A Compass, Not a Photocopier: Trend Forecasting, AI and Why Origin Matters with Tully Walter

Tully Walter is a Strategic Futures Director at Soon Futures and this is one of the most substantial conversations I've had on the show.We get into what trend forecasting actually is (observed, invented, or accelerated) and how the answer changes depending on who's paying. We talk about cultural appropriation and why origin gives a trend its meaning, what happens when that context gets stripped out, and why the Prada sandal situation was an after-the-fact correction that should have been built in from the start.We talk about AI. About what it can synthesise, what it can't feel, and why a forecast that looks right isn't the same as a forecast that is right. Tully's line on this one is worth the whole episode: AI doesn't have the magic ✨We also get into the trench coat problem in Australia, why independent makers can use trend forecasting differently to the big end of town, and what it actually feels like to stand in a room full of planners and fight for a trend you believe in.And we close with the Fashion Five: Tully's first childhood memory of fashion, her style icon, her favourite designer, and what makes her hopeful about the future of the industry.The Culture of Cloth is hosted by Veronica Tucker of Veronica Tucker the Label, a label built around the Goddess Project, a content series tracing the history of draped cloth as a political act.Find the Goddess Project content below:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veronicatuckerthelabel?igsh=MXkxNGNtNTVlZDUycQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qrSubstack: https://open.substack.com/pub/veronicatuckerthelabelYouTube: https://youtube.com/@veronicatuckerthelabel?si=JvM1ZGgv9Uy-xyGl