Discovery Mar 2010

The latest fashion trends are finding their way to shoppers faster than ever due to global brands and the Internet

國際品牌效應配合互聯網的威力，

讓最新潮流資料火速傳達消費者

concept to

全民時尚by REGGIE HO

eryl Streep, in her role as powerful fashion editor Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada – believed to be based on Vogue editor Anna Wintour – gives

a rookie a dressing down when she calls fashion styling “this stuff”.

“You’re... blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns… and then cerulean quickly showed up in the collec-tions of eight different designers,” she says. “Then it filtered down through the department stores… you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.”

What may be surprising from that tirade is the rev-elation that what we are wearing today may have been decided for us more than a year previously. While many may still be hitting the gym to get ready for the hot-pants trend this summer, trend forecasters are already years ahead. In January, world-leading trend agency Promostyl made a presentation at the annual World Boutique Hong Kong fashion fair about the Autumn/Winter 2011-12 season.

And if you think what appears on the catwalk doesn’t affect you, think again. While only a moneyed minority will wear the latest collections, new trends are making their way to wardrobes of the masses faster than ever, thanks to the growing number of global high-street brands and the Internet.

Fashion shows in Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo and

62 d i scov e ry M A R C H 2 0 1 0

dIscOvER Fashion 發現�時裝

Pantone colour tops at Japanese

chain Uniqlo

日本時裝連鎖店

Uniqlo出售各式Pantone色彩服飾

麗史翠普在《穿Prada的惡魔》中飾演權威的時裝雜誌編輯Miranda Priestley―― 這個角色據說是以《Vog ue》的編輯 Anna Wintour為藍本而創作。在電影

中，當一名雜誌新手將形象設計稱為「這東西」時，女編

輯即時對她上了一堂時裝課。

她說：「妳可知道Oscar de la Renta在2002年設計了一系列天藍色禮服……這個顏色很快在八個不同設計

師的時裝系列中出現。然後，天藍色成為百貨公司裡最

時興的顏色……妳身上穿的羊毛衫，便是房內的這批人

為你從一堆『東西』中挑選出來的。」

從那段句句鏗鏘的言論中，你或會愕然發現，我們

今天身上所穿的衣服，其實早在一年前便已由別人為

我們作好決定。當許多人正勤上健身房，為穿上今夏

時興的熱褲作準備時，時尚趨勢專家已經在預測一年

後的流行走向。今年1月，領導全球的時尚趨勢研究機構Promostyl在香港國際時尚薈萃中，發佈了2011至2012年的秋冬季時裝趨勢。別以為模特兒在天橋展示的時裝事不關己，雖說只有

極少數的富裕一族才能將最新款時裝據為己有，但在大

眾化的國際時裝品牌及互聯網的推波助瀾之下，潮流服

飾正以前所未見的速度，進駐普羅大眾的衣櫃。

巴黎、倫敦、米蘭、東京和紐約等時尚之都的時裝秀

或許僅限業內精英參加，但時裝秀的相關新聞和資訊卻

任何人都唾手可得。在設計師登上天橋謝幕之前，各網

誌作家已迫不及待地在網上爭相報道。

在時裝資訊快速流通的同時，品牌和零售商亦急切

地推動時裝周期。但時裝在天橋上公諸天下之前，其設

計意念從何而來？又是如何形成？Dunhill的品牌創意

sportswear fabrics on show at Première vision in Paris

於巴黎Première vision展示的便服布料

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New York are limited to the elite, but access to news and information about them is not. Even before the designer bows at the end of a show, bloggers have already posted their reports online.

As fashion news travels fast, brands and retail-ers are also under pressure to push the trend cycle faster. But where and how does an idea start before it becomes something seen on the runway? Kim Jones, Creative Director of Dunhill, explains that he usually works about a year in advance. “We find a theme, colour palette and shape… We use that to get all our ideas together and then get our fabrics,” he says.

To create “the radical Englishman” look for Spring/Summer 2010, Jones took references from a century’s worth of archive material.

But not every designer works for a century-old brand with a historical archive and some do need to turn to outside sources for inspiration. Mary Chan Yan-yan, head of StyleCentral, the exclusive agent of trend fore-cast company Peclers Paris, has seen many fashion bigwigs at Première Vision – arguably the largest tex-tile event in the world.

