Retail, cultural, fashion trends for 2012

Sally Lohan, Content Director for the USA at trend forecasting company WGSN, gave a presentation at the IASC Skateboarding Summit about the top cultural and fashion trends for Spring 2012.

She also provided information about key trends in retail.

Here is a summary of her presentation.

The Top 10 cultural trends

1. Connectivity/wireless

2. The app designer/guru

3. Future of money

4. Future of privacy

5. Focus on health

6. New wave and avant-garde

7. Killer personalization

8. Future of transportation

9. Frustration and anger – rich and poor polarization

10. Escape from escapism – a new form of minimalism

Key trends for Spring/Summer 2012 

Primal Futurism

This trend includes ancient and primitive aesthetics, mythology with a modern spin. It’s a mixture of the natural and the high tech. For example, fabric that looks natural but is synthetic.

This trend is about staying local for vacations, and using iPhone apps to find spiritual hotspots.

It balances the very old with the very new, and is a new kind of luxury. The fabrication and the sensory aesthetic are more important than the status of the brand.

Cinematic

This trend is about retro and vintage. It’s a new retro that takes references from different eras.

Sally Lohan of WGSN. Photo by Floris Gierman.

The moving image is key, the cinematic influence. It’s about fantasy – Lohan gave the example of some people in China some dressing as characters.

Style, art and design serves as an escape from everyday life. This trend is nostalgic, slick, interactive and sensual.

Jpeg Generation

This is a youth-drive trend, part of the digital revolution. It’s about using cell phones to check out in stores, finding value on the go.

The balance of power between the artist/content owner and the audience shifts. Everyone’s voice counts.

This trend includes a dismembered narrative, a crude computer craftsmanship and an ad hoc approach.

See Page 2 for retail trends