Day in the Life of ....a trend forecaster

In

this series, FashionUnited brings you a ‘Day in the Life’ feature talking to insiders from every different walk of the fashion industry. Here they reveal how they got started, work on a day to day basis, and why they wouldn’t swap their

fashion choice for anything. Today we are featuring Isham Sardouk, Senior Vice president of new Trend forecaster, Stylesight.

FU: How did Stylesight come to launch?
IS: Stylesight was the brainchild of apparel industry veteran, Frank Bober. Frank has spent his career in the apparel business, working both as a successful designer and manufacturer. Answering a long-ignored call from the industry for a faster and more effective approach to the process of product inspiration and development, Frank founded Stylesight in 2003, knowing that consolidating elements of the research journey into one place for inspiration would immediately have a positive impact on the bottom line, and in turn, allow companies to service more customers, take on more projects without added expense and ultimately, grow business. Through the creation of Stylesight, retailers, manufacturers and designers can see the future clearly through inspired images and intelligent trend content, coupled with workflow tools that make the creative journey not only more inspirational but also more efficient and cost-effective.

FU: Early Morning consists of...
IS: Personal training session at 7 am, then coffee while reading the news.

FU: Late Morning consists of...
IS: Staff meeting to go through the daily deliverables or to review sketches and other pending projects.

FU: And afternoon...
IS: Working with planning to review timelines and edit if needed, meeting with CEO to discuss up coming events, answering interviews, interviewing freelance designers, working with sales to provide creative insights.

FU: Daily Objective?
IS: To successfully achieve the list of daily deliverables in a timely manner and make sure that there is nothing pending or delayed.

FU: Why does trend forecasting appeal to you over other areas of the industry?
IS: Because that's what I do, I have been in trend forecasting for over 20 years, it is a highly creative and stimulating occupation, a lot of challenges come with it, which makes it even more enticing.

FU:Why you recommend trend forecasting to a fashion graduate?
IS: I have worked in larger retail companies on product design and realized that half if not most of one's time is spent on production, sourcing and follow ups, and just a fraction is dedicated to concept and creativity. Trend forecasting is probably the most creative job in fashion design because it is based on feeding constantly our clients with the latest and the most relevant.