. Then, this information will be compiled into a report that contains findings and recommendations.

What types of primary research are most appropriate for fashion market research?

The most useful types of primary research for the fashion industry include surveys, interviews, focus groups, field research, mall intercepts, and user testing.

Do you want to distribute your survey? Pollfish offers you access to millions of targeted consumers to get survey responses from $0.95 per complete. Launch your survey today.

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How to create a fashion moodboard for summer 2024 trends

Theren Moodley

With Spring in the air, the time to start planning and incorporating summer outfits in a fashion moodboard is fast approaching.

So for this year's update we'll take you through the hottest trends for summer 2024 that we're seeing from the brands we're working with.

In summary:

  • What is a fashion moodboard - A fashion moodboard is visual representation of photos, icons, fabrics swatches, color palettes, product examples and design sketches used in the inspiration process, that explain the design concept of a theme or collection
  • How to create a fashion moodboard - Our research shows this can be done online using a fashion moodboard maker or offline using a corkboard and crucially, is the start of the inspiration process for fashion designers
  • The top trends for summer 2024 - Inclusive styles, short suits and bloke core are a mix of styles catering to a variety of tastes for summer 2024, with drops in these areas from the biggest and fastest-growing brands
  • Sources of inspiration - Designers can head to sites such as; Pinterest , Gem , Tagwalk, and Unsplash to find content for their fashion moodboard, which is what we did to build the fashion moodboard examples below

Blokecore will be a key summer 2024 trend to add to your fashion moodboard

Read on for more in-depth content on the process.

👚 What is a fashion mood board?

A fashion moodboard is visual representation of photos, icons, fabrics swatches, color palettes, product examples and design sketches used in the inspiration process, that explain the design concept of a theme or collection.

At least this is what over 500 designer interviews and 10 years in the fashion industry has taught us.

And this inspiration board is key component in fashion creation.

Traditionally creating fashion moodboards took the form of a physical board in the office, filled with magazine cutouts, fabric swatches, photos and newspaper clippings, used to set the aesthetic of a brand's project.

For brands and designers the moodboard represents the first stage of inspiration in the design process .

A place to collect their ideas, look for themes, and finally start to join those ideas and patterns on their fashion moodboard, into what will eventually become a new collection.

The main function of a fashion moodboard is to focus the fashion designer’s mind on the aesthetic, style and direction, while also relaying the colour influences.

Read more about our experience with moodboards , as well as our time fashion moodboarding in Emilie's blog on why we started Make the Dot.

Fashion moodboards importance from 10years worth of insights?

In our decade long experience working with fashion brands of all sizes, we've seen the fashion moodboard grow in importance and play a number of roles across different departments.

Fashion design

The fashion moodboard is a canvas and workspace to collect ideas and inspiration and turn them into concepts and themes

Product development

That content, design sketches, color palettes and swatches can now be used to create an actual mockup of a fashion style

Bill of material, point of measure, costing and other product sourcing requirements can be linked further down the value chain

Style guides, brand guides and marketing assets are all then created using the content and themes on the fashion moodboard

Visual Merchandising

Finally stores, pop-ups and malls all get guidance from the concepts created on and within the board

For more in-depth content on the moodboard creation process and our insights, checkout that blog .

💻 How do you create a fashion moodboard?

The creative process to create a mood board, is either online using a fashion moodboard maker / digital mood board or offline using a physical mood board and is seen as the start of the inspiration process ➡️

Fashion designers from brands of all shapes and sizes use this stage to collect their ideas, look for themes, and finally start to join those ideas and patterns on their fashion moodboard, into what will eventually become a collection.

The main function of a fashion moodboard is to focus the fashion designer’s mind on the initial idea, aesthetic, style and direction, while also relaying the brand values 🖼

Below is the steps taken to create mood boards in general as well as a fashion moodboard.

The first step is where to look for inspiration.

Where to look for inspiration

  • Offline sources - Parks, art, nature, music, poetry and travel have all been sources of inspiration designers we've heard during our research
  • Online sources - Vintage outfits, catwalk images, generic stock images and fashion weeks are all sources we've found

A full list off the online sources we'd recommend using for your digital mood board are listed below.

How to organize content

  • Storage - icloud, gdrive, box & Onedrive are all cloud based storage options
  • Platfroms - Adobe , Pinterest and Make the Dot are all online platforms to help designers organzie content

Top Tip! Start with a fashion moodboard template , to make the process even quicker and easier if you're creating a mood board in digital form.

How to present your themes

  • Physical board - This physical space is still the preferred method for many fashion designers as it's size gives the aesthetic big picture
  • Digital moodboard - Makes sense in giving designers flexibility to present their fashion moodboard from anywhere, anytime

We've also written a more in-depth blog on the process and challenges fashion designers face when creating a fashion moodboard.

The contains the best things and best way to present your ideas, from feedback from over 500 interviews.

Fashion moodboard platforms

In order to create a digital mood or fashion moodboard, the designer needs a fashion moodboard maker, and for this there are a few tools on the market today.

Pinterest ‍

An online app and image database popular with fashion designers the world over. Its rich fashion database and imagery makes it easy to collect images and make a fashion moodboard online in the right direction

A design tool known to both novice and experienced designers. Canva’s free tier and template library allows users the ability to create fashion moodboards online in a simple and easy way

Make the Dot ‍

(cough cough) Make the Dot is the all-in-one fashion moodboard maker, whose main purpose is focused specifically on fashion designers. Our free forever app and fashion specific features such as; built in color palettes, an infinite canvas , browser plugin and built in collaboration.

This gives designers all the things they need to start designing their fashion moodboards fast and collaboratively.

👀 The top summer fashion trends to add to your fashion moodboard

Ok, now we know how what is a fashion moodboard and how to make a fashion moodboard online, lets get into the hottest trends from the fashion industry for Summer 2024. And how that 2024 mood board might look.

Inclusive fashion

Summer 2024 fashion moodboard aside, inclusive fashion can mean many things to many different people and brands.

To some it may mean more diverse sizes and categories, while to others it may mean more diverse color palettes to complement a variety of skin tones.

First pioneered in the beauty industry by Rhianna and Fenty the fashion industry is finally catching up.

Partner of ours, East Side Golf have pioneered inclusive fashion for golfers that combine golfing traditional styles and assortments with streetwear designs targeted at minority communities, who are joining the sport in droves.

With collabs with Jordan and Mercedes , they have become favourites for sport stars such as Steve Curry and DJ Khalid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eastside Golf (@eastsidegolf)

Short suits

A new ensemble we're seeing for 2024 is a combination of formal suit top halves, and short bottom halves within the suit ware category.

J. Crew , Topman , Asos, and Barneys are among the retailers selling the short suit this season. They may be taking cues from fashion icon Pharrell Williams, who donned tuxedo shorts to the Academy Awards earlier this year.

"It’s definitely having a moment, particularly with younger guys," Jon Patrick, the creative director at menswear company J.Hilburn.

