Trends rise and fall with each and every season, and in fashion, trends are the defining feature that makes fashion constantly new and exciting, and the process which creates them is no exception.

The Buildup

The trend cycle typically begins way before any designs are even made or the public even knowing about it, thanks to forecasting services such as WGSN. Agencies like this create forecasts that provide an outlook into where consumer trends are headed in the short-term all the way to the long-term, based on a congregation of data from a wide range of sources. The forecasts allow fashion companies to determine how much they should buy of a material, colour and more ahead of time, to reduce waste and cut costs, as they capitalise on what consumers most likely will gravitate towards.

After this initial forecasting service, designers have an idea what to work toward for a particular season and prepares collections for its introduction to consumers on the runway, in a photoshoot, or on a massively popular celebrity. This process of trend creation aims to generate dialogue and conversation amongst consumers and influencers alike, increasing the relevancy of the brand or style. The next "wave" of recipients generally consist of two smaller demographics, wealthy consumers and small to mid-size influencers. Wealthy consumers get a first look due to their spending power, whereas smaller influencers receive them to promote the product amongst niche markets and tight knit communities, building brand repertoire in smaller, more loyal circles.

As the run of promotions from small to large scale influencers comes to a close, consumers typically then get a chance to grab the items through retailers and stockists. Nowadays, as talked about releases are released in limited quantities, the amount of people who get their hands on the latest and greatest trends are few and far between. This means that some of the items will end up on the resale market for a higher price, or people would have to wait a period of time for a restock of the item, which feeds into the allure of exclusivity for the product.

The Climax

Once the majority of the consumers who want the item receives it, we reach a point where a trend peaks, and as everyone eventually has a pair, the demand then plateaus over time. Market saturation occurs as a result and it reduces the price of the trendy product on the resale market, allowing more people to purchase them, allowing the trend to reach its peak.

After this peak, the trend begins to decline in popularity as the item's exclusivity factor decreases, which piques the consumers to look for newer, more exclusive trends instead. Over time, the trend eventually fades out of the zeitgeist as it gets continually overshadowed by newer trends. However, this process may take a long time, depending on the trend itself as some items can be re-invented and innovated to maintain relevancy.

An example of this would be the New Balance 550 resurgence, initially, the Aime Leon Dore collaboration brought the 550 model back into the limelight, and spotted on influencers like Ronnie Fieg of KITH shortly after. Gaining traction shortly after, subsequent releases like the AURALEE 550 or the Rich Paul 550 were very limited in quantity but raised consumer demand to an all-time high for these models. Eventually, as the general public's demand for 550s skyrocketed, New Balance released more iterations to the point of market saturation, putting the 550s at the peak of its popularity as of 2022.

The Spinoffs

Once a trend has reached its peak, the labels and brands that are at the forefront of the trends will want to remain relevant as long as possible, in order to maximise the revenue generated from the trend. A common strategy used is iterate variations of the original model that caused the spark. This can come in the form of colourways and collaborations between notable figures to extend popularity and maintain presence in the current dialogue.

If this is no longer effective, then extending the trend by applying the general principles to other models and products, to reinvigorate it is also an option. Going back to the New Balance 550 example, the brand has expanded into other models, bringing them back from the archives in order to maximise their reach during this era of 90s footwear silhouette revival. Some of the models re-released are the 530s, 2002R, M990TG3 amongst others as well.

The combination of these two strategies has allowed New Balance to remain as one of the most talked about brands during 2021 and 2022 onwards, as they capitalised on consumer demand at the right time, as well as releasing an appropriate amount of iterations and collaborations to prolong their popularity moving forward. This is done whilst mostly retaining their brand DNA of being subdued and muted in comparison to their competitors.