The Fashion Forecasters

A welcome contribution to the under-researched area of fashion prediction through ‘a series of cultural biographies of influential forecasters and forecasting entities’ ... Includes excellent full-colour photographs and particularly fascinating reproductions of archival materials ... These books are exceptional collections of essays, timely in their arrival and inspirational in terms of the continued broadening scope of work to be done on US and global fashion. * Journal of Design History (joint-reviewed with The Hidden History of American Fashion) *
Through carefully chosen case studies, the book provides a detailed blueprint of the development of fashion forecasting from its humble beginning in nineteenth century Paris, into a mature and complex service business in the age of big data and digital innovation. The Fashion Forecasters effectively weaves together personal narratives with archival sources, and will be of interest to academics, students, and those interested in the past, present and future of colour and trend prediction in the fashion industry. * The Design Journal *
The intuition, “sixth-sense”, and impeccable taste of fashion forecasters is well worth this book’s insightful analysis. How they predict who will wear what - and when - is the intriguing story of this comprehensive anthology. -- Mary Westerman Bulgarella, Co-editor of Colors in Fashion, and Costume Colloquium Advisory Committee Coordinator, Italy/USA
For a field that is obsessed with the future, there is much to be learned from the past, as editors Blaszczyk and Wubs provide an engaging overview of the history of forecasting, giving overdue credit to the industry’s originators. Meticulously researched with excellent first-person accounts, The Fashion Forecasters untangles the web of current forecasting influences and creates a clear vision for its future. -- Lorynn R. Divita, Baylor University, USA