Are your fashion moodboard's for 2024, containing this look?

suit short fashion moodboard 2024 for Pharrell Williams

Last but not least with the Euro 2024 football championship in Germany this summer, blokecore is having it's moment.

Adidas sambas, a football terrance staple from the 1980s were one of the most sought after and fastest selling trainers so far this year, donning the feet of everyone from Hailey Bieber to Gigi Hadid.

Not to be left behind, Puma recently brought back another fan favourite from it's archive, the Palermo, in collaborative with Dua Lipa and Man City footballer Jack Grealish.

So what is blokecore, and how can this be incorporated into your fashion moodboard for summer 2024.

Think all things football (or soccer if you insist).

Trainers / sneakers

And things you would have seen in the stands in the 1970s and 80s.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by DUA LIPA (@dualipa)

How to incorporate these looks in your summer 2024 fashion moodboard

What elements to add.

  • ‍ Color swatches - Look to incorporate color palettes and colour swatches that tell the story of the summer and 2024 like; peach and pink ‍
  • Fabric swatches - Softer lighter hues will be key this summer so play around with these fabric swatches on your fashion moodboard. Checkout marketplaces like PV , as well as our in-depth blog on the subject to see which fabrics we'd recommend ‍
  • Patterns & prints - Florals, bright prints and abstracts will all be important this summer. Read our blog from PV22 to see how we saw these incorporated in fashion moodboard
  • Garment inspiration - Visualizing similar styles, fits and looks is also a must for fashion designers when creating their fashion moodboard. It gives them a visual idea of how they might create their own collection. We use vogue for the latest looks straight from the runway
  • Design sketches - Last but not least, design sketches are essential for any fashion moodboard. They are the bones for any future style and bring clarity to any creative noise.

Some fashion moodboard examples for summer 2024

Checkout some example fashion moodboards for summer 2024 trends I made below.

Hope these will be some inspiration to you.

Tina from Pratt creating her fashion moodboard in 2024

📰 The best sources to find fashion trends and inspiration

Last and most importantly finding sources of inspiration for these summer 2024 fashion trends is key, and below I’ve listed a few useful sources that have a rich library of content.

With one of the internets largest fashion specific image libraries available, Tagwalk is a great place to start your inspiration journey. Search by category, season or collection to start building out your 2024 fashion mood board

While Tagwalk is fashion specific, Unsplash contains a vaster but more generalised image library, allowing you to fill your 2024 mood board with way more than just hot fits. Think Google Images x 10

Focusing more on content and imagery of a more vintage nature, Gem is a great resource for comparing Summer 2024 trends to those of a more vintage nature, in particular content around the original 1980s blokecore.

To summarise

  • Fashion moodboards are important for designers and other departments within brands
  • Moodboards can be created digitally and physically using a number of tools
  • Fashion moodboard templates help a lot
  • Inclusive styles, short suits and bloke core are a mix of styles catering to a variety of tastes for summer 2024, with drops in these areas from the biggest and fastest-growing brands
  • Incorporating the right colors, fabric swatches and patterns in your fashion moodboard are key
  • A number of useful online sites exist for fashion designers

I hope this blog and our insights helped you create your perfect fashion moodboard for summer 2024.

Check out our other blogs on moodboards for fashion below👇

  • How to create a design moodboard
  • How to create a gender fluid moodboard for 2023
  • The process and challenges with moodboarding in 2023
  • The top 3 moodboard apps for 2023
  • Export your boards into PDFs or PNGs
  • Generate public share links for your boards
  • Create a board for every idea

If you found this fashion blog useful please share below and follow our Instagram page for more content like this ✌️

Like the article? Spread the word

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How To Create A Fashion Mood Board

HOW TO CREATE A FASHION MOOD BOARD

Fashion mood board, visual board, inspiration board, storyboard… whatever you choose to call them is up to you. No matter the name, they are a fantastic way to set the visual direction for an apparel brand project.  

Traditionally fashion mood boards were made in physical format, with magazine tear-outs, pictures, and swatches pinned on a foam board, but today you can create them to suit your working style and brand needs.

In this post, you will get actionable mood board tips so you can go and create yours asap. But first, let’s start from the beginning.

What is a fashion mood board?

A fashion mood board is a collage. A visual summary of inspirational images, objects, material swatches, trims, or product examples that explain the concept and feeling of your brand, collection, or customer. It is basically a brain dump of whatever you are inspired by. The inspiration can be a theme, a place, a color scheme, a material story, or entirely functional, based on the activity of your customer.  

It is a design tool that will help you remain focused and consistent as your clothing line develops.

Fashion mood boards are a perfect communication tool when explaining your vision to others. It can be your team or your product developers, supplier, manufacturers, retailers, etc.  

You can either do it on the computer or on a big hardboard or foam board. Personally, I love to touch things and feel the textures, so a physical board or wall is my thing. Try both till you find your favorite way of working.  

Fashion mood boards can also be used in many more areas than just the collection and product design.

You can use mood boards to brief a branding designer for creating your brand designs.  

You can use a fashion mood board to brief a web designer on how to create your website.  

You can use a fashion mood board for pretty much any other type of design project.

Apparel Brand Business Plan

  Why do you need a fashion mood board for your apparel brand?

The fashion mood board helps you find your inspiration. It will help you refine your ideas. You might think that you have a strong idea in your head, but by putting it in front of you, a mood board will give you the clarity you need before you start designing and getting all the materials.  

It will also make you stay consistent and focused on your brand values. You will have the inspiration in front of you, and you will be reminded of where you are going. Before designing your garments, the images and objects on the board will help you steer in the right direction.

The fashion mood board also helps you communicate your ideas and give you the same visual reference with your team.

fashion research board topics

  How to make a fashion mood board

The fashion industry is enormous, with hundreds of thousands of brands. As a creative, you want to make collections and products that are unique, that are authentic and that speak YOUR voice as a designer and brand founder.

The mood board phase is the start of something unique, the start of something no one else has. Because the choice of pictures, swatches, things you put on the board are entirely uniqe to YOU. This is where you create your own universe, with your values, your taste, with your individual vision.

The fashion mood board phase starts with research. Go to galleries, museums, fabric fairs, and shops. Listen to music, watch movies, see what’s in style on the streets, look at architecture, design objects, industrial design, visit boutiques. Old photos, accessories, trims, basically any visual reference. Be open to what catches your interest and what you get ideas from.  

Google search words and see where that takes you.

If you are a creative, we assume you have tons of notebooks with brilliant notes and sketches, and great ideas. Look through your scrapbooks if you have any. What’s in your notebooks and your scrapbooks is already curated. The chances are you might want to use those somehow. Now might be an excellent time for your next collection.

For more “live” inspiration, go on a trip, go to galleries, exhibitions, the library, or to a music festival. Buy fashion, design, and architecture magazines that catch your eye. Your board doesn’t necessarily have only to include garment pictures. It can be a modern architectural building, a beautiful sculpture, a vintage shoe, a breathtaking view, a specific film, a song, even a conversation.  

Use a big foam board or a hardboard or even a wall. Select your pictures and items you want to put on the board or wall and pin them to the board. A good suggestion is to pin the items so you can remove or replace them if things change or if you just want to rearrange the board.

You can write down words that pop up in your head and put them on your board. For some people, words are more inspirational than images.

It is very easy to look at what other brands are doing and to pin pictures of referential garments. But please give yourself a challenge, and DON’T include competitors products on your board. You could have details and smaller parts of a garment picture for fit or detail referral, but going back to the word unique, create your own twists.

You can also pin material swatches and trims you like. You can make small mock-ups for exciting design solutions. Pin anything that will evoke some sort of feeling.

It could be a good idea to give your board a title, like a phrase or a name. Theme keywords and inspiration words. Combine two or several words, a phrase from a movie, a poem. Choose whatever textual form that inspires you.  

This can be used later in all your marketing and sales material.

No matter how many pics and things you have on your board at the end, edit. The pics that don’t speak to you that much, or that are not precisely on “topic” should be taken off the board. Consistency is key. Too many different things can give a messy impression. With time you will learn how to curate.

Think about why you have chosen the pictures and maybe note it down. It will help you explain your ideas and what you are trying to achieve later when you talk to your team. What emotions are your pictures evoking? Pay extra attention to that.  

To make sure you are consistent in your head and not only on your board, present the mood board to a team member or a friend. Is it clear? Do they get it? Do they feel the direction you are going in? Do they understand what’s important? If not, rework it to make it even more clear.  

Saying things out loud will force you to think what makes sense and what doesn’t follow the red thread.

All items should complement each other and have a particular look that the brand is either looking for or is known for.  

Look at it critically, take a step back, take a break, step away from it for a while to get a new perspective. Maybe pause for a day or two. When you return to it, see what sticks out, what is not clear, and what you should rework.

Not every picture or item on the mood board has to directly link to the design you are going to create later on in your collection. It can, but it doesn’t have to, it can just simply work as an inspiration.

One more crucial thing: Have fun! This part, before the product development phase, is essential and will dictate the tone of your collection. Give yourself a couple of days or even weeks, don’t stress or force it, and trust the process. Take a step back, look at it from afar, and open your brain up for the input flow that it will give you. Take notes and even sketch if you get immediate ideas.

When you are finished, make an edited digital version. It will serve as a fantastic communication tool. You can use it on social media, in your look books, you choose. The mood board is a living document and should be changed season to season because, like you, your brand will evolve.  

You may even make different mood boards, the main one, smaller ones for prints for example, or for the marketing team, or for the photographer.

Examples of fashion mood boards

Apparel Entrepreneurship Mood Board 1

9 Moodboard tips

Now onto some tactics on how to create a mood board:

1. Decide your objective

What is it that you want to achieve? Do you want a “literal” board with exact colors, materials, fonts, or product pictures, or do you want an inspirational, vibe setting mood board? You could also start with one, the vibe and mood-setting one, and finish with the actual final one where you have edited and OKed everything on it.

2. Think about a direction

Before you start pinning and selecting pictures and things, think about the direction or theme of where you want this to go in. Do you want to go punk rock or free spirit? But what you shouldn’t do is be all over the place with your things on the board. Remember, there should be a red thread and consistency in everything. If you are designing seasonal collections, then the mood board should reflect the season you want to design for.  

3. Big picture to detail

Add, for example, pics that set the tone for your inspiration. What is the place for your product? Is it the beach, or a city? Then continue to add pics related to this topic. You set the tone and vibe of where your products will be used and add pictures and references that inspire you all the way down to details like a button, for example. Remember that the images you add can also be consistent in color to take the inspiration to the next level, or add color swatches directly.

4. Composition of the board

To indicate the importance of the pics you can work with size. The more essential pics can be bigger in size and the less important ones a bit smaller. Add colors, fonts, materials swatches to create a balance. It should feel comfortable to the eye and remember, we see things from top left, to the right, then down left towards right. Another way is to focus from the center of the board, outward. You can also group related pictures for a stronger impact.

Layer the images on top of each other, group them neatly, on colors, on a vibe, on personality.

The layout is completely individual. Some want a super neat board, some want a creative fashion mood board with pics stacked, materials swatches, even products. It all depends on you and how you want to use the board.

6. Time spent on creating the fashion mood board

There is no right amount of time that someone should spend on creating the board. It all depends on how much information and material you have collected or created before making the board. It depends on how many notes you already have, how fast and decisive you are in the research phase, and if you are a person that knows exactly what they want.  

Because the more time you spend here, on researching and creating an excellent fashion mood board, chances are, the smoother your project will run. Because the principal directions are set, the “hard” design and collection decisions are taken, you need to focus on the creating and following the mood board.

7. Add notes and sounds for more profound inspiration

Mood boards are more visual, but this can be highlighted by notes and sounds, even smells.  

Do put poems, or quotes on your board if you feel it helps you and strengthens your direction.  

Do you have a particular song that you want to be connected to this project, then add it or play it. Do you have specific smells, add those too. Everything that increases your inspiration and takes you to that final “dream” helps.

8. Trust your intuition

You will know for sure what you like and what you don’t like. Notice what resonates with you, don’t force anything. If something is NOT speaking to you, then don’t put it on the board. Make two piles if you have to, one that is 100% and one with 80%. The 100% you put on the boards, edit and see what happens. When you are done, take a look at your 80% pile and see if something from there should fit in better. Curation and editing are key!

And what do you edit, well, everything that doesn’t fit in with your story or that’s odd or sticks out. A strange color or a detail that is completely isolated, for example.  

9. Sleep on it

When you think you are done, you are not really done. You might have worked a lot on it, and you might also get tired of seeing it, but sleeping on it one night will give you a new different perspective. You will probably change some things or not, but at least you will be more finished with one night’s sleep view.  

And finally, enjoy, this is one of the best parts about having your own brand, the playing, the dreaming, the visualizing, and the conceptualizing.

One thing that should ALWAYS stay the same is your target customer or your muse. The person that you are designing and creating for. Your customer will remain the same, his/her values will stay the same, the beliefs will stay the same. It’s just the seasons that shift.  

How to start a profitable clothing brand

Physical or digital fashion mood boards?

Physical boards are easy to create, and they don’t require much space. If you do them on loose boards, you can easily move those around, take them with you to meetings, or store them away.

If you use a wall as your board, then, yes, that’s a bit more permanent solution, but this can be a good thing. When you see your fantastic fashion mood board every day, you will keep the inspiration going, and you will keep the motivation up. New ideas can take shape, and you can tweak the board as you work, take down pieces from the wall, go to your desk, work for a bit, repin them on the wall, etc.

