A fashion trend forecasting course as a gateway to career discovery

The purpose of this study was to present an overview of a newly designed fashion trend forecasting course and examine its success at increasing the student’s (a) trend forecasting acumen, (b) trend forecasting abilities in various roles within fashion, and (c) awareness of future career interests. A mixed methods approach enabled researchers to evaluate course success and methodological impacts. A repeated measures ANOVA and mean difference tests were utilized to test hypotheses. Qualitative data was analyzed to triangulate results. The study revealed significant increases in students’ trend forecasting abilities and comprehension of how trend forecasting is utilized in industry contexts. Originally, results did not indicate a significant increase in career preparedness, however triangulation revealed outliers within the participant set. The triangulated indicated that students focused on careers in merchandising, design, and product development saw a significant increase in their career preparedness. This is the first study to explore the connect between fashion trend forecasting and career preparation. While trend forecasting is a widely used skill in the fashion industry, the diverse use has been infrequently taught and has not been academically studied. The results demonstrate the opportunity to expand on the application of trend forecasting in fashion programs.