In her controversial second book in the Fashion 2.0 series, Season of Change, serial entrepreneur Yuli Ziv analyzes major technology trends and forecasts their effect on the fashion industry. She questions why everyday objects such as clothes used by the entire human race see so little innovation. Her book, with a foreword by a visionary venture capitalist Lawrence Lenihan of FirstMark Capital, is a wakeup call to the outdated fashion industry. A must-read for everyone involved in the business of fashion from designers to company CEOs and marketers, Ziv’s bold predictions — sure to incite debate — address the future of the industry in multiple areas including consumer, branding, retail, product and lifestyle. Her goal is to provoke thought and foster innovation by challenging the status quos—from seasonal collections to pricing models; production and manufacturing; traditional advertising; trend forecasting; fashion week and more. She also offers up ideas for fellow entrepreneurs seeking to make their mark on the industry. Ziv highlights trends that brands need to consider in developing a successful strategy to navigate this new environment of constant change including: the rise of group consciousness and crowd sourcing; the shift from search to discovery; the power of suggestion; the monetization of influence; personal style as a commodity; personalization; interaction and engagement; efficiencies; and data as the new retail currency. She takes a critical look at luxury brands, stating that innovation is slowly replacing heritage as the new attribute of luxury for the future. Inspired by innovation leaders like Ray Kurzweil, Ziv applies his Singularity theory to fashion by viewing it as part of the bigger change we are experiencing. Ziv proposes taking a page from the consumer electronics industry in her overview of new technologies — from smart fabrics to interactive retail, wearable tech and social tools — and challenges industry leaders to re-examine the role fashion plays in our overall way of life. According to Ziv, optimizing our lifestyle is the new slogan of our decade. Streamlining the bureaucratic, inefficient processes that currently fill our life will allow all of us as a society to focus on things that matter. We will waste fewer resources and produce more meaningful objects. The book is aimed to inspire the radical change in thinking, which is needed to foster that.
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