From a bigger board or wall, you can always edit and create a smaller board. By taking the essence out, you could make it even more evident.

Digital fashion mood boards

The advantage of digital boards is that they don’t need any physical space. You can’t lose them, you can’t mess them up, you cant spill coffee on them, they are on your computer. You can adjust the pictures you find online very easily in Photoshop, for example.  

You can easily email them to your team or people you work with, and you can use them in all your media.  

Whichever form you use depends on what you want to accomplish with the board. If it’s only for you, then it doesn’t matter, you do it the way it suits you. If you have a team and the boards need to be sent back and forward, then a digital form is better than physical.  

It also depends if you only have pictures or color swatches on your board, then it doesn’t matter which format it is. If you want and need to have fabric swatches, trims, and accessories, textured physical products, you absolutely need to do it in physical form.  

Personally, I don’t find digital mood boards as fun. I sit in front of the computer all day long. When the inspiration and creative time arrives, I want to fully immerse myself in it and get away from the computer. There’s something nice about cutting and pasting and playing around with pictures and swatches. We don’t work in analog ways today, most of what we do it on a computer.   It can be a good thing. To creating something truly unique, you have to do things in other ways than what you are used to. It will most probably force you to think more outside of the box.

Remember that you can combine both to suit your needs. Material swatches can be scanned in, or you can take pictures of the swatches. You can tear out magazine pictures and add them to your board, just have fun with it and play around. There are no rules! Lean into your creativity and let it flow for a while.  

You can create several mood boards: one main version for the collection theme, one for the prints, one for the fit and silhouette, one for graphical elements, one for trims, one for colors. You decide. The more boards you have, the easier it will be to do the actual design. Because you know what to focus on, all that is left is the actual incorporation of the board and implementation.  

So to summarize, what can you include in your fashion mood board?

Here are some ideas:.

  • the general mood
  • textures, fabric swatches, cords, trims  
  • design elements / inspiration
  • lifestyle images
  • color palette swatches
  • words, or phrases to emphasize the theme or mood
  • graphics or graphical elements
  • styling details
  • composition and content themes
  • video & motion
  • sound or music

One last thing about the pictures or objects on the mood board:

Note the explanation to all the things pinned on the board and keep track of what you want to say with each thing and why you chose it. Why is that thing important for the board?

By doing this, you will become very clear with your intentions, both for yourself and your team.

And clarity saves time! And time is money:)

Mood board resources

There are a lot of great resources online to help you create your fashion mood board, physical or digital. We have put together a list with fantastic mood board apps, mood board generators, mood board tools, and mood board resources.

Discover the excellent mood board resources and tools in the list below:

Great for inspiration pictures. The mother of all mood board sites.

Pinterest mood board

Perfect for layouts and templates. You can use Canva for graphics, social media, and basically all your marketing material.  

Canva

Online mood board generator. Stunning interface and very easy to use.

Milanote

Userfriendly with drag and drop functions plus picture and color editing functions.  

Moodzer

Online color generator

Coolors

A notetaking app to keep track of ALL your notes and ideas. It’s fantastic!

Evernote for mode boards

Huge image databank

getty mood board images

Online source of freely usable images.

Mood board images

Mood Board Adobe

Adobe Creative Suite with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Programs you will use in your business from Product design to pictures and all your marketing material. A must for all apparel business entrepreneurs.

Adobe fashion mood board

Final words

With your completed fashion mood boards, you know where you are going. You know what the collection direction is. With the final information in front of you, it’s easier to design. You can dig right in, start sketching and start with your material sourcing.

The entire team is on board with what theme they are working towards, and this makes it way easier to reach the end goal.

Now you also have material to brief your graphic designer or your marketing team.

When you have put so much research and time into the planning phase, you will save a lot of time in the implementation stage.

Enjoy, this is one of the best things about being an apparel designer and entrepreneur. You are the one putting out the vision and the direction.

Now go create some magic!

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What is a Fashion Mood Board and how to create one?

  • Moni Omotoso
  • January 30, 2023

At the start of every new season, fashion designers shift through their research and distil the essence of it into what is commonly referred to as “fashion moodboard”. A visual diary of details and inspirations that will later serve as a guideline and constant source of further inspiration while finalising the new collection.

Once you have taken your research as far as it can go, many creatives will tell you that their heads are sometimes on the point of explosion with the myriad ideas and thoughts floating around.

What is a Fashion Moodboard?

Collating your ideas systematically in order to make sense of them yourself and to share with others, is the next step in the design process . This process is called research evaluation, otherwise known as moodboard creation.

The main function of a fashion moodboard is to focus the designer’s mind on the aesthetic, style and direction of the collection, while also relaying the colour influences and design area. Visual information relating to your research influences should also be displayed in this format.

The fashion moodboard should be produced as a summary of your findings and before any serious design development begins. The success of a board is due to image selection, editing and layout, which must be sympathetic to the mood the board is trying to convey.

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What goes into a Fashion Moodboard?

The amount of information needed to convey the mood is the designer’s choice and can vary. Sometimes three images are enough to summarize the mood, sometimes ten are required.

The images used are selected from your research, both primary and secondary sources.

The fashion moodboard should also be treated as a tool to refresh your mind. One that enables you to return to it throughout the designing process and to discover something new. This will enable you to create a collection that’s imbued with multiple layers of depth and visual interest.

On occasion, ideas can dry up but, providing your research material is multi-faceted and displayed on the board, this need not occur. It’s clearly obvious when a designer’s research material is flimsy, as the lack of depth is relayed in the strength (or lack thereof) of the collection.

The main function of a fashion moodboard is to focus the designer’s mind.

BEFORE YOU START…

Prior to creating your fashion moodboard consider these points:

  • What is the message you’re trying to convey?
  • Have you reviewed your images to check for consistency?
  • Take developmental shots of different layouts with different images prior to creating the finished board.
  • Crop, augment and change the colours on your images prior to using them. Scan them into your computer and use Photoshop to modify them.
  • Add to your selection of images if necessary.
  • Consider your paper choices carefully and select them based on colour, texture, weight, finish and quality.
  • Overlapping your images and grouping them in a variety of ways allows you to evaluate your final layout choices.
  • Don’t be afraid to let your visuals breathe by making the most of negative space on the board.
  • Ask for the opinions of your team before you finalise your board.

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fashion research board topics

How to create a Fashion Moodboard?

In fashion moodboard creation, keeping things simple is key and will deliver your message clearly to you and your audience.

The size of your board is dependent on its use as they’re often very large if used in a design studio but could be smaller to reflect your set-up.

The moodboard should contain a number of key elements which include the following:

1) Colour palette

Colour choices need to be clearly identified through the use of swatches or images. These can be in the form of fabrics, paint shade cards, Pantone shade cards or colours that you create yourself.

Whatever colour swatches you choose, they must correlate with the colours of your imagery and create a link.

2) Fabric and texture

Fabrics that you’ve chosen during the research period should be displayed on your board.

