The “How-To” Design Report

June 30, 2023

The enduring appeal of Choose Your Own Adventure books is right there in the name: it’s the choices. You and I could pick up the very same book and read a very different story, depending on the choices we make along the way. Most trends function on a similar level — we’re all working with many of the same elements and figuring out how to make them uniquely our own. The choices we make are a reflection of who we are today.

Our latest trend report expands on this idea, giving you insider information on how to make good product choices for yourself and your customers that reflect both the trends we’re seeing and how they apply to you.

So let’s take a little adventure of our own. Your first decision is choosing which trend you’re interested in exploring.

If you choose to explore how what you wear can engage your senses, click here.

If you want to see how gentle and joyful color can soothe, click here.

If you decide you want to look at things from a new perspective, click here.

If you need to know how to build a hero wardrobe, read on.


Hero Styles

How To Build a Hero Wardrobe

If you want to be the hero of the story, you have to look the part. This means revisiting and reinventing iconic styles, elevating core pieces, and embracing classics with an effortless ease.

In practice, this can mean nostalgic varsity jackets with sporty stripes that can be worn by anyone at any age, elevated vests that bridge seasons and look smarter than ever, or even a rugged coat for your dog that helps him stand out from the pack.

Remixed and reimagined, the hero is not the eye-catcher in the store window. It’s the core piece that you just can’t live without.

OK, Hero…what will you choose next?

To explore how what you wear can engage your senses, click here.

To see how gentle and joyful color can soothe, click here.

To look at things from a new perspective, click here.



Engage Your Senses

How To Engage Your Senses

The virtual world is fine, but nothing quite compares to the feel of the real. The more time we spend with our digital screens, the more we’ve come to relish the tactility of fabrications we can experience in real life.

If you’re thinking corduroy on baseball caps, birdseye sweater knit on a pullover, the super chunky rib knit on a beanie or the “cool factor” feeling of ready-for-anything denim, you’re already in the right space. Cozy plush blankets and soft fleece round out the sensations our choices can give us.

The question is not if you can see it, but if you can feel it. Paying attention to your senses opens up a world of possibilities and builds a deeper connection to your favorite product or brand.

More possibilities await. Where should we go next?

To see how you can build a hero wardrobe, click here.

To find out how gentle and joyful color can soothe, click here.

To see things from a new perspective, click here.



Soothing Through Color

How To Soothe Through Gentle, Joyful Color

Our color choices represent a chromatic feast, a mixture of different flavors and tones that feed our spirit. They can be joyfully bright or soothingly soft or maybe a bit of both, and they’re an important aspect of the joyconomy movement taking shape across industries.

Soft, dreamlike pastels of natural mineral dyed colors. Relaxing, genderful lavender. Restful greys and creamy ivory hues. These soothing colors all bring a visual minimalism and ease to tees and hoodies and outerwear jackets.

They co-exist with the rich, saturated tones of sunrise and sunset in orange and red and a variety of blues reminiscent of the beautiful deep, cool water in a lake or the ocean. These joyful brights offer a powerful playfulness in any outfit.

It’s decision time again. What would you like to see next?

To see how you can build a hero wardrobe, click here.

To explore how what you wear can engage your senses, click here.

To see things from a new perspective, click here.



A New Perspective

How To Take a New Perspective

Not everyone approaches their choices the same way. When choosing what to buy from an array of options, some will focus on price as their main deciding factor while others may look at a company’s values or a product’s long-term life cycle as their most important choice. This latter buyer isn’t spending less – they’re spending differently.

Another way to look at new perspectives is that what we’re wearing can give us a new perspective on what we’re doing. A new kind of suit for a tradeshow team, focusing on longer lengths and more casual silhouettes, might give the team a whole new outlook on their work. New details in apparel, like bigger pockets or outerwear with a longer profile, can make you feel more prepared and put together. A gift of a new bag, cooler and throw can open up new opportunities to play on that micro-adventure day when you escape to the beach or the park for a few hours.

Taking a new perspective means making choices that freshen up your life and expand your viewpoint, and can open up brand-new opportunities with your customers.

Where will your fresh perspective take you next?

To learn how you can build a hero wardrobe, click here.

To explore how what you wear can engage your senses, click here.

To see how gentle and joyful color can soothe, click here.

If you’re ready to finish up, read on.


Over the next few months we’ll be taking a deeper dive into these ideas and exploring how your choices can make sure that you’re not taking part in someone else’s adventure – you’re making the choices that reflect you, your business, and your customers for who you are today. Hope to see you there!