How is the "cluster" defined?

Beyond seasonal behaviour, we also look at the lifecycle of each trend to understand where it currently stands in its evolution.

To do this, we use four years of historical data and one year of forecasted data. Based on this, we group trends into eight clusters, each reflecting a different type of lifecycle trajectory:

• Consistent Riser: Trends that have been growing steadily over the years

• Rising Star: Trends that have been growing over the years but experienced a strong burst in visibility recently

• Come Back: Trends that have faded – momentarily or for a longer period of time – but are now re-gaining visibility

• Consistent Decliner: Trends that have been declining steadily over the years

• Falling Star: Trends that have hit their peak and are now strongly decreasing

• Watch-Out: Trends that were growing or stable and are now starting to decline

• Stable Trend: A trend that is always around and will never fade in style – a “basic”

• Fluctuating Trend: A trend with a volatile pattern over time

These clusters help identify the momentum and long-term behavior of each trend, beyond just what’s trending now.