Include, trimmings, prints and any other embellishments also. Tangible samples are important in order to convey and support any developing ideas.

Fabric choices also can represent texture and add depth to the research and consequent designs.

3) Theme reference research

A moodboard charts your research journey from initial idea to further development, therefore, it’s important that it focusses and edits back to the most important images used for your inspiration.

Most collections are based on a theme – it can be visual, sensory or literary. Exploring the theme and defining it on the moodboard allows for better and more focused design process . It informs the later, selection of materials and trims as well as design details that may be applied to the product.

4) Target market

Re-visit your initial research and brief, when you had considered who you were designing for. This could be the client or your own muse. Include references, in the form of images, to their perceived lifestyle.

Knowing who would be the end client helps create the moodboard. Referring to the client’s taste and interests helps create a more focused fashion moodboard.

5) Keywords and text

Inspiration can come from many sources . Sometimes they are visuals and at times they may either be solely or be supported by words.

Annotating your board with short paragraphs or descriptive words to describe the theme or story of the collection to the viewer.

Words can sometimes be more powerful than images, as they allow the mind to wonder and for creativity not to be confined.

6) Styling imager

This is closely linked to the Market in reference to the lifestyle of the muse or client. It adds depth to the character by including imagery of props and styling as well as hair and make-up suggestions which all contribute to creating an ideal image for your collection.

fashion design moodboard

Finalising your Moodboard

The key stages to consider, prior to finalising your board include the following:

  • Analyse your chosen images
  • Undertake more research if required
  • Determine the mood you want to convey
  • Decide on a traditional or digital approach
  • Select your paper/board
  • Explore, develop and refine your images and layout
  • Print or compile your board

In this digital age, you now have two choices of how to present your moodboard.

The traditional method displays your work onto boards. The images can be placed at angles or perpendicular to the edge of the board, but use a set square to ensure accuracy for the latter. Ensure that you have reference points marked onto the board prior to attaching the images. For best results use spray glue and colour photocopy the board for a more professional finish.

The digital method, on the other hand, enables you to scan your imagery onto your computer. Here you can use Photoshop to manipulate and augment them. Should you wish to resize, recolour, overlay or to add special effects to your images the vast selection of processes will allow you to achieve them.

As a designer with a signature style that should gain strength seasonally, it would be a good idea to allow your moodboards to evolve also.

If your focal point involves a muse, your narrative or story should follow a similar trajectory every six months. The lifestyle of your muse will remain as it was but her wardrobe will change according to the season.

Use your first board to inspire your second and build brand awareness that is both personal and very distinctive.

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How to Create a Fashion Trend Board (with examples)

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There are several types of inspiration boards that fashion designers use creating new collections. Each serves various purposes, such as  fashion mood boards  that capture the vibe for a collection, or color boards that showcase a garment assortment’s color palette. Trend boards do just as they say – they capture a trend! 

What is a Fashion Trend Board?

A fashion design trend board is a visual presentation that showcases a curated selection of images such as colors, patterns, textures, and other visual elements that collectively represent a specific fashion trend or concept. 

These boards serve as tools for designers, brand managers, and fashion professionals to capture the essence of a trend and use it as a source of inspiration in their creative fashion design process. 

Trend boards typically include photographs, sketches, magazine clippings, fabric swatches, and sometimes even written descriptions to relay the key elements and mood of the trend.

They enable designers to explore and experiment with various design elements that align with the chosen trend, helping them conceptualize cohesive and on-trend collections fit for their  target customer  and fashion market. 

What is the Difference between a Mood Board and Trend Board?

fashion research board topics

Mood boards  and trend boards are often confused, but they each serve distinct purposes.

A mood board ‘s main purpose, like the one above on the left by  Stacked Studio , is to capture and convey the overall mood, feeling, and aesthetic of a collection. It typically contains a mix of photos, colors, textures, and patterns to inspire and guide the creative process, allowing room for interpretation and creative freedom. 

On the other hand, a trend board , like the above one on the right from Jacqueline Diane , focuses on showcasing a specific fashion trend or concept in a more detailed way. It can include hand-picked visuals, materials swatches, sketches, and descriptions that represent the trend’s key elements, such as colors, fabrics, silhouettes, and design features.

Compared to mood boards, trend boards are highly specific and actionable and serve as direct references for fashion designers looking to align their collections with current and upcoming trends.

Where to Find Inspiration for Fashion Trend Boards

Finding the right sources of inspiration is key to creating trend boards that resonate with your target customer and accurately reflect the up-and-coming trends in the fashion industry.

Here are some great resources of fashion trends:

Forecasting Platforms:  Fashion trend forecasting platforms  like  WGSN  and  Pantone  are valuable resources for staying ahead in the fashion industry. They provide in-depth insights into upcoming trends in colors, fabrics, styles, and consumer behavior. 

Pro Tip:  Trend forecasting platforms can be expensive! This is why I created a list of  59 free (and cheap) trend-forecasting resources + websites . You can also hit play on this episode of my podcast with  Wendy Bendoni (who used to be a trend forecaster for WGSN) on how to predict trends .

Runway Shows and Fashion Weeks:  Runway shows and fashion weeks showcase high fashion collections that kickstart fashion trends. Attending or following these events allows you to witness firsthand the latest creations from top designers. And ofc, not everyone can attend these shows, so instead, you can check out well-known runway websites such as  Tagwalk  and  Vogue Runway .

Fashion Magazines:  Fashion magazines such as  Vogue ,  Elle , and  Harper’s Bazaar  are timeless sources of inspiration – offering editorials, photography, and articles that showcase the latest trends and styles.

Trade Shows:  Trade shows  are industry events where fashion industry professionals gather to display and discover the latest products and trends. Events like  Première Vision  bring together textile and fabric enthusiasts, while others like  MAGIC  focus on clothing and accessories.  Pro Tip:  Despite all the trend resources out there, it’s a fashion designer’s job to create trends. And oftentimes inspiration for this is pulled from anywhere  but  the fashion industry. Look beyond the runway and get ideas from other industries like automotives, architecture, and interiors. The natural world around you is another source of amazing inspiration just waiting to be interpreted into the next big trend.

What Software do Fashion Designers Use to Create Trend Boards?

You don’t have to be a graphic design wiz to create trend boards. If you have basic knowledge on any of the following applications below, you can surely get started easily. 

Consider using the following applications:

Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)

Adobe ‘s design software suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, is the go-to choice for many fashion designers. Photoshop is excellent for editing and manipulating images, while Illustrator is great for creating vector graphics and illustrations. InDesign, on the other hand, is ideal for assembling all the elements of a trend board into a polished layout. 

Depending on the style of trend board you want to create, you can make use of these applications to arrange images, add text, and experiment with various visual elements.

