Fashion Beyond the Runway: Understanding Trend Adoption
Fashion design is often seen as a purely creative field, centred around aesthetics and innovation. However, the way trends really emerge and become popular is far more complex, shaped by social behaviour, cultural influence, and patterns of consumption. The Triple Trickle Theory (Mohr et al., 2021), the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (Rogers, 1962), and the Trend Adoption Curve (Rogers, 1962) each offer useful ways of understanding how fashion trends can move through society and be shared between groups. These theories are especially important when considered within the broader context of fashion design as a discipline, as together they show that trends are not solely created by high-end, luxury designers and followed by consumers and present the idea that trends – and their popularity - develop through social interactions between different groups, at different speeds, and they evolve over time within a culture. Having a strong understanding of these theories makes it easier to view fashion design as more than just creating clothing, but as something constantly shaped by social and cultural change. These theories convey how important it is for designers to stay flexible and open to change, as the industry continues to evolve so quickly in response to new influences and shifting trends. In today’s society, where fashion design is highly reliant on the digital world, these processes have been significantly accelerated by social media, transforming how trends are created, adopted, and then eventually replaced.
The Triple Trickle Theory challenges the traditional idea that fashion trends only flow from elite, high-end designers down to the general public. Instead, it recognises that trends move in multiple directions: from the top down, from the bottom up, and across similar social groups. This reflects the reality of contemporary fashion, where influence is no longer controlled by a small number of high-fashion houses. For example, streetwear and youth culture have become major sources of inspiration for luxury brands, demonstrating a clear trickle-up effect. Items such as sneakers, oversized silhouettes, and graphic designs, once associated with specific subcultures, are now regularly seen on high-fashion runways. At the same time, trickle-across movement is evident in how trends spread quickly between peer groups, particularly through online platforms. This fluid exchange of ideas highlights how fashion has become more inclusive and innovative, with influence coming from a wide range of sources rather than a single dominant group, which can be attributed to the rapid rise of digitisation in the industry. Traditionally, trends were created in a slow and structured cycle, with luxury designers presenting collections that eventually influenced consumer behaviour. However, the rise of globalisation and digital communication has disrupted this system. Today, fashion is shaped by a persistent flow of information, with inspiration coming from a wide range of sources, such as online communities and social media influencers reflecting the ideas presented in the Triple Trickle Theory. An example of this change is the growing influence of streetwear on high fashion. In the past, luxury brands were seen as the primary drivers of trends; now, luxury designers often look to everyday style and subcultures for inspiration for their collections. This demonstrates how trends can move from the general public up to high fashion, challenging conventional hierarchies within the industry and how fashion has become more dependent on cultural and social changes, rather than simply something that is imposed by designers. At the same time, the rapid spread of trends across social media platforms highlights the importance of peer-to-peer influence and social interaction, supporting the idea of trickle-across diffusion.
The Diffusion of Innovation Theory helps to explain why some people adopt trends earlier than others. According to Everett Rogers in 1962, individuals can be grouped into categories based on how quickly they adopt new ideas and trends: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. In the context of fashion design, innovators are often those willing to take risks and experiment with new styles and trends before they become mainstream. Early adopters, who are often highly active within social networks, play a key role in influencing others and helping trends gain popularity. The majority group usually joins in once a trend feels more established, while laggards are typically resistant to this change. This framework is particularly relevant today, where social media has intensified the visibility and influence of the early adopters. Social media influencers, celebrities, and content creators can introduce new trends to large audiences and, almost instantly, significantly speed up the process of diffusion and adoption. As a result of this, trends that might once have taken a longer amount of time to develop can now gain widespread attention in a matter of days through the push of a button. Djerf Avenue, which was started by Swedish influencer Matilda Djerf, is a great example of how an endorsement from an influencer can make a fashion trend popular. Her "Scandi-girl" style, which features classic, effortless pieces, went viral on TikTok and Instagram, making her brand a must-have in 2022 and beyond. Now, the brand has lost its popularity and customer base as other trends have overtaken it, causing consumers to lose interest in the clothing despite attempts to change its styling to adapt to newer trends. Another significant change is the speed at which trends are adopted. Social media has made it possible for new styles to reach global audiences almost instantly, allowing innovators and early adopters to influence the majority much more quickly than in the past. This has created a faster-paced and more competitive environment, where luxury designers and established fashion brands must constantly adapt to changing trends to stay relevant. While this offers opportunities for creativity and innovation, it also places pressure on the industry to produce new content at an unsustainable rate and introduces concerns about the effect of the fashion industry on the environment.