“I saw Paul Smith and his team sitting in the restaurant discussing the next season’s fabrics. Designers are like chefs, they’ve got to have the best ingredients to make the best dishes,” she says.

Peclers Paris is among the 40-plus companies represented at Première Vision’s trend forum. They make trend forecasts and produce colour charts for sale, and textile companies take note.

“We publish 18 months in advance for the yarn industry to work first and then the textile industry to work second,” Chan explains. These charts are important tools for the yarn and textile companies to promote their products. But if a client wants a specific colour, she says, tailored textiles can be

produced in as little as three weeks. “That’s why fashion never sleeps.”

Trend forecasters play a key role at all textile/fash-ion trade fairs. Wendy Wen, Trade Fair Director for Messe Frankfurt (HK), says her company’s yearly Interstoff Asia show has a trends committee made of agencies in Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo.

“The forecasts showcase eco and functional fabrics as well as fashion trends,” she says. “Trend forums in the fair highlight exhibitor’s products to help buyers maximise time.”

Top designers, of course, hold a lot of sway in what people wear. In the 1990s, Donna Karan established herself by designing day-to-evening clothes for pro-fessional women. Hedi Slimane has been credited with the slim silhouette of menswear, prompting the “tight fit” to become the standard of half the shirts sold by mid-market menswear labels.

Less visible, but as influential in the trend cycle, are fashion buyers such as Joyce Chan, responsible for ladies’ wear at fashion boutique The Swank in Hong Kong. “The buying cycle starts approximately six to eight months before the actual merchandise is delivered,” she says. “But we are working all year round… the market trends are always changing.”

For customers, multi-brand boutiques such as The Swank and high-end department stores like

Trend forecasts bring together the latest fabrics and suggested directions (above and left)

時尚趨勢預測結合了最新布料資訊及潮流走向預測（上圖及左圖）

Première vision is one of the world’s largest fabric and textile shows

Première vision是全球最大型的布料及紡織品展覽會之一



How long before a trend Hits tHe store: 最新時尚趨勢需時多久才抵達時裝店？

18-22 months before – Trend forecasters predict colours 6-12 months before – Designers prepare a new collection 6-8 months before – Buyers from fashion boutiques make their picks for stores. High-street fashion stores might have new merchandise every three weeks, sometimes every week

18至22個月前──時尚顧問公司預測顏色走勢6至12個月前──設計師準備新一季的時裝系列

6至8個月前──時裝店的買手根據市場需求挑選商品。

大眾化時裝品牌可能會於每三周，或甚至每周，推出新產品

總監Kim Jones表示，他通常在作品發表前一年已開始著手設計。他說：「我們首先找尋合意的主題、色調和造

形，再透過這些元素統合系列的意念，然後挑選合適的

布料。」

為了在2010年春夏系列推出洋溢「極度英國紳士」氣息的男裝系列，Jones在近百年歷史的素材資料庫中尋找靈感。

然而，並非每位設計師都為擁有歷史資料庫的百年經

典品牌工作，不少設計師均須從外界尋求靈感。陳欣欣

是StyleCentral的負責人，其公司亦是知名時尚顧問公司Peclers Paris的獨家代理。她在Première Vision這個堪稱最大型的國際布料展覽會上，曾巧遇多位在時

裝界呼風喚雨的人物。

她說：「我曾經見過Paul Smith和他的團隊在餐廳內討論新一季的布料。設計師就像大廚，必須嚴選最佳

食材，才能烹調出美饌。」

Peclers Paris是參加Première Vision時尚趨勢論壇的40多家公司之一。他們預測時尚趨勢，並製作色表出售，許多紡織公司都會留意他們的預測。陳欣欣解釋道：「我們會提早在18個月前印製色表，紡紗業會首先投入生產，之後便是紡織業。」這些色表

