Program Announced: “The History and Future of Fashion Prediction”

A one-day conference, "The History and Future of Fashion Prediction: University Meets Industry," will be held Friday, October 17, 2014, from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The conference has been organized by Erasmus University Rotterdam on behalf of The Enterprise of Culture: International Structures and Connections in the Fashion Industry. This event will bring together the scholarly world of fashion research and professionals of the international fashion industry, and opens the floor for debate. As explained by Ben Wubs, one of the organizers,

Fashion prediction has played a tremendous role in the transformation of the fashion industry worldwide since the interwar period. However, fashion prediction is little understood by the public, despite the fact that it dramatically influences the collections every season. Although intermediaries and mediators have been active in the consolidating process of the fashion industry, their role has only been discussed recently by business history scholars. . . . The aim of this public conference is to explore the different forms and evolution of fashion prediction worldwide since the interwar period. . . . The role and form of fashion predictions . . . changed over time. This conference aims to find out how and why.

For a full description, please see the conference website.
     Open to anyone with an interest in the business history of fashion, this event is particularly aimed at academics (for example, in history, business, fashion), post-graduate students, curators, archivists, fashion industry professionals, textile-related organizations and wider public audiences. Booking is essential as places are limited. The registration fee is €30 (€10 for students). See here for more details, including the program and booking information.