Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 473,678 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,272 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 308,965 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,272 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 308,965 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,219 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 473,678 cutting edge ideas.

Supporting Inclusive Fashion

A Conversation with Canadian Fashion Designer Hilary Macmillan

— September 6, 2019 — Business
Canadian fashion designer Hilary Macmillan is the face behind her self-titled brand which prides itself on creating contemporary, size-inclusive and cruelty-free pieces that are also offered at an accessible price point.

Tell us about yourself and how this collection differs from your previous work?
We are a Canadian contemporary cruelty-free womenswear brand and we design for the modern woman who needs pieces in her life that are transitional, but also on point with seasonal trends. Every collection is built off the last and a progression from the previous season.

Tell us about your creative process and how you reset when experiencing creative roadblocks?
My creative process morphs over the lifespan of developing a collection and very much changes and shifts based on fabric, silhouettes, colors, etc. It is continually being expanded and then edited down throughout a season. When I encounter a roadblock creatively, I find the best way to reset is to immerse myself in art and fashion. I visit exhibits, go to art galleries, watch documentaries, and try and discover new techniques.

How do you set yourself apart from others on the Toronto Fashion Week runway stage?
My aim isn’t to set myself apart from other designers at Toronto Fashion week, it really is to stick to our brand ethos and try and develop the best product for us. Every collection shown at TFW is unique in its' own right and that is the beauty of the event: you get to see everything from bridal to menswear to outerwear.

As someone who has had success within a competitive industry for some time now, what is your advice for young designers?
My advice always is to go work for someone first who is in the same realm of what you want to design. If you wanted to do tailored menswear go work with a menswear company. The experience and connections you’ll gain while working there is invaluable.

We're huge fans of your female-empowering brand and were wondering if you can speak more about inclusivity within the Canadian fashion industry.
In my ideal world, everything would be inclusive across all spectrums and I definitely think the conversation is there and it is starting to shift. I am very proud that we are in a position now where we can be more size-inclusive because I think it is important. Everything we do depends on if there is a demand for it. So I encourage people to really speak/vote/express your opinion with your dollar. If supporting Canadian brands is important to you buy more Canadian. If you want to see more businesses be size-inclusive, then support those businesses that are because this is how we make change.

What's the biggest game-changing trend you've seen that's impacting your industry today?
The power of social media, and really the internet. Even 4-5 years ago it was much harder to directly communicate with your customers and now with social media, you have a platform and an ability to shoot your message out to as many people as you want. The use of social media totally changes how we do our marketing and where to put certain campaigns, and the data and metrics we can obtain is invaluable. You learn where your products sell well, what age range, what their interests are, etc. It really helps figure out who your ideal customer is.

How often do you draw inspiration outside of your own industry?

All the time. Fashion is so connected to all aspects of our lives.

Where do you see Toronto's fashion industry in 5 years?
Bigger! I think people are starting to listen to our voice a bit more, and we are becoming world players more and more.


Image Credit: Ted Belton
Trend Themes
1. Size-inclusive Fashion - An opportunity for fashion brands to expand their target market and offer more inclusive clothing options.
2. Cruelty-free Clothing - An opportunity for clothing brands to address consumer preferences for sustainable and ethical fashion production.
3. Social Media Marketing - An opportunity for fashion brands to reach a wider audience and gather valuable customer data through effective social media strategies.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion Industry - The fashion industry can seize opportunities to innovate and create more sustainable, size-inclusive and cruelty-free products.
2. Marketing Industry - The marketing industry can capitalize on the use of social media and data analytics to develop effective marketing and influencer strategies for fashion brands.
3. Retail Industry - The retail industry can expand their offerings to cater to the growing demand for size-inclusive and sustainable fashion options.
4.9
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness