[Talks area Hall 5] Trend forecasting is dead
Feb 3, 2026 | 5:00 PM - 5:45 PMFashion & beauty talk area - Hall 5
Feb 3, 2026 | 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Fashion & beauty talk area - Hall 5
An unfiltered conversation on how trend forecasting evolved from elite institutions to democratized cultural intuition, and what that shift means for fashion’s future.
Cait Monahan, Editor-in-Chief - Hypebae
Shanu Walpita, Co-Curator of the 2026 State of Fashion Biennale
Sean Monahan, Founder of 8Ball
Talk moderated by Amy Leverton, Founder of Denim Dudes
Cait Monahan is a cultural strategist, trend forecaster, guest lecturer at the University of the Arts London and the Editor-in-Chief of Hypebae. With clients ranging from WGSN to Nike, Cait helps brands speak to the movements and moments that matter most to creative audiences.
Shanu Walpita is a London-based Curator, Educator and Foresight Director. Currently Co-Curator of the 2026 State of Fashion Biennale 2026 and Co-Founder of 'Emergence of Tomorrow' - an innovative discussion space and community think tank. She previously held the position of Course Leader of BA (Hons) Creative Direction for Fashion at the London College of Fashion.
Sean Monahan is a writer and trend forecaster based in Los Angeles, known for co-founding the trend-forecasting collective K-HOLE, which popularized the term "normcore" in the early 2010s. He now publishes the popular newsletter "8Ball," where he continues to analyze cultural trends.
Talk in English
Session language
English