Closely connected to this is the Trend Adoption Curve (Rogers, 1962), which outlines the lifecycle of a trend from its initial rise to popularity to its eventual decline. This curve shows that trends move through a number of stages, beginning as something new and niche, reaching a peak in their popularity, before eventually diminishing as they become overexposed or replaced by the next best thing. For fashion designers and brands, understanding this cycle is essential to maintain relevance and popularity in today’s society. It allows them to anticipate when a trend is likely to grow, peak, or lose relevance, and to plan their collections and products accordingly. In recent years, this cycle has become much shorter, largely due to the rise in influence of the digital media. Trends now reach their peak more quickly, but they also tend to disappear just as fast. This has led to the rise of micro-trends, which can dominate social media for a brief period before being quickly rejected and replaced by something new. The shortened lifecycle of trends also has important implications regarding sustainability, creating a consumer behaviour called fast fashion, where unnecessary waste is produced as a result of these ever-changing trends. As trends move more quickly through the adoption curve, they reach peak popularity faster and are discarded sooner, contributing to the rise of fast fashion, where brands rapidly produce and distribute clothing based on micro-trends to meet consumer demand and maintain relevance. While this model makes fashion more accessible, it also raises concerns about environmental impact and overconsumption. From a personal perspective, this idea highlights the need for a more balanced approach to design, where creativity and sustainability are given equal importance.
Overall, fashion trends are shaped by the ways in which they are shared, adopted, and developed over time. The Triple Trickle Theory, Diffusion of Innovation, and Trend Adoption all indicate that social interaction and how people typically act as consumers influence the current fashion trends and provide valuable insight into how trends are created, shared, and adopted. These theories show that fashion trends don't only gain popularity through design, but also through how ideas spread and become popular in society. Additionally, they demonstrate that social media has significantly accelerated and enhanced the adoption process in modern society. This has made it possible for trends to spread quickly to people all over the world and blurred the line between designers, influencers, and consumers. While this has introduced new possibilities for creativity, innovation, and participation, it has also introduced new challenges, particularly in relation to sustainability. Understanding these theories allows for a deeper appreciation of the fashion design discipline, highlighting the importance of adapting to its constantly changing nature.
In today’s digital age, social media has amplified the adoption process, making fashion more immediate, interconnected, and fast-paced than it ever has been before.
Bibliography:
Cornell University. 2020. “How Diffusion Influences the World of Fashion: Networks Course Blog for INFO 2040/CS 2850/Econ 2040/SOC 2090.” Cornell University. December 16, 2020. https://blogs.cornell.edu/info2040/2020/12/16/how-diffusion-influences-the-world-of-fashion/.
Kim, Kyuree, Angie Lee, and Suhyoung Ahn. 2025. “Unveiling the Barriers and Drivers of Virtual Fashion Adoption: Netnographic Insights from Instagram Discourse.” Clothing and Textiles Research Journal 44 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302x251336483.
Mohr, Iris, Leonora Fuxman, and Ali B. Mahmoud. 2021. “A Triple-Trickle Theory for Sustainable Fashion Adoption: The Rise of a Luxury Trend.” Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal 26 (4): 640–60. https://doi.org/10.1108/jfmm-03-2021-0060.
Orr, Greg. 2003. “Diffusion of Innovations, by Everett Rogers (1995).” Stanford.edu. March 18, 2003. https://web.stanford.edu/class/symbsys205/Diffusion%20of%20Innovations.htm.
Rogers, Everett. 1962. “Diffusion of Innovations Third Edition” Word Press. The Free Press: 241-268. https://teddykw2.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/everett-m-rogers-diffusion-of-innovations.pdf.
Salminen, Matleena. 2023. “The 5 Stages of Technology Adoption | ClickLearn.” Clicklearn.com. June 14, 2023. https://www.clicklearn.com/blog/5-stages-of-technology-adoption/.
