Bershka’s fashions are uniquely tailored to Gen Zers, who are markedly most adventurous in fashion, expressing themselves through clothing, music, and social media. The brand speaks the language of the younger generation: Dazed Digital’s Future of Youth Culture Report this year affirms that Gen Z are defined by their interests more than anything else. When asked how they define their identity, 66% of Gen Zers say it’s through their style, and 65% through music. As such, Bershka has honed in on these forms of expression, creating collections that reflect their young audience’s interests.
But how can the brand look ahead to what their customers will desire in a few months’ time, or even one year in advance? Trend forecasting can provide the missing piece to Bershka’s collection planning, identifying key trends on the market that both male and female Gen Zers will desire.
Forecasting Fall 2021 trends for Bershka’s Gen Z audience
The following article is a snapshot of Bershka’s current collection assortment on their e-commerce platform compared with data drawn from social media to gauge demand for the Fall 2021 season in Europe for men and women. The key categories are knitwear, denim, and outerwear, as these are some of the top categories worn by both genders as a result of their genderfluid approach to fashion.
For the Fall 2021 season, shirt jackets, v-neck tops, and oversized sweatshirts are some of the core categories for Gen Zers’ everyday attire. Bershka can be sure to include specific silhouettes in these garment categories to accurately meet consumer demand and avoid overstock. With trend forecasting, Bershka can be sure to feature on-trend clothing to appeal to the younger generations who are accustomed to a fast-paced fashion universe.
1. Shirt Jackets
Shirt jackets have taken off this year as part of the growing workwear trend in fashion. A range of brands from streetwear to maisons have reinterpreted this garment for men and women in varying prints, fabrics, and colors. Gen Z has proven to be pro-shirt jacket, and Bershka can hop on the trend for Fall 2021. For European women, shirt jackets are a safe bet given their +2% growth rate coupled with the garment’s big forecasted market potential. This trend appeals to the majority of consumer segments, as it’s already been adopted by the masses and will be reiterated by trendy consumers in the Fall. The high season for women’s shirt jackets is in the Summer, when this outerwear piece can be layered over warm-weather outfits.
For men in Europe, shirt jackets will be equally as popular next year. They’re a safe bet among all consumer segments, with a flat growth rate of +1% and a big magnitude. Bershka would do best to launch this garment during its high seasons of Spring and Summer to allow their Gen Z male customers to pair the trend with their vernal and summery looks.
2. V-Neck Tops
V-neck tops are a wardrobe staple, but it seems that next Fall, crewneck is taking the lead. For European females, v-necks are a last call for Bershka’s upcoming collection due to its -14% growth rate. To take advantage of the trend’s temporality, Bershka can launch their last stocks of the garment in its high seasons of Summer and Fall to avoid overstock and satisfy those customers who may still desire v-neck tops in their closets.
European men will be more receptive to v-neck tops in Fall 2021, as the trend has a +1% growth rate and a big magnitude during the season in question. This garment is a safe bet for all consumer segments of Bershka’s younger male audience. Just like for their women’s collection, Bershka should launch v-neck tops in the Summer and Fall next year as a way to appease consumer desires and continue to provide classic staples in a range of colors.
3. Oversized Sweatshirts
Oversized sweatshirts have become a hit trend over the past few seasons in fashion, as streetwear brands have inspired a number of high street brands and major retailers to feature the garment in their collections. Bershka should include this fashion bet in their Fall 2021 collections, taking a cue from the trend’s +16% growth rate and big potential market demand to deliver trendy iterations of the garment. As a result of the kind of brands that have popularized oversized sweatshirts, it’s the trendy and edgy consumers that most desire this garment, particularly during its high seasons of Spring and Winter next year.
For Bershka’s Fall 2021 menswear collection, oversized sweatshirts should equally be featured for the brand’s trendy and edgy consumer segments. The garment is a safe bet given its +5% growth rate and big magnitude, so the best launch time for Bershka will be virtually the whole of 2021: Spring, Summer, and Winter.
Social media-based trend forecasting to understand Bershka’s young audience
This report compared just a few key casual apparel styles taken from Bershka’s e-commerce platform with trend forecasting data to provide a glimpse into how these trends will behave on the European market for the Fall 2021 season. Bershka’s audience is, as we’ve seen, largely composed of Gen Zers who turn to fashion for self-expression. Oftentimes these consumers are drawn to out-of-the-box trends, those dared by high street designers before they achieve a universal appeal.
Gen Zers express these sentiments on social media, notably Instagram, where they like, share, and post the trends, brands, and influencers that inspire their style. In this way, social media is a looking glass into which trends most appeal to consumers. With trend forecasting based on social media analysis, Bershka can build a better understanding of its avant-garde Gen Z audience to deliver collections that not only reflect who they are, but exceed their expectations.
