101 MODULE 1: TERM 1 – Design in a business context
Te difference between trends and lifestyles
“According to Edelkoort, trend research is not a sci- ence, it is an art that arose from necessity. Trend forecasting, unlike trend spotting, is indispensable in every sector of industry, even though the need still has to be recognised and acknowledged. “I don’t discover anything new,” she states. “I observe and interpret peoples’ behaviour and moods and note down what I see. I act as a catalyst for the spirit of the day and turn it into trends as early as possible.” Li Edelkoort relies primarily on her intuition, and aſter that she works with scenarios of explanations and philosophy. Her perceptive awareness of soci- etal movements, political developments and social changes is a tool she uses in her work every day.
“Li Edelkoort’s trend books are regularly released in limited editions of 250. She always uses the same approach in her analyses. She looks for answers to questions such as: “What will our lives be like in the future? What will peo- ple want? What wishes and needs will they have? What characteristics will a product need to have to be a success on the market and fulfil those needs? How does a product appeal to peoples’ senses – how do you inspire people to want to buy things?” Her regularly published trend-forecasting books, at the time €2000 each, contain her analyses and forecasts along with key words, expressive photos and sam- ples of textiles. Text and photos communicate with one another, as she says: “the idea is to decrypt their message.”
“What is the difference between trend and lifestyle, and how long do their cycles last? Li Edelkoort says that a shirt, a shape or a colour can be examples of a trend. While there are short- and medium-wave trends, most last for much longer periods, evolving
gradually each season or returning from time to time. Pink as a fashion colour is now a classic, ted- dy-bear, cosiness is a time-loved attitude, skin-like materials have moved with the times, our obsession with plants and gardening has introduced the con- cept of outside-inside. Tese “lifestyles” are trends with long lifespans; lasting for five, ten or twenty years, or even up to a half a century, before they lose popularity.
Te trend towards f a global style has no
uture
“One idea that is coming to an end is globalisation, as Li Edelkoort has been warning her clients for five years. In her eyes, it has had its run and is drawing to a close. “We are tired of seeing the same brands all over the world, no matter whether you are in New York, Tokyo or Sao Paulo.” Edelkoort believes that local products will undergo a renaissance, as will regional cuisines. Tis does not mean that global brands will end, but they will have to adapt to the needs of consumers on site. Future brands will ex- perience a breath of fresh air if they combine their globally-oriented basis products with local features, regional variety and national flair and a product de- sign that is eye-catching because of its outside char- acter. “Te mainstream is over; the middle of the road is a dead end alley,” Edelkoort says.
“When it comes to lifestyles, she sees our society at a turning point: we are starting to slow down and take things more unhurriedly. What’s more, people are looking for more authenticity and honesty, for truth and direct communication.
Copyright © Future Managers
DESIGN IN A BUSINESS CONTEXT
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