Before the Sketch: Why This Season Starts With Research; The Monthly Thread September 2026

The Monthly Thread: Insights & Inspirations September 2026

Hello Conscious Fashion Friend —

Welcome to our fall Insights & Inspirations series. Over the next four months, we're moving through the real lifecycle of a collection — Research this month, then Financing & Funding in October, Pricing & Profitability in November, and Create/Making in December — before the cycle repeats with fresh tools each time. We're kicking it off with the step almost no one wants to slow down for: research.

The Signals: Early Reads Before NYFW

We aren't referencing New York Fashion Week yet — the real story of this season's shows deserves its own recap once we've actually seen them, and that's coming later this month. But a few early signals are already worth your attention, and they happen to make the case for this month's theme all on their own.

Copenhagen Fashion Week (Aug 3–7) wrapped its 20th-anniversary season with 34 collections and continued to cement its role as the industry's unofficial early read on where Spring/Summer 2027 is headed — buyers and forecasters were there specifically to get ahead of the Big Four. 

Trend Union's Lidewij Edelkoort released her SS27 forecast built around a food-inspired sensory language — texture, taste, and transformation as the lens for fabric and color choices this season.

Early SS27 color forecasting points toward soft, considered pastels — dusty pink, lavender, sage — with layered silhouettes and oversized knits carrying through. Worth a look before you finalize any Spring development.

None of this is a directive. It's exactly the kind of raw material research is supposed to turn into decisions — which is where this month's piece picks up.

Why Research Comes First

Most designers who are early in building a brand sketch before they've asked who they're actually designing for — and only discover the gap weeks or months later, once the collection is built and the harder question (for whom, and why would they buy it) is still unanswered. It's a far cheaper question to answer before you cut a single yard of fabric.

In this month's full piece, I break down what real design research looks like in practice — four specific conversations to have before a concept counts as complete, beginner-friendly tools for each one, and why research protects you from simply repeating what you already like.

Read the full piece: Before the Sketch: Why This Season Starts With Research [link]

NYFW Is Here: Key Highlights to Watch

The official CFDA September schedule runs 70 runway shows and presentations from Wednesday, September 10 through Tuesday, September 15. The season opens with Henry Zankov's debut as artistic director for Diane von Furstenberg and closes with Thom Browne — a fitting bookend between renewal and the establishment.

If you're an independent designer thinking about NYFW, remember the official schedule is only one layer of the week. Independent showcases, buyer previews, and industry events run in parallel all week — and that's exactly where IFD is showing up this season.

On the ifd Calendar This September

Unique Fashion Show (UFS) — NYC, September 13. IFD is partnering again this year; I'm serving as a panelist and running the design competition. Designer outreach is underway now — if you have an established collection and a commitment to conscious or innovative design, reach out. Tickets

Made with Intention 2: A Future Worth Wearing — NYC, September 14. Co-hosted with Mind Your Fashion (Jude Kingston) and 99 Yards. The day opens with Jude's separately ticketed "Sourcing, Selling, Sustainability & Scaling" seminar (2–4 pm), followed by doors, brand activations, a featured-speaker hour, a designer runway showcase, and an after-party. Designer runway spots are still open — remote/non-attending designers can apply too; IFD handles the full showcase package on your behalf. Tickets

Interested in either? Email design@insidefashiondesign.net with your portfolio or a short description of your work — we'd love to have you.

Bogotá in NYC — SoHo, September 15. A PUENTE International Showroom pop-up at The Canvas SoHo (456 W Broadway), spotlighting independent Colombian fashion designers. I'll be at the 3–6 pm Runway Retail Experience — if you're a buyer or retailer looking to discover new talent, it's worth stopping by. Tickets

Threads of Impact NYC Fashion Show & Gala — NYC, September 18. I'm honored to be serving as Creative Director for this one, produced by The Sustainability Laboratory and positioned strategically between NYFW and Climate Week. It's a separate event from the NYFW lineup, but still part of our mission — if you're in New York for fashion month, it's worth keeping on your radar. Tickets

The Business Angle: Research Is a Financial Decision Too

Research doesn't only shape what you design — it's the same groundwork that tells you whether there's a market to fund. The audience you profile this month, the gaps you spot in past feedback, the price sensitivity you learn about — all of it becomes the input for next month's theme, Financing & Funding. If you're planning to raise money, apply for a grant, or budget a collection more realistically this fall, the research you do now makes that conversation credible.

Quick-Start Research Checklist

• Build your customer profile: demographics, lifestyle habits, and what actually drives their purchase decisions.

• Mine past feedback: revisit past customer or audience responses for unmet needs or recurring requests.

• Track market trends: note current trends, competitor offerings, and pricing in your category.

• Observe real shoppers: watch what draws attention in stores or online — and what gets ignored.

• Talk to potential customers: a few informal chats or DMs can surface more than a formal survey.

  

Want the deeper trend breakdown? These early signals are just the surface — Field Notes, our paid deep-dive companion to Insights & Inspirations, goes further into the same themes each month with sourced color and print direction, runway analysis, and the research tools behind them. This month's issue pairs directly with the piece above. Subscribe to Field Notes →

Happy Conscious Creating!

Britta, Founder, Inside Fashion Design

Sources

CFDA — "View the Preliminary September 2026 Official NYFW Schedule"

Copenhagen Fashion Week SS27 coverage- Elle Magazine

Trend Union / Edelkoort Inc — Spring/Summer 2027 Forecast

Trendalytics — 2027 Fashion Trends Forecast