In a constant state of flux, trade shows are great barometers for our evolving industry. They form a foundation for our reports, not only through the product we see, but more importantly the conversations we have. We couple this with our ongoing research and internal development to make sense of not just the what, but more crucially the why.

For our broader thoughts on spring show density and the shift towards staggered launches, read our Fly on the Wall / SS 25 journal article here.

Everywhere we went the same sentiment emerged… ‘this feels different’. Often vague and hard to pin down, there is a clear feeling emerging—a realisation even—that business as usual is no more. We are both at the end and at the start of something.

No doubt general pessimism, fed by a fracturing economic and political orthodoxy, is contributing to anxiety across the board. But most struggle to articulate their sentiment when pressed. The idea of a nebulous feeling of change, an unprecedented gut sense, is crucial to the elusive nature of the shift. It runs deeper than ‘business is tough’.

We are the at the crossroads of seismic change and the wheels have long been in motion. The timeline impossible to predict, but the scale/nature of societal changes and technological advances over the coming decade(s), will quickly render our present a relic of the past.