Presentation Apps (Powerpoint, Keynote, Canva)

And I know, it takes some time (and $$$ on subscription fee) to get used to the Adobe Suite, so a more practical option to creating inspiration boards is using presentation apps like  PowerPoint ,  Keynote , and  Canva . 

Designers can arrange images, add text, and experiment with visual elements within the user-friendly interface of these software applications, catering to those with limited graphic design experience.

How to Create a Fashion Trend Board: A Step-by-step Guide

Now that we’ve covered the basics of fashion trend boards, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make them:

fashion research board topics

  • Gather Resources and Inspiration:  The first step in creating a trend board is gathering resources and drawing your inspiration. Get a good understanding of the latest trends and design elements related to your chosen concept by scouring through forecasting platforms, fashion magazines, and attending trade shows if possible.
  • Select Your Key Elements:  The key element for your trend board could be anything from a silhouette, color palette, vibe, construction detail, texture, fabric, etc. Carefully select these key elements and details that encapsulate the essence of your trend concept. 
  • Use The Right Images:  Choosing the right images is crucial for your fashion trend board. Pick visuals that capture the mood, style, and look of your trend. And remember – not every image makes the cut, so choose those which resonate the most with the vision you have in mind.
  • Assemble Your Trend Board:  Use your selected visuals to create your fashion trend board. Arrange them in a clear layout using your preferred tools or software. Experiment with different compositions, focusing on balance, color coordination, and visual hierarchy. Add text or labels where needed.

Remember, creating an effective fashion trend board isn’t just slapping together some nice pictures – it requires thoughtful organization and selection of representative images that truly embody your design vision. 

Fashion Trend Board Examples

Here is a Gorpcore trend board by Pip Cooper that shows different instances of this trend to give well-rounded inspiration for the Gorpcore style.

fashion research board topics

This trend board is from Anna Keo Design and is another great example of a trend board!

fashion research board topics

Here is a trend board by Lucrecia De Los Santos Adon who showcases this harness trend.

fashion research board topics

The final example, by Jacqueline Diane , was shown earlier in the article as a comparison but it’s another good example of a trend board!

fashion research board topics

I hope these examples can serve as inspiration for your next trend boarding project!

Remember, the best part about creating trend boards – or any inspiration boards for that matter – is that there are NO RULES. You are a fashion designer, and you are the one that creates the trends.

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104 Fast Fashion Essay Topics & Fast Fashion Research Questions

Looking for fast fashion essay topics and discussion questions? Look no further! Here, you will find best fast fashion titles related to environmental and ethical problems of fast fashion industry and its sustainable alternatives.

🔝 Top 10 Fast Fashion Essay Topics

🏆 best fast fashion topic ideas & essay examples, 🔎 interesting fast fashion topics to write about, 💡 good fast fashion research topics, ❓ fast fashion research questions, 🤔 discussion questions about fast fashion.

  • Fast Fashion and Body Image
  • Strategies to Reduce Textile Waste
  • Working Conditions in Fast Fashion
  • The Carbon Footprint of Fast Fashion
  • The Psychological Impact of Fast Fashion
  • The Impact of Fast Fashion on Local Artisans
  • Cultural Aspects of Fast Fashion’s Global Reach
  • The Ethics of Fast Fashion Borrowing from Different Cultures
  • The Role of Fashion Influencers in Promoting Fast Fashion
  • The Societal Implications of a Disposable Fashion Culture
  • The Effects of the Fast Fashion Industry on the World This led to the creation of shops that made garments to meet the needs of such a category of people in the community.
  • Fast Fashion’s Negative Impact on the Environment And this is the constant increase in production capacity, the low quality of the product, and the use of the labor of the population of developing countries.
  • Zara, H&M, United Colors of Benetton: Supplying Fast Fashion Benetton has adopted the technology strategy in its distribution by automating its warehouse activities to store, pack, and assemble individual orders for all its retail outlets.
  • Fast Fashion and Ethical Consumption A narrative literature review is selected to analyse and synthesise available information on the impact of fast fashion on society. The integration of articles is expected to reveal the gaps, tendencies, and limitations that exist […]
  • Child Labor in the Fast Fashion Industry To free girls from this choice and reduce the presence of kids in factories, it is necessary to combat poverty in rural areas actively.
  • Just in Time: Management Operations in the Fast Fashion Industry Sourcing is implemented using the famous lean or Just in Time (JIT) models. This means that required materials are acquired and delivered whenever they are needed.
  • Fast Fashion Brand Advantages and Risks in Chinese Market The paper also looked at the risks that the fast fashion brand has to face in the Chinese market and ways in which these risks can be managed to help the organisations consolidate its advantages.
  • Fast Fashion Business Model Pros & Cons Specific Purpose: The presentation is meant to inform listeners about the advantages and disadvantages of fast fashion as the business model and discuss possible strategies retailers can use to increase customer attraction.
  • Fast Fashion and Sustainability This paper includes a brief analysis of the ways to address consumers’ fashion-related needs and reduce the negative environmental impact of the fast industry.
  • How 40 to 50-Year-Old Irish Women Choose Fast Fashion and Why The replication of styles and the use of synthetic materials is meant to ensure that the product is made as affordable as possible while at the same time meeting the expectations of the market.
  • Purchase of Fast Fashion Clothing and Ethical & Personal Values On the other hand, the emergence of the practice threatened the aesthetic value and ethical approach based on the utilization of the available facilities.
  • Astonishing Success of Zara in the Fast Fashion Industry The origin of the company is the retail group Inditex the headquarters of which is located in Spain. However, The Gap, H&M, and Benetton are called the major competitors of Zara in the study by […]
  • ZARA: Chic and Fast Fashion It is evident from the case study that organizations need to observe changing trends in the market in order to cope with the competition. This can be attested by the fact that the company has […]
  • Zara: Fast fashion from Savvy Systems These factors contribute in the determination of the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats in the external environment.
  • Fast Fashion, and the Corporate Globalization
  • Global Fast Fashion: Analysis of Clothing Retailers & Its Competitor
  • Fashion and Society: The Impact of Fashion on Our Society
  • How Hugely Fast Fashion Is Involved in the Fashion Industry
  • Paradigm Innovation Through the Strategic Collaboration Between Toray & Uniqlo: Evolution of a New Fast Fashion Business Model
  • Fast Fashion and Its Influence on the Industry in the 21st Century
  • The Impact of Healthier Global Consumerism Within Sustainable Fashion
  • Marketing Plan for Fast Fashion Products
  • Fast Fashion: The Rise of Zara and Uniqlo
  • The Fast Fashion Model Spreading Across the Apparel Industry
  • Workers and Social Upgrading in Fast Fashion: The Case of the Apparel Industry in Morocco and Romania
  • League Supply Chain for the Fast Fashion Industry
  • Fast Fashion Achieving Global Quick
  • The Impacts of Fast Fashion and Technology on the Fashion Industry
  • How Fast Fashion Manipulates People
  • Fast Fashion Retailing: Customer and Retailer’s Perceptions
  • The Relationship Between the Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness and Purchase Perception of Fast Fashion Co-brands
  • Fast Fashion and Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • Why Fast Fashion Is Unethical and Should Be Replaced
  • Fast Fashion Has Become a Global Industry
  • The Impact of Fast Fashion on the Environment, Human Health, and Employees
  • Fast Fashion and Impact of Technology
  • Logistics Performance Measurement for Sustainability in the Fast Fashion Industry
  • Fast Fashion and Barriers to New Entrants
  • Zara: Information Technology for Fast Fashion
  • Fast Fashion Versus Luxury Fashion
  • Fashion Marketing: E-Tailing and Fast Fashion Brands
  • A Career in Fast Fashion
  • Supply Chain Management for the Fast Fashion Industry
  • What Is the Challenge of Keeping up With Fast Fashion Products
  • Material Culture and Environmental Woes: Devotion to Fast Fashion
  • Fast Fashion: The Consequences of the Fashion Industry
  • What Fast Fashion Is, and to Know Which Factors Influence Fast Fashion
  • Fast Fashion Feedback and Imitation of Fashion Trends
  • Consumers’ Attitudes Towards the Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion Speed
  • Fast Fashion Industry: Growth of Zara and Inditex
  • The Fast Fashion Industry Promotes a Culture of Obsolescence
  • Negative Effects of Fast Fashion on the Environment
  • Fast Fashion Supply Chain Management
  • Fashion Flow Theories: Misconceptions on Fashion and Fast Fashion
  • What Are the Pros and Cons of Fast Fashion?
  • How Has Marketing Strategy Changed Within the Fast Fashion Industry?
  • How Can We Stop Fast Fashion Waste?
  • How Do You Spot Fast Fashion?
  • How Is Fast Fashion Bad for the Economy?
  • What Would Happen if Fast Fashion Stopped?
  • What’s Wrong With Fast Fashion?
  • How Fast Fashion Manipulates People?
  • What Is a Fast Fashion Example?
  • What Are the Social Impacts of Fast Fashion?
  • Why Is Fast Fashion a Social Justice Issue?
  • Is Fast Fashion Eco Friendly?
  • What Will Happen if We Don’t Stop Fast Fashion?
  • Who Consumes Fast Fashion the Most?
  • How Much Waste Is Produced by Fast Fashion?
  • How Much Pollution Does the Fashion Industry Produce?
  • Why Should We Stop Buying Fast Fashion?
  • What Would Happen if Everyone Stopped Buying Clothes?
  • What Are the Benefits of Fast Fashion?
  • How Is Fast Fashion Killing the Earth?
  • What Is Fast Fashion, and to Know Which Factor Influences Fast Fashion?
  • How Will Fast Fashion Affect the Future?
  • How Does Fast Fashion Affect the Environment?
  • How Does Fashion Cause Pollution?
  • How Hugely Fast Fashion Is Involved in the Fashion Industry?
  • What Can the Government Do About Fast Fashion?
  • What 3 Things Define Fast Fashion?
  • How Much Money Does Fast Fashion Make?
  • Who Is Being Affected by Fast Fashion?
  • How Is Fast Fashion Destroying the World?
  • How Does Fast Fashion Differ from Traditional Fashion Manufacturing Practices?
  • How Did Fast Fashion Contribute to Environmental Issues?
  • What Are the Ethical Concerns Associated with Fast Fashion?
  • How Does the Fast Fashion Business Model Contribute to Overconsumption?
  • What Are the Implications of Fast Fashion on Consumer Behavior?
  • How Do Fast Fashion Companies Keep Up with Changing Trends?
  • What Are the Effects of Fast Fashion on Local Economies?
  • How Can Consumers Make More Responsible Choices Regarding Fast Fashion?
  • What Are the Sustainable Alternatives to Fast Fashion?
  • How Do Brands Address Issues of Transparency in the Fast Fashion Industry?
  • Louis Vuitton Essay Topics
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  • Subculture Research Topics
  • Cosmetics Titles
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  • Family Businesses Questions
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IvyPanda. (2024, February 29). 104 Fast Fashion Essay Topics & Fast Fashion Research Questions. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fast-fashion-essay-topics/

