For the first time, the Fashion Department at LBCC is subscribed to a trend forecasting company that will not only allow students to see future trends but a lot more.
WGSN is a trend forecasting company that offers designers fashion forecasting, trend information, archival photos, and sketches and patterns that now students are able to use this Fall 2018 semester.
Kimberly Hebert, fashion merchandising major at CSUlB, who is taking classes at LBCC said, “ I’ll probably use for projects as of right now and maybe use it in the future to see what is going on the fashion world.”
The subscription lets student see what trends will be popular in the future and it will be available for 2 years until May 2020.
Chantel Bryant, professor of the fashion design and merchandising department stated, “It’s a way to give information of trends that are happening globally, so things that are happening on the other side of the world, to see what’s trending in Japan or what’s trending in Africa.”
Students can use it to see what is new and next in apparel, beauty, color, marketing, retailing, and wearables in different parts of the world that they would not see before unless they traveled to that location.
Analiz Gutierrez, fashion design major said, “I think it’s going to help the students find inspiration and just knowledge on what’s going around the world and help your creative mind.”
WGSN is a great opportunity for students in the fashion department because they can get inspired by the upcoming trends and use for their current designs. It gives students an opportunity to be exposed to certain styles that they might not have been familiar with.
Mariana Zuniga, fashion design major said, “Students will get inspired and they’ll know what has been out there already so they wouldn’t be competing and think of new things that others haven’t done.”
Students will be able to use it in class to help with their projects and it will help them be more aware of future trends since the fashion industry is always trying to think ahead.
“I think students will be more aware of the trends in the fashion industry and create clothing and just notice trends like patterns in the fashion industry like past styles are coming back in style,” Hebert said.
WGSN is used by designers, merchandisers, executives, buyers, and marketers from popular companies like Coach, Adidas, Nike, Levi and more.
“I’ve worked in the fashion industry for eleven years as a designer and a product developer and everything company I worked at, they all had a subscription to WGSN,” Bryant said. “It’s a great service to the students to have access to WGSN and we are trying to incorporate into as many classes as we can.”
Now the fashion department can essentially see and be aware of trends like the popular companies.
Pamela Knights, head of the fashion department stated, “It’s very expensive for big companies to pay like 20,000 dollars, we are able to subscribe, so our students are able to access to all trend forecasting.”
This is the first time the department gets to subscribe to WGSN thanks to the VTEA grant that made it possible for students to use.
“Thanks to the grant, we are for the first time ever to subscribe to WGSN and it is the best fashion forecast service in the entire world,” Knights said.