Each year, the landscape of fashion shifts, reflecting changing tastes, cultural influences, and the creative visions of industry leaders. But are those industry leaders shaping consumer purchases in the space?
While major fashion houses continue to command attention, the forces shaping consumer sentiment are far more nuanced. Understanding who is capturing the attention of consumers—and why—offers valuable insight, but it is not the whole story. Brands seeking to stay ahead of the curve, and find audiences for everything from everyday accessories to evening wear, need to understand the underlying consumer purchasing drivers to convert sales this season.
The people driving the fashion conversation evolve yearly, with some remaining dominant and others fading into the background.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has led Christian Dior since 2016, is a significant force in shaping luxury fashion with her commitment to feminist-inspired designs and storytelling through couture. Similarly, Jean Paul Gaultier, known for his boundary-pushing approach, remains relevant as he explores new collaborations and creative directions. Meanwhile, Kim Jones' departure from Dior Men has sparked speculation about the future of the brand’s menswear aesthetic, adding intrigue to the evolving luxury landscape.
Beyond designers, cultural moments and celebrity endorsements are crucial in shaping fashion narratives. In February 2023, Lourdes Leon’s viral moment outside the Marc Jacobs show demonstrated how exclusivity and access remain central themes in high fashion.
Fast forward to 2025, and Schiaparelli is again generating buzz, not just for its signature surrealist couture but for its ability to capture the imagination of a new generation of fashion enthusiasts.
Big names always garner a lot of mentions; however, that doesn’t necessarily inform purchase trends, particularly if your brand hopes to cast a wide net and entice new buyers outside of the couture persona.
Diving into consumer insights online opens up a world of opportunity: when you know where to look.
Viewing the overarching conversations and comparing those in January 2023, January 2024, and January 2025, we can see “Schiaparelli’s Bold Couture” and “Haute Couture Spring” interest waning:
Schiaparelli being singled out here makes sense. It stands apart in the luxury fashion world as a striking contrast to the polished minimalism of other renowned brands.
Unlike Chanel or Dior, which offer timeless sophistication and refined femininity, Schiaparelli is surrealist and sculptural, with avant-garde designs and pieces incorporating bold colors, exaggerated shapes, and playful details.
And unlike Louis Vuitton or Gucci, which balance high fashion with mainstream wearability, Schiaparelli remains a celebrity favorite with its unexpected, exclusive, and sometimes shocking wearable art intended for those looking to make a statement rather than blend in. It’s where couture meets fine art. Schiaparelli isn’t concerned with commercial accessibility—which works for them as a brand, because consumers aren't searching for wearable art this season.
Diving deeper into the conversation, we see that consumers are interested in the evolution of fashion, where sustainability and technology meet. They’re also talking a lot about vibrant, bold colors and, of course, celebrities. These conversations are central and highly interconnected:
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As we can see below, the “Fashion Trends” audience, which has had the largest share of voice over these past three months, identifies as unemployed, so its focus on sustainability and extending the life of materials makes sense. Although they may love high fashion, investing in haute couture doesn’t align with their current budget:
How does this help brands convert fashion sales? Beyond these consumers’ significant interests in fashion and shopping, we can see several other interest areas they also post about, including beauty, green living, travel, and movies. Many also share a love of music, arts and crafts, and literature.
Further, we can see that the love of fashion and shopping, inspired by other interests, spills over into more practical areas in consumers’ everyday lives, specifically interior design. These interests impact not only what they “wear” but also the décor they are “inspired” to “brighten up” their homes with:
From here, fashion retailers can create products and campaigns that offer precisely what consumers want to wear to that next event or to have in their homes as a conversation piece—campaigns that incorporate music, literature, and green living. Fashion that is beautiful, bright, and cheerful but also functional. It’s a continued march away from fast fashion but is far from austerity.
We’ve uncovered precisely where to monitor these conversations and watch for specific brand mentions, too, to see if you’re getting it right.
Although much of the conversation happens in news articles, the voice of the consumer is evident in blogs, consumer reviews, comments, forums, and a myriad of social channels—and we can pinpoint what is being said and where in granular detail, identifying specific subreddits relevant to the topic, and even individual posts:
Spring 2025 fashion trends reflect shifting consumer priorities. Sustainability and technological advancements in textiles are taking center stage. They’re capturing the attention of consumers who seek innovation and individuality while keeping economic challenges in mind, even distracting from economic challenges with bold, expressive aesthetics.
Understanding these evolving conversations and the drivers behind them offers a strategic advantage for brands and retailers. Those who listen to and anticipate consumer desires will be best positioned to shape the future of fashion and pivot to meet needs that reflect our evolving society.
As the season unfolds, the most successful fashion narratives will be those that balance tradition with transformation, creating pieces that not only earn oohs and aahs on the runway but resonate in consumers' everyday lives.