"104 Fast Fashion Essay Topics & Fast Fashion Research Questions." IvyPanda , 29 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fast-fashion-essay-topics/.

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IvyPanda . 2024. "104 Fast Fashion Essay Topics & Fast Fashion Research Questions." February 29, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fast-fashion-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "104 Fast Fashion Essay Topics & Fast Fashion Research Questions." February 29, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fast-fashion-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "104 Fast Fashion Essay Topics & Fast Fashion Research Questions." February 29, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fast-fashion-essay-topics/.

How to Make a Fashion Mood Board A Guide for Designers Featured

How to Make a Fashion Mood Board — A Guide for Designers

  • Top Mood Board Apps
  • What is a Mood Board
  • How to Make a Mood Board
  • Mood Board Layout
  • Mood Board Template
  • Mood Board Examples
  • Fashion Mood Board
  • Aesthetic Mood Board
  • Writer Mood Board
  • Photography Mood Board
  • Interior Design Mood Board
  • Digital Mood Board
  • Graphic Design Mood Board
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  • Web Design Mood Board
  • Mood Board Without Photoshop

C reating a fashion design mood board is an important step in the design process. It helps designers to visualize their ideas and plan out the key elements of their collection. From color palettes and textures to shapes, outfits, and pieces, it’s important to have all of these elements represented on a fashion moodboard.  In this blog post, we will explore the different components of a fashion mood board and provide some tips for creating one. 

The function of a fashion mood board

Creating a fashion  mood board (especially for the first time) can be overwhelming. This article is meant to give you the tools to make this process easier, more effective, and more fun. Let's start with a quick overview of what these particular types of boards are meant to accomplish.

FASHION MOOD BOARD DEFINITION

What is a moodboard in fashion.

A  fashion mood board is a collection of images and ideas that facilitate a fashion designer's creative process. They can help inspire a direction or help communicate a vision to collaborators. The images themselves can be of other fashion pieces, color palettes, or something more abstract that illustrates a mood or a feeling. 

What should a fashion mood board include:

  • Material ideas (colors, textures, fabrics)
  • Color schemes 
  • Inspirational imagery

Mood Board Fashion Guide

Fashion mood board tips.

We put together a fashion mood board example using StudioBinder’s fashion moodboard app. This will give you a visual idea of all of our steps in this guide. Check out our fashion mood board example for a "winter in the city" fashion style below. 

How to Make a Fashion Mood Board Fashion Mood Board StudioBinder Mood Boarding Software

Fashion mood board examples

Before we dive deep into the details of the elements of a fashion mood board, here are a few tips to keep in mind throughout the process. 

Start simple – don't try to overcomplicate things by adding too many images at once; focus on just one element (e.g., color) at first before moving onto another element (e.g., texture). 