對紡紗業和紡織業來說是極為重要的工具，有助業者推

銷產品。陳欣欣指出，如果客人訂購指定顏色的布料，

接受訂單的紡織廠能在短短三周內交貨。她說：「有句

話說，潮流永不停歇。」

時尚趨勢預測專家在各紡織展與時裝展上扮演舉足

輕重的角色。法蘭克福展覽（香港）有限公司的總經理

溫婷指出，該公司為每年舉行的Interstoff Asia專設一個時尚趨勢委員會，成員包括來自巴黎、米蘭、紐約和東京的代理公司。

她說：「我們會對環保與實用布料，以及時尚趨勢作

出預測。展覽會中的時尚論壇重點介紹參展商的產品，

以協助買家更好地利用時間。」

無可否認，一流設計師向來都是大眾衣著潮流的領導

者。在1990年代，Donna Karan為專業女性設計了日夜皆宜的全天候服飾，自此闖出名堂。Hedi Slimane則成功打造了男裝貼身剪裁的潮流，過半的中價男裝品

牌從此奉之為金科玉律，紛紛推出貼身款式的襯衫。

比較少人留意的時裝買手，在時裝界的影響力一樣

舉足輕重。香港時裝名店詩韻的女士服飾買手Joyce Chan便是一例。她說：「整個採購流程在交貨前的六至八個月已經開始。但我們一整年都在工作，因為市場

的潮流瞬息萬變。」

對消費者來說，詩韻、Harvey Nichols、Barneys New York和連卡佛等出售多個品牌的時裝店及高級百貨公司，能讓他們在最短時間內輕鬆瀏覽多個品牌的產

品。這些零售品牌的買手扮演著「守門人」的角色，由他

們決定哪些服飾適合當地市場，他們也因此成為帶動潮

流的人物。

詩韻的男士服飾買手Jaclyn Chan表示，她會從多位設計師的眾多系列中挑出適合市場的服飾。她說：「我

們令這些服飾在市場上備受渴求。」

時裝品牌面對的挑戰是如何迎合大眾需求，讓生意有

利可圖，同時也要維持品牌風格，使設計不同凡響。

A buyer peruses printed fabrics at Première vision for use in future collections

買家於Première vision為新一季的時裝系列細心挑選印花布料


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Harvey Nichols, Barneys New York and Lane Crawford are the easiest ways to browse many labels at the same time. Buyers for these retailers are the gate-keepers who determine what suits their market so they also have huge influence in driving trends.

Jaclyn Chan, menswear buyer for The Swank, says she chooses items from designers’ broad collections that will work for her market. “We create the desire for those items in our mar-ket,” she says.

For fashion brands, the challenge is to cater to a wide audience to make business profitable while keeping a signature style that draws fanfare.

“Within each collection, we try to design roughly 80 percent for our target customer globally. Usually this person encapsulates a specific lifestyle, a specific age and demographic,” says Scott Morrison, Global Chief Executive of Japanese denim brand Evisu. The other 20 per-cent, he adds, is filled with designs based on research on individual markets.

High-end fashion houses are what many aspire to, but high-street fashions are what most people wear. Cashmere, once reserved for luxury brands, is a sta-ple in cheap-chic stores. Fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent are said to

have switched to Tibetan yak hair as the next exclusive material.

But high-street fashion is no small business. Uniqlo, one of Japan’s biggest fashion chains specialising in affordable cloth-ing, rang up record profits last year despite the economic climate. Founder Tadashi Yanai is now

ranked as the richest person in Japan according to the Forbes’ rich list, with

a net worth of more than US$6 billion. Zara’s Amancio Ortega was reportedly worth US$18.3 billion, making him one of Spain’s wealthiest men. High-street retailers turn their profits by

making people want something, and then something else, fast. They often employ their own design teams to develop new products and inspiration may come from high fashion, but they also turn to manufacturers who are

in tune with trends. Manufacturers have their own research

and development departments which produce clothing designs as a value-added service. Style-

Central’s Chan says manufacturers may have showrooms of different styles of clothing for buyers to choose from.

“Brands are facing time constraint. Before, one month of delivery lead time was normal, now it’s one week. There is a shorter lead time and it is up to the brand how to outsource.”

With information travelling around the globe more freely, social issues are more widely discussed and have more impact on lifestyles. Social issues also play a role in fashion trends. “In trend forecasting we look at last season’s bestsellers, as well as what’s happening around the world,” says StyleCentral’s Chan. She points to sustainability.

