The Difference Between Apparel and Home Trends

Hello and happy Tuesday! Today I'm excited to share a little research project I did for my internship: comparing apparel trends with home trends and how they're changing in the future. It's been really cool getting to learn more about the furniture industry, and I've noticed some similarities and differences when looking at this industry compared to the apparel one. Enjoy!! xo

If you’re familiar with the interior design or furniture industries, then you might know how interior design trends change much slower than apparel ones do. With fashion, every season there’s a major shift in terms of what’s “in” at the moment, and these trends often do not last more than a few months or even weeks. In furniture, however, things move much slower. Why is this the case? Well, apparel trends move quicker because people buy clothes a lot more frequently than they buy a sofa or a rug. There is a more urgent need for new clothes each season than there is for new furniture. And with the rise of fast fashion, retailers are able to turn around new merchandise even faster than ever before, which makes trends change quicker as well. Furniture also lasts longer and is much more expensive than clothing, which makes the consumption slower and therefore changing trends slower.

It’s also interesting to look at how fashion influences interior design trends. Recently, apparel trends have really been influencing what happens aesthetically in interiors. It starts with designer runway shows in Europe, and progressively trickles down to markets like ready-to-wear and then eventually into home. So, chances are a trend like Pantone’s 2018 color of the year Ultra Violet will play a role in interiors in the coming months!

However, recently there has been an interesting change in the way people have been shopping for their homes. According to the UK Fashion Network, “customers are now approaching the homeware category in the same way they buy their clothes: trend-oriented, impulsive and seasonal.” Retailers are starting to mix their store layouts to include both clothing and homegoods all in one area, making shopping for the home a more frequent, day-to-day thing. This inspires the customer to update the decor in their home as much as they would their wardrobe. CEO of an on-demand interior design service called Homepolish, Noa Santos, says something similar: “People are engaging with their home spaces or office spaces very similarly to how they engage with their wardrobes. A space is never really done—it becomes a continual reflection of themselves.”

Have you noticed the home industry becoming more incorporated into your frequent shopping? Places like Anthropologie and Nordstrom definitely make me want to redecorate my bedroom!
Thank you to Steinhafels (where I'm interning!) for shooting a few pictures of me in one of their stores!

xoxo