Course welcome, how eLearning works, meet your instructor, set your profile, review the portal, practice netiquette. Tutorials for the new learner, how to access your resources, change your profile (including photo) and join a networking group.

Multiple video and seminar review of: Learning Outcomes, CEU’s, course objectives, standards in online learning, your course structure and curriculum.

Instructions on accessing your course resources, manual and online quiz reviews.

Self-paced instructional video, audio, tools, resources, online links and ebooks to study. Students have access to each class within the course for up to 12 weeks. This section offers the training kits for the important components of the course. The course begins with an introduction to the career of the trend forecaster, it’s place in the fashion spectrum, what forecasters do, how they do it and why it is considered to be the most important fashion job in the modern fashion world.

An overview beginning with forecasters (who, what, when, why, and how) and an introduction to the forecasting specialties. The class also familiarizes executives with some of the frameworks for organizing observations, explaining trends, and hypothesizing future directions. The class concludes with a discussion of the attributes a forecaster needs in order to pursue a career in the field.

The class presents diffusion of innovation as a framework for explaining how innovation moves through a social system, and the types of consumers who participate in each time period. The focus is on consumer behavior—how different consumers react when presented with new products or fashion trends. The concept of consumer segmentation is introduced as a way to visualize markets.

The class discusses fashion movement—trickle down, trickle up, trickle across, and fashion cycles—and illustrates the process with examples from fashion history and today’s marketplace. Also reviewed are the different approaches to long-term forecasting by profiling key forecasters and how their predictions related to the fashion industry.

The class provides an introduction to color theory as a foundation for forecasting. Ideas associated with color cycles, the possible underlying patterns in the popularity of colors, are discussed. The focus of the class is on the challenge of predicting color with sections on color research, organizations for professionals, and color planning in the industry. A profile of Leatrice Eiseman, a well-known color forecaster, illustrates the working life of forecasters.

The class presents the basics of textile manufacturing as a precursor for understanding forecasting, including the sources for innovation. The focus of the Module is on the process of researching seasonal trends in texture, weight, pattern, and performance.

The class introduces the idea of trend multiplication as a long-term direction for fashion. The fashion map includes the cities hosting international Fashion Weeks, fashion off the runway, and street fashion.

Communication is a forecaster’s job; the class explains how to transform information into learning through creative presentation techniques. Topics include trend reporting, presentation tools such as software, and speaking techniques that help the forecaster connect with the audience. Because predictions are made with incomplete information, there are many traps for the unwary forecaster; the class reviews some to avoid.

Over 100 trend reports, trend resources and workshop samples for color, runway, street and fashion reporting. Executives are presented with solid business start-up concepts to begin earning money as Fashion Trend Consultants.

Online exam to test student’s absorption of the course training. 25 true/ false, multiple choice, mix and match and two essay questions. Scoring is standard from A to F (fail). Passing score must be 80% or higher.

All students completing the course are required to submit a brief feedback testimonial about their experience with the course. Click the link below for instructions and sample. Students also must complete a Participant Training Evaluation form prior to completing the course.

Entire fashion library includes over 20 important scholarly articles on fashion, fashion history, fashion week, etc. free for download and off-line reading. Supplemental materials include free e-books, free fashion images and other research tools students can use to further their knowledge of fashion, style and image.

Online library of downloadable resources, forms, eBooks and supportive material to help the new graduate build a strong business.