M.Tech / This study is an investigation into current local and international fashion forecasting approaches and procedures, as well as to discover whether intuition has relevance in the forecasting process. South African fashion is currently in the process of transformation; discovering and establishing a fashion identity, after decades of unquestioningly following international fashion trends (Chang, 2005:20; Cohen, 2005:27; Levin, 2005a: 75-78). The emergence of local fashion/trend forecasting practices in recent years is part of this transformation process. An underlying assumption of this study is that South African fashion will continue to develop, resulting in an increasing demand for fashion forecasting in the country. As there are currently no guidelines available, the study aims to provide insight into a way forward for this practice in South Africa. The study is grounded within a qualitative research paradigm, and the research design and data collection methods have accordingly been selected. The chosen research design falls largely within the framework of an ethnographic study. A comprehensive analysis of existing literature was conducted in order to provide a theoretical grounding to the study and to acquire a global perspective on forecasting procedures. This was followed by semi-structured interviews to obtain primary data from a South African perspective. The participants were purposely selected according to set criteria. The first criteria for selection required the participants to be leading role-players in their particular fields. Secondly, individuals who are trend forecasters by profession, as well as those who may use forecasting material in their businesses. Thirdly, the sample of participants represents specified sectors within the South African fashion/lifestyle industries. Namely, editors at leading trend magazines, in-house trend forecasters/analysts at leading fashion retailers, designers and independent trend analysts/forecasters. In order to construct the findings of the study qualitative content analysis was used as the method for data analysis. Through this process, the descriptions of the participants were interpreted to establish commonalities in practice, so as to identify viable threads of relevance regarding trend forecasting within a South African context. The research findings narrate the participants’ experiences within the field of trend/fashion forecasting, their knowledge frameworks being key to the study (Henning, van Rensburg & Smit, 2004:19). It is evident from the findings that the practice of fashion forecasting in South Africa is at an early stage of development and therefore at present, limited procedural IV structures seem to be in place. The findings further indicate that intuition indeed plays a significant role in the forecasting process, and is often associated with insightful trend/fashion forecasting. South African fashion, although facing several challenges, is perceived to have enormous potential for growth and to be a successful international marketing commodity in the future. In order for the practice of fashion forecasting to be successful in the country, though, it needs to be approached with insight and integrity, and with a true intention to add value.

Background   By the beginning of the 20th century, the men’s suit entered the menswear market as one the most important fashion garments everdevised. At the same time, fashion became mainly a female engagement, resulting in an under representation of men’s fashion through out the past decade. Relating to the textile and apparel industry, fashion forecasting has become an increasingly important business activity. But the nature of fashion forecasting and the historical neglecting of the men’s suit has created complications when performing this activity. Purpose   The purpose of this thesis is to examine the men’s suit and its development from the given starting point in the 20th century until today, in order to derive a fashion forecasting model suggesting its development by 2029. Design/methodology/approach   This thesis uses an abductive research approach and qualitative multi-methods to answer the research questions. The usage of an intermediate research project answers the first research question. The second research question is answered through the synthesis ofa literature study and semi-structured interviews. The third research question is answered through the derived forecasting model, accomplished through theory matching. Findings   By carrying out a historical investigation of the men’s suit, and then applying this to the derived forecasting model, the men’s suit is expected to be found in both single- and double-breast styles. The suit will have classical features represented through the length, canvas structure, and shoulder construction. Originality/value   This paper carries out a historical investigation of the men’s suit never been done before. It introduces an evaluation framework to categorise and classify the men’s suit, as well as a forecasting model followed by an actual fashion forecast.

Purpose & research questions: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the roleand influence trend institutes have on the decision a designer makes in the designand development of a garment/product’s lifecycle. Theoretical approach: The theoretical framework is based on the theories ofsustainability and trends but also on previous studies and models concerning thefashion design process and the environmental aspects of a garment’s lifecycle. Research Approach: The research uses a qualitative method based on multiple casestudies as research design. Conclusion: This research reveals that trend institutes have little or no influence atall for small, independent and high-end fashion designers, especially in sustainablefashion design because trend institutes are not perceived as knowledgeable enough oradvocates, yet. However, it is important to bear in mind the need to maintain thepicture of the high-end fashion designer as the one and only fashion contributor.Furthermore, The research evidences that there is no such thing as sustainabilitycommunication at trend institutes.

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Obiettivo di questa tesi è una lettura del coolhunting, attività professionale ancora relativamente poco diffusa, come luogo emblematico di meccanismi simbolici cruciali per spiegare non solo il sistema della moda ma anche molti degli andamenti della produzione e del consumo di beni materiali ricchi di contenuti immateriali. Non a caso, il debito teorico di questo lavoro non riguarda solo i fashion studies a partire dal classico saggio di Simmel, ma soprattutto un autore come Pierre Bourdieu, che poche pagine ha dedicato alla moda ma ha coniato concetti, come quelli di campo, capitale culturale e simbolico, habitus e distinzione, che sono diventati imprescindibili in ogni studio di tipo culturale. La base empirica della ricerca è costituita da 42 interviste del tipo racconti di vita, che hanno coinvolto una variegata popolazione di coolhunters inseriti in agenzie o nelle imprese della moda, ricercatori e consulenti free-lance, le cui esperienze lavorative sono analiticamente descritte nei capitoli centrali della tesi. La ricostruzione del mondo del coolhunting si avvale anche di una accurata ricerca effettuata su siti web dedicati. Nel capitolo finale la prospettiva teorica e il corpus di informazioni raccolte trovano una sintesi in (a) una definizione articolata ma precisa di cool-hunter; (b) una tipologia idealtipica; (c) nel concetto bourdieusiano di distinzione, che sembra essere la posta in gioco intorno alla quale ruota tutto il mondo del coolhunting. I coolhunters emergono come intermediari culturali riconosciuti per la loro capacità di cogliere gli stili di consumo emergenti e le macrotendenze culturali per offrirli come spunto alla creatività dei produttori di oggetti di moda mainstream. / The aim of this thesis is a reading of coolhunting, an emergent professional activity, as an emblematic place of symbolic mechanisms that are crucial in order to explain not only the fashion system but also many cultural processes of the production and the consumption of material goods rich of immaterial contents. The theoretical debt does not regard only the fashion studies, beginning from the classic work of Simmel, but above all an author like Pierre Bourdieu, that has dedicated few pages to the fashion, but has coined concepts - as those of field, cultural and symbolic capital, habitus, distinction - that are nowadays essential in every cultural study. The empiric base of the research is a set of 42 in-depht interviews that have involved a heterogeneous population of coolhunters working in trend agencies or fashion companies, researchers and free-lance consultants, whose working experiences are analytically described in the central chapters of the thesis. The reconstruction of the world of the coolhunting is carried out also with a search based on dedicated websites. In the final chapter the theoretical perspective and the empirical evidences are summarized in (a) an articulate definition of coolhunter; b) an idealtypical classification of coolhunting workers; (c) in Pierre Bourdiue’s concept of distinction, that seems to be the stake that moves the field of coolhunting. The coolhunters emerge as cultural intermediaries recognized for their ability to identify the emergent styles of consumption and macro-cultural trends in order to offer them as useful ideas to the creativity of the producers of fashionable mainstream objects.