What will be the top trends of 2009?
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monday, January 05, 2009
Here’s what some professional trend analysts forecast:
AP
Powered-up mini communicators such as the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1 Google phone (below) enable users to take their media ‘shows’ on the road.
Seth Wenig/AP
The Goodwill-thrift shop look will strike just the right image; looking lavish will be a no-no.
Mobilize me
Jane Buckingham, president of The Intelligence Group
The year 2008 was all about computer saturation, says Buckingham, with people Facebooking, uploading videos on YouTube and watching television on their laptops.
“But next year your media friend might start collecting dust when a mighty mini version takes hold,” says Buckingham. “With the iPhone, the Bold and the Google phone, we’re beginning to truly be able to take our shows on the road.”
For example, the iPhone can be a baby monitor and a Google phone, such as the T-Mobile G1, has a barcode scanner that allows you to scan any barcode at the store and then immediately compare prices online.
The “Cuspers”
Marian Salzman, trend spotter, chief marketing officer for Porter Novelli Worldwide
The “Cuspers” are boomers born between 1955 and 1964, said Salzman.
She predicts the Cuspers, sometimes called Generation Jones, will continue to rise to power. She ticks off a list that includes President-elect Barack Obama, Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations nominee, and Caroline Kennedy, who could be tapped to run for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s vacant seat.
Unlike older boomers, Cuspers are more egalitarian, more tolerant and more anxious to make a big difference, she said. Look for more Cuspers in leadership roles, said Salzman.
Credit crunch couture / The dowdy look
From David Wolfe, trend forecaster, The Doneger Group
It’s going to be trendy to dress dowdy, Wolfe says, with faded colors and melancholy looks. The look is almost a backlash to the flashy, celebrity-driven, sexy style that has been dominant for the last decade, he says.
That’s not to say people are going to shop at Goodwill and thrift shops. People will go to high-priced designers to look like they’re not spending a lot of money, he said.
But looking lavish will seem emotionally wrong, he said.
DIY and upcycling
Jeremy Gutsche, Chief Trend Hunter, TrendHunter.com; Rita Nakouzi, director, Promostyl, North America
Inexpensive designs are getting a lot more attention, and the credit crunch is also adding fuel to more folks doing it themselves, says Gutsche.
That dovetails with “upcycling,” reusing an item so that it doesn’t become waste. The term comes from “Cradle to Cradle” authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart.
Nakouzi said to look for things like a chair cushion made out of old neckties and more restaurants and hotels using reclaimed materials.
