NWO.ai's weekly pulse: Summer fashion trends from Matching Sets to Knit Polos

Edited by Christian Thompson

Hello readers, and welcome back to this week’s pulse! We are excited to bring you an Inflection Point covering some of the latest summer fashion trends. So get ready for matching sets, knit polos, and more.

I. The Rise of Matching Sets

NWO.ai's signal for "Matching Sets"

Matching sets are a fashion trend that requires very little thinking when getting dressed. Over the past year, the impact score for “Matching Sets” has increased by 199%. Our future estimate forecasts sustained growth throughout the summer months. This growth is due to a variety of factors. According to USA Today, the trend started in 2020 during the pandemic and gained traction. Matching sets allowed remote workers to dress easily and functionally without having the pressure of choosing a new outfit every day. The clothing trend helped create stability for people’s wardrobes and thus became a consumer favorite.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

The buzz surrounding matching sets has increased since the first rise to fame. We now see people incorporating the style into their everyday closets and popularized by many workers returning to the office. Our platform supports this, as the impact score for “Matching Sets Office” has increased by 130% over the past year. Due to this, we anticipate matching sets to maintain their popularity and presence as the workforce returns to the office.

II. See you on the Pitch: The Rugby Shirt

NWO.ai's signal for "Rugby Shirt"

The rugby shirt seems poised for significant growth this summer. Over the past year, the impact score for “Rugby Shirt” has increased by 372%. The future estimate forecasts considerable growth in the coming months. What has been driving this trend? A few weeks ago, we wrote about the rise of preppy streetwear. Preppy streetwear’s popularity could factor into the rising popularity because of rugby shirts' prominent place in preppy fashion.

NWO.ai's signals for "Ami," "Ralph Lauren," "Drakes Clothing," "Gant," and "J.Crew"

We used our AI to compare some of the most popular rugby shirt brands to see which ones are trending this summer. Ami and Ralph Lauren lead the pack, with Drake’s Clothing closely behind. Gant and J.Crew take the last two spots. So if you want to add a rugby shirt to your closet, you may want to look into some of these brands.

III. Colors and patterns defining summer

NWO.ai's signal for "Mushroom Print"

Summer outfits define themselves by their popping colorways and unusual prints. Over the past year, the impact score for “Mushroom Print” has increased by 209%. The future estimate forecasts high growth during the summer. Mushroom print patterns seem to garner attention due to their significant presence at Spring/Summer 2022 fashion shows. Brands such as Acne Studios, Brandon Maxwell, and Alexander Wang have incorporated fungi into their latest collections. As a result, fantastic fungi prints are top of mind for consumers this summer.

NWO.ai's signal for "Pink Fashion"

The color that has everyone talking this summer is pink. Over the past year, the impact score for “Pink Fashion” has increased by 261%. The future estimate remains steady during the summer months. Pink has been everywhere recently, including at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The color was very present on the red carpet, with stars like Katherine Langford, Leonie Hanne, and Elle Fanning rocking pink silhouettes. The hype surrounding the new live-action Barbie movie may also be driving chatter for the color, as the impact score for “Barbie Movie” has increased by 805% over the past year. Pink seems to be the talk of the town this summer, so you may need to look to add it to your wardrobe.

IV. Headwear to keep you out of the sun: The Raffia Bucket Hat

NWO.ai's signal for "Raffia Bucket Hat"

Over the past year, the impact score for “Raffia Bucket Hat” has increased by 128%. The future estimate foresees continued growth in the summer. Raffia is considered one of the most sustainable types of palm used in hatmaking. The material’s sustainability may factor into the piece’s rapid growth over the past six months. Another reason for the straw hat’s growth may be the signal surrounding “Coconut Girl.”

Fizzy Mag

Recently, the “Coconut Girl” trend has been taking over TikTok, primarily due to the aesthetic of a “Coconut Girl.” The "Coconut Girl" aesthetic is best described as carefree and casual drawing inspiration from the beach. Think of outfits from Zoey 101 or H2O: Just Add Water. Over the past year, the impact score for “Coconut Girl” has increased by 361%. The future estimate predicts exponential growth during the coming months. The warm weather and outdoor events make the coconut girl aesthetic a prime closet choice. So, if you want to diversify your wardrobe and add a little “Coconut Girl,” the raffia bucket hat may be perfect for you.

V. Preppy Summer Fashion: The Knit Polo

NWO.ai's signal for "Knit Polo Shirt"

Over the past year, the impact score for “Knit Polo Shirt” has increased by 98%. The future estimate forecasts a spike during the summer season with maintained growth throughout the year. One reason for the increased interest in knit polo shirts is the remote workforce returning to the office. As we mentioned earlier, a post-pandemic workplace may look very different. Knit Polo Shirts help bridge the gap between professional and casual, making it a smart-casual statement piece. Over the past year, the impact score for “Smart Casual” has increased by 170%. This increase illustrates that workers value comfort more, and the office may become more casual.

NWO.ai's signal for "Reiss Clothing"

Reiss is a fashion company that offers a wide variety of knit polos. Over the past year, the impact score for “Reiss Clothing” has increased by 220%. The future estimate forecasts significant growth throughout the rest of the year. Reiss aims to encapsulate the modern-preppy style at a fair price point. If you want to add a knit polo to your closet this summer, you can find the link to Reiss’ website below.

Link: Reiss


Thanks for tuning into this week’s edition of the pulse. We hope you enjoyed it and learned something about summer fashion trends. As always, tune in next week and have a great weekend.

Cheers!


About NWO.ai
NWO.ai's predictive platform enables leading Fortune 500 companies and government agencies to anticipate and track global cultural shifts by aggregating, analyzing, and producing actionable reports on human-generated data. We are leveraging petabytes of external, noisy, and unstructured data from various sources including search, social media, blogs, news, patent databases, SEC filings and we are continuously adding more sources. Our mission is to answer the what, when, and most importantly, 'why' behind a consumer trend and enable our customers to detect these shifts as early as possible.

P.S.  We're hiring! Check out our open positions and let us know if you'd be a good fit for our team. We're growing quickly and adding several engineering, sales and customer success roles to help us decode the anatomy of next.

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