Be organized

Keep all images in separate folders so they are easy to find later if needed; this will also help make sure that everything looks neat and organized when you're done with the fashion moodboard.

Consider scale 

Smaller images may not make as much impact as larger ones so consider using different sizes when adding photos or illustrations into the mix; this will also help create visual interest in your design too!   

Showcase different perspectives 

If possible, include both close-up shots and full-body shots of models wearing clothing so that viewers can get an idea of what each piece looks like from multiple angles. This will give them more insight into how each garment fits within the overall collection or theme.  

Make notes 

Throughout the process make sure you take notes about each image or illustration so that you can refer back to them later if needed; this will also help ensure consistency across all elements of the final product!  

Choosing Mood Board Fashion Colors

Color palette.

One of the most important aspects of creating a fashion design mood board is selecting your color palette or color scheme . An effective color palette can create visual impact, evoke emotion, and set the tone for your collection. 

How to Make a Fashion Mood Board Fashion mood board examples

When selecting colors for your fashion mood boards be sure to consider everything from primary colors and neutrals to pastels and bright hues. Don’t be afraid to mix it up—you can even use more than one color palette if you like. 

Details in a Fashion Mood Board

Textures & patterns.

The textures and patterns you choose should be based on both practicality (what fabrics are suitable for the season?) as well as aesthetics (what kind of texture or pattern would look best with my other designs?). 

How to Make a Fashion Mood Board Mood Board Fashion Textures

Mood Board Fashion Textures

Be sure to include swatches or images that represent each texture or pattern you plan to work with so that you can easily refer back to them when designing your collection. Get creative with what visual material you use in your mood board. Explore mediums beyond solely textiles and fabrics. This could be patterns in interior design, textures in architecture, or patterns in paintings.

Related Posts

  • Mood Board Layout Explained →
  • What is a Mood Board — Definition and Examples →
  • Mood Board Examples from Fashion and Photography →

Inspiration for Fashion Mood Board

Shapes & outfits.

After you have selected your colors and textures/patterns, it’s time to think about shapes and outfits. You should focus on silhouettes that flatter the body type you plan on designing for as well as cuts, necklines, hemlines, etc., that will add interest to the overall look of your collection.

How to Make a Fashion Mood Board Mood Board Fashion Design Shapes

Mood Board Fashion Design Shapes

Remember that balance is key; don’t forget about smaller details such as waistlines, sleeves lengths, pockets placement etc., which can make all the difference between an average outfit and an outstanding one.

Fashion Mood Board Examples

Pieces & accessories.

Last but not least are pieces and accessories. This is where you get creative; think about how you want each piece to be unique from its counterparts by adding interesting touches such as beads or artwork or fringe detailing. 

How to Make a Fashion Mood Board Mood Board Fashion Accessories

Mood Board Fashion Accessories

Accessories are also important; think about what type of jewelry would go well with each outfit or how a belt could complete an otherwise plain dress. Every element must complement each other in order for it all come together into one cohesive look.  

Creating a fashion mood board is an essential part of any designer’s process whether they’re just starting out or already working in the industry. It allows designers to organize their thoughts visually by showcasing colors, textures, shapes, outfits and pieces in one place which can then serve as inspiration when designing garments or collections. 

By following these tips for creating a successful fashion design mood board—start simple, stay organized, consider scale, showcase different perspectives—you will have all the tools necessary for crafting beautiful visions into reality

Creating an Interior Design Mood Board

Like any medium, fashion can be inspired by other forms of art and design. A great inspiration for many fashion designers is interior design. Check out our next article to see what details make up an interior design mood board to and you might even find more fashion inspiration. 

Up Next: Interior Design Boards →

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Struggling Burberry paves way to find chair's successor

The London-listed luxury goods brand is working with headhunters to identify new board members capable of taking over from Gerry Murphy, Sky News learns.

fashion research board topics

City editor @MarkKleinmanSky

Wednesday 24 July 2024 18:00, UK

The label inside a Burberry trench coat. Pic: Reuters

Burberry, the struggling luxury fashion brand, is seeking a new board member who could take over from Gerry Murphy, its chairman.

Sky News has learnt that Burberry, which last week ousted its chief executive , is working with headhunters to identify two new non-executives who would be contenders to replace Mr Murphy.

A definitive timetable for the chairman's departure has yet to be established, but sources said the search process amounted to an "indirect hunt" for Mr Murphy's successor.

"They have been pretty explicit that the job is available for the right person," said one luxury goods insider.

Burberry, which accompanied news last week of Jonathan Akeroyd's departure as CEO with the latest in a string of profit warnings, has turned to the former Jimmy Choo boss Joshua Schulman as his replacement.

The company hopes that Mr Schulman can arrest an alarming decline in the fortunes of one of Britain's best-known luxury brands.

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Its market value has sunk to little more than £2.5bn.

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Mr Murphy, who also chairs Tesco, has led the Burberry board since 2018.

The company is not alone in struggling in the luxury goods sector, with its much larger rival LVMH reporting slower-than-expected sales this week.

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fashion research board topics

Shares in Burberry closed on Wednesday at £7.04, having slumped by 16% on the day of last week's management overhaul.

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An Olympics Scene Draws Scorn. Did It Really Parody ‘The Last Supper’?

Some church leaders and politicians have condemned the performance from the opening ceremony for mocking Christianity. Art historians are divided.

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A screen depicting a person painted in blue near fruit. Behind is a rainy Paris street with part of the Eiffel Tower and Olympic rings visible.

By Yan Zhuang

A performance during the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday has drawn criticism from church leaders and conservative politicians for a perceived likeness to Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of a biblical scene in “The Last Supper,” with some calling it a “mockery” of Christianity.

The event’s planners and organizers have denied that the sequence was inspired by “The Last Supper,” or that it intended to mock or offend.

In the performance broadcast during the ceremony, a woman wearing a silver, halo-like headdress stood at the center of a long table, with drag queens posing on either side of her. Later, at the same table, a giant cloche lifted, revealing a man, nearly naked and painted blue, on a dinner plate surrounded by fruit. He broke into a song as, behind him, the drag queens danced.

The tableaux drew condemnation among people who saw the images as a parody of “The Last Supper,” the New Testament scene depicted in da Vinci’s painting by the same name. The French Bishops’ Conference, which represents the country’s Catholic bishops, said in a statement that the opening ceremony included “scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity,” and an influential American Catholic, Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota, called it a “gross mockery.”

The performance at the opening ceremony, which took place on and along the Seine on Friday, also prompted a Mississippi-based telecommunications provider, C Spire, to announce that it would pull its advertisements from Olympics broadcasts. Speaker Mike Johnson described the scene as “shocking and insulting to Christian people.”

The opening ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said at the Games’ daily news conference on Saturday that the event was not meant to “be subversive, or shock people, or mock people.” On Sunday, Anne Descamps, the Paris 2024 spokeswoman, said at the daily news conference, “If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

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