Flipping through fashion magazines and perusing social media sites
gives the impression that bright colors and loud floral prints are
essential for the latest must-have looks.
While it’s true that reds and whites as well as purple and other colors resonate well with shoppers, there is a disconnect between what people say they like in fashion trends versus what actually sells at retail.
This disconnect also rings true for merchandisers who often complain
that there’s not enough color in the pipeline, yet when measured in unit
volumes, dark and muted colors in women’s and men’s wear are what sells
most of all.
According to recent data by Edited, the “top movers” in global unit volume at retail
of color groups for women’s wear from March 2015 to February of this
year were blacks with 35.2 percent market share, grays with 14 percent,
whites with 13.3 percent and browns with 6.3 percent. Pinks garnered 5.3
percent, while navys and blues came in with 5.2 and 4.9 percent,
respectively. Neutrals were 3.7 percent, while reds came in at 2.2
percent. Tenth was purple with 2.1 percent.
By comparison, the top color group movers for the March 2014 to
February 2015 period were blacks with 33 percent; whites with 15.2
percent; grays at 14.4 percent, browns with 6.1 percent; pinks with 5.8
percent; navys with 4.6 percent; neutrals at 3.9 percent; reds at 2.2
percent, and purples at 2 percent.
Men’s wear mirrored the women’s color trends — except for green,
which made an appearance in the top 10 groups in the year-ago period.
Katie Smith, senior retail
and fashion analyst at Edited, said the disconnect between what’s on
runways, in fashion publications and in stores is complex and involves a
variety of economic and consumer behavior factors.
“Magazines need fresh content, so they’re going to report on the most
interesting and ‘newest’ trends from runway,” Smith said. “Sure, there
may be a captivating red story coming through, but in terms of runway
volume, there’s undoubtedly more navy. It just doesn’t make for such a
sexy story in fashion mags. And as a consumer, do you want to be reading
about stuff that you’ve already got in your wardrobe? Probably not.”
For merchandisers, Smith said they are “well attuned” to the nature
of content, freshness and the bottom line. “Much like a content editor,
they need those pieces which are fresh and scream ‘new season,’” Smith
explained. “But in most cases, they’re not going to sell as well as the
consumer favorites of black, gray and dark blues. Thankfully, there’s
the core segment of a retailer’s offering, where slower-moving color
trends and replenishable product live. That’s a retailer’s secure zone
— the bread and butter of the business.”
But Smith was quick to note that the size of the core offering
varies, according to Edited’s data analysis. “At fast-fashion retailers
Zara and H&M, zero percent of their offering is older than five
months. At Macy’s, 23 percent of the offering is more than six months
old, and at Saks Fifth Avenue, that figure is 43 percent.”
In regard to color trends on the runway, Smith said “[colors]
actually sells better than some other runway trends such as print trends
or fabric trends.”
“It’s a good way to update existing shapes — shapes which are tried
and tested with the consumer,” Smith explained. “It makes the store look
in-season, without moving the consumer way out of their comfort zone.
However, retailers will likely have to discount at the end of the season
and therefore, buy depth should reflect this.”
Smith said a recent Edited study examined color trends at Topshop,
Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Zara and H&M. It revealed that “red
stocked in fall 2015 sold well, with 55 percent of red products stocked
selling out in-season.”
“However, it was maroon that fared best in retail for fall 2015 — 57
percent of products at those retailers sold out at full price — and it
wasn’t a major runway trend for the season,” Smith said.
In summary, Smith agreed there’s a disconnect. “Runway color trends
are a critical communication tool, but retailers buying into them should
do so armed with data,” Smith said. “There could, and likely will, be
color trends with more retail potential out there.”
In regard to if retailers are using data in the right way and if it
is being properly incorporated into the merchandising decision-making
process, Smith said “best practice retailers are using market data on a
daily basis to power their decision-making.”
“Buyers use it to detect product trends early, ensure their
assortment leads the market and know how to price new products,” Smith
said, while also noting that real-time data dashboards can replace “a
lot of the guesswork” and bolster sell-through margins.