From generative AI-powered fashion design to trend identification, we break down the critical categories of vendors helping the fashion industry design and merchandise products more efficiently.
Brands and retailers are eager to capture the attention and dollars of younger shoppers as their spending power continues to grow. However, understanding the preferences of these young consumers has proven challenging given that they are wide-ranging and are heavily shaped by social media trends.
Eighty-five percent of Gen Z says that social media influences their purchasing decisions, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, with TikTok and Instagram having the greatest impact. This can make it difficult for the fashion industry to keep up, as the fashion design process takes place up to a year in advance while social media trends may last a few weeks or even days.
As a result, tech vendors are helping fashion brands reduce the time it takes to synthesize trends, design garments, and merchandise them for sale. Tools like trend identification and social listening solutions help brands analyze what is gaining traction on social media, generative AI enables them to quickly design new patterns and styles, and content editing and multi-purpose merchandising platforms allow them to quickly prepare new products for sale across online and offline channels.
In the market map below, we identify 111 vendors addressing critical aspects of the fashion design & merchandising process across 14 different categories.
Note: Our map includes private startups that have received funding in the last 5 years and have either submitted an Analyst Briefing or hold a Mosaic score of at least 400. This market map is not exhaustive of the space.
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