Women are increasingly taking on more powerful roles in the workplace and society. They now earn nearly 60% of higher education degrees and make up over half of the US workforce. They also control household spending. As a result, female professionals will demand clothing and accessories that empower them to advance their careers. Apparel brands will need to market to this new generation of working women by offering flexible, versatile styles that can be dressed up or down. Popular silhouettes will include shorts suits, relaxed trench coats, refined pantsuits, and cropped and boxy shirts made from easy care fabrics.

1. The “New” Era of Female Professionals
APPAREL INDUSTRY TRENDS
The newest power consumer impacting the workplace and the retail
environment.
Aidenn Mullen / FASH 503 SCAD Spring 14’ / Prof. D Greene
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2. Today women are changing are set to overpopulate the workplace, control
the spending of their households, take on half of the household work and ear
nearly 60% of all higher education degrees.
Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
Aidenn Mullen / FASH 503 SCAD Spring 14’ / Prof. D Greene
Marissa Mayer, CEOYahoo Susan Wojcicki, CEOYou Tube, Google
Powerful women are set to take over social media, ecommerce and internet
up to date news.

3. For Apparel Merchandisers, feminine attire and accessories will empower
the younger generations to lean in, take fashion risks and dress for the
career they deserve.
“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” - Coco Chanel, pioneer of women’s parisian fashion
What Apparel Industry experts need
to know:
- Women will soon become the majority in the boardroom
-Visual imagery of women is changing to a more realistic,
marketable everyday woman.
- Female entrepreneurs make up 57% of the US
- “the gentlewoman” is a fashion trend taken right from the boys
- The new era of female workers will be far more flexible in their
“career” attire, ready to take risks..
- Powerful opinion leaders will emerge as Fashion Icons
- Marketing media will be geared towards candid, natural settings
and storytelling
- As gender roles shift, male casual wear may spike due to user
need.
- Reinventing the fashion magazines to have a new role likeVerily
Magazine will encourage women
to have overall balance in their complicated lives.

4. Aidenn Mullen / FASH 503 SCAD Spring 14’ / Prof. D Greene
The Gentlewoman is a trend just spiking in China
womenswear as reinvented pieces taken straight from the
boys and transformed for powerful girls.

5. Aidenn Mullen / FASH 503 SCAD Spring 14’ / Prof. D Greene
What silhouettes are coming?
Shorts suit Relaxed TrenchcoatRefined PantsuitCropped n Boxy
Shirt
Unstructured
Blazer
Exaggerated
cropped pant

6. Aidenn Mullen / FASH 503 SCAD Spring 14’ / Prof. D Greene
Global merchants must embrace the needs and demands of
the new working woman through a series of
understandings and key insights:
- Working environments will alter wardrobes depending on life flexibility.
-Two piece coordinated easy to wear items in new nuetrals will become the
foundation of her wardrobe.
- The button down shirt borrowed from the boys will undergo transformations
in a multitude of new fabrics with easy care and sustainability.
- Crisp, yet fluid fabrics will be a necessity for mobility and global warming
weather.
- High waisted and exaggerated leg shapes will be abound in the market worn
from casual to evening.
- Price conscious fashion takes a turn into a greener consumer segment
defined as a value proposition.