Trend Alert : Bold hues and denim blues

Nearing the end of winter and inching closer to the spring season, one question brands are faced with is what’s hot this season? Where should they be growing their assortments and how should they be planning their collections? With the start of the new year, collections have seen a shift, and dopamine dressing is seemingly one of the trends taking center stage.

Key takeaways 

• Bright shades of pink and green are leading mass market brands’ womenswear assortments this year. 
• Jeans are the stand out category at the moment, and low rise styles are increasingly present in brand’s womenswear collections 
• Comfortable and relaxed looks are still among the leading categories in menswear, with muted neutral shades and a pop of green and lilac leading the way in menswear color ranges

Womenswear is headed for the bold

Neutral colors and dark shades are, generally speaking, the norm, in terms of most popular colors in share of assortment throughout the fall and winter season, and remained so during the past several months, as shown with Retviews’ real-time data. In the midst of a global crisis, shoppers are prone to opting for bolder, brighter and more vibrant colors and styles.  With the start of the new year, and the global pandemic still present, nearly two years on - are brands changing the color mix in their assortments?

Taking a closer look at leading mass market brands’ collections since the start of 2022, there has been an increase in the share of assortment of brighter colors, such as green and pink. Although neutral colors are still widely present in the season’s collections, bright colors are setting in, as we inch towards the new season. The assortment share of bright shades of pink and green has increased by 8,2% and 9,6% respectively, so far throughout 2022, in mass market collections. Another interesting color is the easily recognizable shade of denim blue, whose assortment share has increased by 11,2%.

The denim comeback

As the popular shade of denim blue is leading the ranking of most popular colors, with the highest increase of assortment share throughout the start of 2022 - the color’s popularity evidently stems from an increase in jeans, within leading brands’ assortments.

Retviews data allows brands to get a real-time view into what categories are gaining popularity within competitor collections and optimize their own collections accordingly. Looking at what categories showcased the strongest increase in assortment share since the start of 2022, jeans are the evident winner within womenswear. On average, within mass market leading brands - jeans collections have grown by over 20%. These same brands’ newsletters are also flooded with the announcement of new denim collections - corroborating the current popularity of the category.

Other categories that stand out with prominent increases in assortment share are blazers, jumpsuits, bodysuits, and blouses/shirts - could this be an indication of a move towards “going out” fashion?

The return of Y2K fashion

Similarly to how millennials are drawn to 90s fashion, Gen Z shoppers are gravitating towards and bringing back Y2K fashion. The early 2000’s aesthetic is a source of fascination for the trend-setting generation, and they are ready to bring back velour sweatsuits, cargo pants and baby tees. How are brands tackling the return of the Y2K aesthetic, and is its comeback already present in collections?

Diving into the data behind leading mass market brands’ assortments, Y2K fashion is already creeping into their newest womenswear collections. One of the more prominent Y2K trends are the low rise jeans. When looking at denim collections, throughout the same time period in 2021 and 2022, there is an evident shift taking place in different waistlines for jeans. Although high waisted jeans still take the lead, their assortment share within denim collections has decreased by 7% between 2021 and 2022. Low waist jeans are coming in with a bang - as their share in assortment throughout the mass market has more than doubled in the past year.

It’s safe to say that low rise is making a comeback, and mass market brands are already boosting their assortment with the hot Y2K trend. Don’t fall behind your competitors and take advantage of real-time data to get the right product mix in your collection and improve performance, with Retviews.

What about menswear? 

Taking a closer look at menswear alone, jeans are one of the most popular categories at the moment, their assortment share growing by over 15%. However, in contrast with womenswear, sweatshirts and sweatpants are among the leading categories for the start of 2022, with an increase in assortment share of 12,4% and 11,2%, respectively - indicating that within menswear, relaxed and comfortable styles are still predominant.

When it comes to colors, there is a similar move happening towards bolder colors in menswear, albeit less than within womenswear, where bright shades of pink and green are increasingly present in mass market collection.

Retviews data indicates a strong increase in grey, khaki and natural beige shades, in menswear collections at the start of the year - indicating that neutral shades are still widely popular in menswear. Although ranked lower in terms of increase in assortment share, vibrant green and denim blue are still among the leading colors for menswear so far in 2022. However, where womenswear is flooded with pink pieces, light shades of purple are currently more present within menswear.

Developing the perfect collection and staying on top of industry trends, makes taking into account the bright shades that are present in womenswear, and the muted shades that are more prominent in menswear, crucial.

Getting the right collection with automated benchmarking

This year’s expected trends are already making their way in mass market collections, with colorful dopamine dressing and Y2K fashion leading the pack. You can spot the categories that stand out in competitor’s collections, pinpoint the color range that’s leading assortments, and optimize your collections with the automated benchmarking solution for fashion brands and retailers, Retviews. See how you can enhance your performance and maximize margins, with a real-time view of competitor strategies.