Have you ever wondered how trend forecasters discover what will be considered cool in the coming years?
In WGSNThe global authority on change, they use data science to calculate the forecast and, with offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and São Paulo, they can include information from around the world and discover what’s next.
Cassandra Napoli, Senior Strategist at WGSN Insight, is an expert in trend forecasting and trend cycle analysis.
Cassandra told DailyMail.com how technology has set Gen Z apart from millennials when it comes to their fashion favourites.
While it might seem like Gen Z and millennials have a lot in common (after all, they have social media profiles on the same platforms and consume the same media), because they grew up with such different technologies, they approach the world differently. very different.
At WGSN, the global authority on change, trend forecasters use data science to discover what specific generations care about when it comes to brands.
Key differences between generations include how they approach shopping and what they wear, whether it’s how they style their socks or how they shape their nails.
Key differences between generations include how they approach shopping and what they wear, whether it’s how they style their socks or how they shape their nails.
“Technology and new sociocultural norms are reorienting traditional generational markers, offering brands new opportunities to market to and convert their target consumers,” Cassandra told FEMAIL.
Cassandra Napoli, Senior Strategist at WGSN Insight, is a trend forecasting expert.
“For example, it is now difficult to justify that someone born in 1980 and 1995 belongs to the same cohort when the circumstances of the world they grew up in and their experiences with technology are so different, forcing brands to rethink their strategies” .
However, for some generations, like Zennials or Zillennials, who were born between 1992 and 1998 and have characteristics of millennials and Generation Z, brands will have to figure out how to market to them in a unique way.
“The idea is that as technology continues to get faster and entertainment and pop culture continue to advance at a rapid rate, generational groups will inevitably get smaller,” Cassandra explained.
‘In the United States, 40 percent of adults “Nostalgia influences their fashion purchases, and this is especially true among younger women,” Cassandra said, noting that many young women have been “romanticizing moments they didn’t live to escape reality.”
This is especially true for members of Generation Z who are invested in TV shows that came out before they were born, as they dress as characters from Friends, Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more online. social.
“We’re entering an era of rapidly recycled trends where the 20-year trend cycle is shortening,” Cassandra said, mentioning the resurgence of Tumblr and the rise of sleazy indie and pop punk, both wildly popular based on in music. Fashion trends in the nineties.
“We’re entering an era of rapidly recycled trends where the 20-year trend cycle is shortening,” Cassandra said, mentioning the resurgence of Tumblr and the rise of sleazy indie and pop punk, both wildly popular based on in music. fashion trends in the nineties
There are also many microtrends that appear on social media and disappear just as quickly as a result of the popularity of TikTok, whether it’s the mob wife aesthetic or the rise of cowboycore.
“Often, multiple eras trend simultaneously due to the rise of niche interests taking off on the platform,” Cassandra confirmed, calling TikTok “the epicenter of fashion.”
“While millennials were the first group to create Internet culture, the Internet that Generation Z operates on is very different, and similarly, as Alphas reach their teenage years, the Internet they inherit is very different. different,” Cassandra said.
Now, Gen Z is bringing back the sleazy indie aesthetic on TikTok, taking inspiration from Charli XCX and girls like her friend, Matty Healy’s fiancée, Gabbriette Bechtel.
There are also many microtrends that appear on social media and disappear just as quickly as a result of the popularity of TikTok, whether it’s the mob wife aesthetic or the rise of cowboycore.
“Often, multiple eras trend simultaneously due to the rise of niche interests taking off on the platform,” Cassandra confirmed, calling TikTok “the epicenter of fashion.”
“While millennials were the first group to create Internet culture, the Internet that Generation Z operates on is very different, and similarly, as Alphas reach their teenage years, the Internet they inherit is very different. different,” Cassandra said of Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024.
Cassandra explained that Gen Alpha is already on the internet, whether it’s people watching Sephora tweens making a mess in the high-end makeup store while trying out products, or people learning their ‘language’ or slang terms.
“We are currently witnessing a generational changing of the guard when it comes to who runs the internet and the brands that can now court the Alphas in a way that feels organic and authentic will be the ones that win with this group in the long run,” Cassandra. said about evolution.