Fashion forecast service

   A company that specializes in predicting fashion trends, color, and silhouette direction to the fashion industry. These predictions, which are made more than a year in advance of products making it to the selling floor, cover multiple areas of the industry including childrenswear, womenswear, mens-wear, knitwear, outerwear, activewear, and accessories. The forecasting process starts with panels of color experts, who meet to create a color palette for each season—such as the International Color Authority (ICA) (American, Dutch, and British), the British Textile Color Group (BTCG), the Comité Française de la Couleur (French), and the Color Marketing Group (USA). Fiber and fabric companies purchase this information to develop their seasonal collection of fabrics or yarns. Designers and retailers use these services in the inspiration process for creating their collections. Forecast services advertise at trade shows and through their own sales channels. Fashion forecasting magazines often support predictions made by fashion forecast services or publish their own predictions.