“LVMH has put investment into Ali Hewson and [husband] Bono’s fashion line Edun because they wanted to go forward with the organic trend. They didn’t have an organic brand before.”

The label, co-founded by the U2

lead singer in 2005, aims to create fashionable clothing and sustainable trade with partners in the developing world. Bono’s fame certainly helps the brand’s popularity, but the attention given by LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate, confirms that the green talk is finally reaching the top of the fashion ladder.

隨著資訊在全球更自由地流通，社會議題

獲得更廣泛的討論，除了左右人們的生活形

態，亦對潮流有一定影響力。StyleCentral的陳欣欣說：「在預測時尚趨勢時，我們

會檢視上季的暢銷商品，亦會留意全球動

向。」她特別指出可持續發展這個概念。

「為了順應『有機』潮流，過去未曾發展

有機品牌的LVMH，亦投資於Ali Hewson和（其夫婿）Bono的時裝系列Edun。」

Edun於2005年創立，旨在與發展中國家的夥伴合營時尚服飾及可持續發展貿易，

創辦人之一Bono是U2的主音，其名氣當然有助品牌知名度，而全球最大型奢侈品集團

LVMH的垂青令品牌更受矚目，亦證明環保意識已獲得時尚界尊貴一族的重視。

summer’s “Radical English gentleman” look at dunhill

dunhill為今夏推出了展現「極度英國紳士」氣息的時裝系列



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WHAT cElEbRITIEs ARE sEEn WEARInG On THE REd cARPET InsPIREs nEW PROdUcTs fROm HIGH-sTREET bRAnds, And nEW mERcHAndIsE cAn APPEAR In THE sHOPs In UndER A mOnTH

名人影星於頒獎禮紅地毯上穿著的晚裝，旋即成為大眾化時裝品牌設計師的靈感，在短短一個月內，店舖已推出新的產品

golden globe awards – January academy awards – february/march emmys – August/september

金球獎──1月金像獎──2月／3月艾美獎──8月／9月

日本高級牛仔服飾品牌Evisu的全球行政總裁Scott Morrison說：「我們每個系列中有八成的商品，是以全球顧客為目標，銷售對象通常是某種年齡、某種特性及

過著某種生活方式的人。」他補充說，剩下的兩成商品，

則是根據調查報告而為個別市場設計。

高級時裝品牌是眾人夢寐以求的商品，但大多數人都

會穿著大眾化時裝。一度是高級時裝專用的茄士咩，現

在已是大眾化時裝店內不可或缺的商品之一。而頂級時

裝品牌，如Yves Saint Laurent，據說已轉為採用新一代的尊貴物料――西藏犛牛毛。

大眾化時裝品牌的零售業績絕對不容小覷。Uniqlo是日本大型連鎖時裝品牌之一，銷售價格相宜的服飾。

縱然在金融海嘯的陰霾下，Uniqlo卻在去年突破盈利紀錄；品牌創辦人柳井正更名列《福布斯》富豪榜，成為

日本首富之一，身家高達60億美元（465億港元）。而Zara的Amancio Ortega則據報擁有高達183億美元財產，是西班牙數一數二的富豪。

持續並快速地刺激顧客不斷消費，是大眾化時裝零售

商賺錢的策略。這些公司大多擁有自己的設計團隊，自

行研發新產品，亦會參考高級時裝設計，並與緊貼時尚

趨勢的製衣廠合作。

設有研發部門的製衣廠還會為顧客提供服飾設計，

作為其增值服務的一部分。StyleCentral的陳欣欣說：「製衣廠或會設立陳列室，用以展出不同風格的服飾供買家選擇。

「品牌正面對時間緊絀的問題。在從前，一個月交貨

期是業內慣例，現在卻只剩一周。因此，品牌需要決定

如何把部分工作外判，以解決交貨期縮短的問題。」

multi-brand stores such as The swank in Hong Kong give an overview of what’s hot in fashion

售賣多個品牌的時裝店，如香港的詩韻，為消費者呈現最新潮流面貌

dresses at a Zara factory in spain. Zara has stores around the world, including Hong Kong and mainland china

Zara設於西班牙的製衣廠內掛滿時裝。品牌於香港、中國及全球各地均設零售店


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Discovery Mar 2010

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