According to Google, one of the top fashion trends this season is “jogger pants,” and most surprising of all, that the most searched for style of pants is “Emoji.” LOL.
Google is attempting to stake its claim as a taste-maker in the world of fashion by acting as a knowledgeable source of data when it comes to what is stylish — and what is not.
In an inaugural 53-page report that came out yesterday, Google outlined the latest fashion trends for this Spring in the U.S. based on search data.
Besides Emoji jogger pants, some of the big winners this season are tulle skirts, midi skirts, high-waisted bikinis and “kale” sweatshirts as seen in Beyonce’s music video. Fashion statements that are on the way out include one-shoulder dresses, skinny jeans and string bikinis.
The intense data-crunching work may just give the company some clout in the fashion world, which is hard to crack for most tech giants. Amazon has been trying to become a one-stop destination for shoes and apparel, but has yet to really nail the online shopping experience.
With the launch of the report, Google’s intention is not to become a retailer, but to potentially help inform retailers, marketers or designers on how people look and ultimately shop for items.
“By compiling over six billion searches, we are able to render a strong representation of the American population and gain insight into this specific population’s behavior,” wrote Google’s fashion data scientist Olivier Zimmer and fashion brand strategist Yarden Horwitz. “In our Google Fashion Trends report, we are excited to bring forth the power of Big Data into the hands of the designers, planners, marketers, trendsetters and taste-makers. The goal of this report is to share useful data for planning purposes accompanied by curated pieces of what we believe can make for impactful trends.”
In a expansive article about the report’s launch, The New York Times raises an important question about how representative the data could be of people’s real interests. Are people searching for Emoji pants because they are baffled at what they are, or are they truly interested in buying them?
If it’s the later, and Google is able to detect trends early before they start taking off, it could be invaluable information to the right people.
