Buying and merchandising

At the moment I am doing a Buying and merchandising project as part of my degree. The brief is to basically research current shows, street style, the fashion weeks, films, music- anything that can influence fashion trends- and come up with a trend for our chosen retailer. The trend should be for Spring/ Summer 2013 and the retailer I chose is Zara

My trend is called Idiomatic Mix. Which essentially means using expressions and elements that are natural to native speakers of a mixture of cultures. I have focused on traditional Nigerian tribes, Hopi culture, Ukrainian traditions and Aztec elements.

These are some of the key images from my research to give you an idea of what I am focusing on in the way of colour and pattern.

The fabrics that will be used isn't finalised yet, but I'm working on it! However the colour scheme and silhouettes are pretty clear from these photos I'd say, so you get the idea. Black details in the patterns is definitely a consistent theme, coming from the Katchina dolls from Nigerian culture. This element would definitely fit in well with Zaras product line so will be taken through for my final range for the retailer.