Designers are working hard on their fall collections.  But before they start designing the first step is researching in order to come up with inspiration for their line.   That means visiting museums and galleries, shopping the stores to see what they are currently carrying, reading fashion magazines, and shopping trend services.  Regardless of what a layman thinks, design does not happen in a vacuum.  Designers do not just come to ideas off the top of their heads.  Research is a very important component.  I remember reading a quote by Tom Ford saying he thought he did more research than any designer.   Trend services are particularly helpful.
Fashion trend services are responsible for spotting upcoming trends and products. They attempt to project past today’s trends, into the future, to discover what will be hot next season. Their predictions can guide manufactures and designers to use certain materials or focus on certain styles. To predict these trends, forecasters take many elements into consideration. They research past trends and attempt to determine the factors likely to affect upcoming trends. They should be familiar with shopping and the current economic environment. They are required to be familiar with all aspects of media, including movies, music and television. They are also required to travel throughout the world.  Doesn’t sound like a bad gig.
There are many trend services.  Some concentrate on specific things like color and others are more comprehensive looking at everything from fabrics to shiloulettes.  The following are some of the top agencies:
WGSN, a top trend forecasting service that offers in-depth reports on what people will be wearing in the future. They have been in business since 1997 and have a global team of creative content experts.
Fashion Snoops is a trend forecasting service.  The company’s team of 50 experts and 100 international analysts helps brands and companies identify and act on the trends and cultural movements that impact their business.
Trend Zoom  a fashion forecasting is an integral part of many companies design process.  According to their website their sole aim is to provide that creative rush of inspiration that will position their subscribing community ahead of the curve.

Trend services are another tool in a designers arsenal to create line inspiration.  They are something entrepreneurs should explore and see if it fits within their budget and design process. There are also free services such as Style.com which is produced by Vogue.  So not all trend reporting companies need to break the bank.