Fashion Adoption Theory

A fashion cycle is the term used to describe the process that a type of fashion goes through. The fashion first gains mass acceptance and popularity from the consumers and then with time, the tastes and preferences of the consumers’ ebbs, which causes the fashion to lose that acceptance and popularity. Fashion Adoption is a process on how an individual accepts and purchases a new fashion or a style. This Innovation Adaption Curve plots out the five categories and basically shows that with time, any new style or trends popularity rises and eventually fades.

There are five categories that describe how early a consumer adopts a new fashion compared with others: Fashion Innovators, Fashion Opinion Leaders, Mass Market Consumers, Late Fashion Followers, and Fashion Isolates and Laggards.

Fashion Innovators

Consumers who adopt a new fashion soon after it appears on the market relatively earlier than most other consumers. This category usually consists of socialites, models and actresses who shop and can afford to purchase the latest styles when they are first offered or shown on the runway.

Fashion Opinion Leaders/ Early Adopters

Those who have a genuine interest and love for fashion that they adopt the style and contribute to its rise in popularity. They communicate information about new fashion to where  other people are influenced by them to accept or reject it. Fashion magazines, popular fashion bloggers along with fashion innovators would be in this category. Retail buyers pay very close attention to fashion opinion leaders  for they can spark or end a trend.

Mass Market Consumers

This would be the category I would  say that most people fall into. Once a style/trend is well accepted, it will become widely available in retail stores which leads mass market consumers to adopt it. This category can also be divided into Early Majority and Late Majority.

Late Fashion Followers/ Late Adopters

The trend will eventually start waning down and the adoption levels start to drop off. At this point the late fashion followers will adopt the trend. 

Fashion Isolates and Laggards

Consumers who adopt the style because of social acceptance or of its availability at low and discounted prices. At this point you will start to see the style/trend available at off-price and discount stores.