The trendy color this year is indigo blue,” “jackets made of jersey and other unusual materials are in style,” and so on… These are the kinds of things that fashion magazines and the Otokoizen Kenkyujo send out, but who decides what to wear? “Who in the world is making these decisions? Have you ever wondered this? In this issue, we would like to clarify this question.
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Step 1: First, decide what colors are in style! What a fat year…
In fact, the first thing to be decided is the fashion color. I would like to explain how it is decided.
The direction of the trend colors is decided by an organization called INTERCOLOR (INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR COLOR), which was established in 1963.
It is composed of color information organizations representing member countries, and selects fashionable colors through consultation. 
Member countries / member organizations (15 countries as of January 2015 in alphabetical order)
1: China / China Fashion Color Association (CFCA)
2: United Kingdom / The British Textile Colour Group (BTCG)
3: Finland Federation of the Finnish Textile Industries
4: France / Comité Français de la Couleur (CFC)
5: Germany / Deutsches Mode Instututut (DMI)
6: Hungary / L’Institut de la Mode Hongroise
7: Italy / Italian Color Insight (COLORIS)
8: Japan / Japan Fashion Color Association (JAFCA)
9: Korea / Korea Color & Fashion Trend center ( KCFT)
10: Portugal / Centro Tecnológico das Indústrias Têxtil e do Vestuário de Portugal (citeve)
11: Switzerland / Schweizer Textil-Moderat
12: Thailand / Thailand Institute of Fashion Reserch (inFASH)
13: Turkey / Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association
14: Spain / Escola Superior de Disseny (ESDi)
15: USA Cosmetic Executive Women – CEW Represented by Beautystreams
Color information groups from each member country present their pre-selected colors to each other. The color of the season is decided in just two days, while deepening the understanding of each other’s proposals!
The spring/summer colors are chosen in May, about two years before theactual season, and the fall/winter colors in November!
At this stage, the basic direction of the fashionable colors (International Fashionable Colors) has been decided. From here, color information organizations in each country disseminate trend colors according to the domestic market. In Japan, JAFCA (Japan Fashionable Colors Association) is responsible for this role.
In practice, information is provided to JAFCA members in the following categories: (1) ladies’ wear, (2) menswear, (3) products and interiors, and (4) makeup. 
The JAFCA has decided that the men’s trend color theme for spring/summer 2015 will be ” La Mare” (“the sea ” ).
Formore details, please click here. (Sorry we couldn’t post the article because it was prohibited to reprint.)
Step 2: Comprehensive trends in design, materials, and more!
Once the fashionable colors are determined, comprehensive trends are disseminated. The main sources of information are the fashion trend information companies called “styling offices” mainly in Paris, such as TREND UNION, PROMOSTYL, Nelly Rodi, and carlin. Each of these companies will begin to sell trend books by genre and hold trend forecasting seminars.
Trend books are like fashion magazines for professionals in the fashion industry. They are used as reference by designers and buyers.
Trend books, both inside and out, are quite fashionable, and there are even collectors among the general public… For example, two copies of PROSTY’s 2016 trend book cost 440,000 yen ( tax not included ).
The photo below shows the TREND UNION trend book.
Step 3: Proposal and decision on the direction of materials
The next trend is, without a doubt, materials. The materials referred to here are fabrics ( textiles ) and threads. Fabric is made of yarn, so the order is yarn ➡ fabric.
“ You may have heard of ” Yarn Exhibition ” or “Textile Exhibition,” but they are, in fact, “Yarn Exhibition” and“Fabric Exhibition.
Yarn and textile exhibitions are held from six months to a year after the international trend colors are decided at Intercolors.
The most famous yarn exhibitions are expofil and pitti filati. Pitti filati is organized by PITTI IMMAGINE, the organization that covers the famous Pittiwomo snapshots.
A scene from the Pitti Filati held in Florence. Chatting about threads? Smiling shyly for the camera? Citing:pitti filati
textile exhibition at
tissu premier @ Lille, France
idea como @ Como, Italy
moda in @ Milan, Italy
prato expo @ Florence
premier evision @ Paris, France
are said to be influential internationally today.
A woman considering her order while also checking the feel of the fabric @moda in Quote: moda in
Step 4: Designer’s collection is held
This is the stage where clothes designed based on selected materials are actually made and presented to the public. I have heard that designers are not allowed to go against major trends such as materials too much, because if they try to use materials that deviate too much from the major trends of the fashion, the cost will jump up.
The clothes that designers and pattern makers have painstakingly created are unveiled at the Paris Collection, Milan Collection, London Collection, Tokyo Collection, New York Collection, Madrid Fashion Week, and so on. At this stage, it is about half a year before sales begin. A year and a half after the fashionable colors are decided at Intercolor… 
YOJI YAMAMOTO show for Spring/Summer 2015. Citation: style.com
Step 5: Disseminate information from fashion media, especially fashion magazines
At the same time as the collections, fashion media such as VOGUE and ELLE send out information on new products and we receive them. At the same time, or a little later, information also appears in more familiar fashion magazines.
In recent years, fashion shows are often broadcast online. Recently, Burberry’s live broadcast of its London collection using LINE LIVE CAST on LINE became a hot topic.
You are the one who will decide the future trends!
The above is the conventional way of determining fashion trends, centering on high brands. Nowadays, it seems that some things have changed a little. I think there are three key points.
(1) The rise of SPA brands
SPAs, which are structured to handle all product planning, manufacturing, and sales in-house, are on the rise, and their strength lies in their ability to grasp consumer needs through POS data and speedily reflect them on the sales floor and in product planning and manufacturing.
For consumers, the advantage is that they can get the latest designs of good-looking clothes at relatively low prices.
The rise of the fashion trend, which starts with intercolor and is created over a two-year period, is a response to the fact that it is not always accepted by consumers. The basic attitude that what consumers buy = fads is refreshing.
Below, the world’s largest SPA brand ZARA’s new spring 2015 collection. While some brands, like UNIQLO, offer basic items, others, like ZARA, offer trendy designs, so there is an abundance of choice.
(2) Anyone can easily obtain fashion information from
Now we are in a situation where we can see a fashion show in London live. High brands and high fashion magazines are still the source of trends and are still admired, but I feel that they are no longer at the level of an object of worship to be believed no matter what is said, as they used to be. I believe that the so-called asymmetry of information has been eliminated.
It is common to hear, “This brand doesn’t seem to get much attention in magazines, but this brand that Fatty, who I follow on WEAR, is wearing might actually be cool…” It’s common nowadays for such things to happen.
(3) More people are pursuing their own unique style of dressing
More and more people are trying to discern the essence of what is going on without being bombarded by a flood of information.
In fact, the Manly Man Institute sometimes sends out messages such as ” Indigo blue tailored jackets are COOL! (“I don’t like to dress in a way that blatantly incorporates trends. I’ll wear a black jacket that is easy to use and versatile regardless of trends, and I’ll use indigo blue in the pocket chief and the bottom. I think it is natural that there are users who take the information on their own axis.
whereisthecool.com
There is no doubt that high-brand suits and well-tailored suits made of high-quality fabrics are cool, but the days of “just wear it and you’ll look unconditionally cool” are over. But the days of “just wear it and you’re unconditionally cool” are over. Rather, it is time for people to have a sense of how to dress themselves in a way that suits them.
Nowadays, with the spread of social networking and photo-sharing applications, it is easy to draw attention to individuals and their sense of style, and I believe that there is a possibility that fashion trendsetters will emerge from among Otokoizen Kenkyujo users. No, no, in fact, you may already be here…!
