The Look Out
Tony Bannister thrives on keeping it simple.
Asked what keeps him inspired after a career of 20-plus years in fashion, Bannister - the director of trend forecasting agency Scout - says he loves life and the fashion industry.
"It's what gets me jumping out of bed in the morning. It was a big leap for me to start my own company, but my love for the industry is what pushed me to do it."
Bannister's passion for fashion started at university, where he completed a fashion and textile design degree at the University of Bristol in his native UK home.
Initially working as a fashion and textile designer after graduation, he soon jumped ship to the 'agency-side', eventually becoming the design director for London's trend forecast agency Design Intelligence.
Moving to Australia in 1989, Bannister became product manager for Sportsgirl, heading up the company's buying and merchandising team from 1990 to 1995. Moving on to become Witchery's creative director in 1995, he was given the difficult task of reinventing and reinvigorating the iconic womenswear retailer's image and product.
Such was the degree of his success at Witchery that Sportscraft handed him the reins as its creative director shortly after. But with a fundamental goal to fill a gap in the local fashion market and service a wider range of clients, Bannister soon went solo, creating Scout in 1999.
Originally a boutique consultancy company specialising in advising major fashion retailers - such as Sportsgirl, Sussan and Herringbone - of trends during product development and re-branding exercises, in 2003 Scout shifted gear.
Branching out to develop a forecasting subscription service for both local and international non private clients, Scout's two levels of membership - Platinum and Gold - allow subscribers' access to either everything the company sources on six main sectors (fashion, retail, colour, merchandising, accessories, consumer trends) or information on selected specifications.
Additionally producing two fashion forecasting books per season - segmented into tailoring, sporty casual, commercial, directional and local market looks - both the men's and women's wear trend files (a hard copy with additional flash presentation CD and Pantone swatches) provide a snapshot as far forward as 12 to 18 months.
Offering detailed seasonal-specific themes and analysis, the forecasting books include runway and street shots, design development sketches, Pantone colour swatches, fabric prints, trend descriptions, mood boards, accessory ideas, visual merchandising tips, labels to watch and emerging retail hot spots.
Sourcing information through a network of international scouts - who report from key hubs including New York, Tokyo, Milan, London and Paris - Bannister or his scouts also regularly attend overseas trade shows including Première Vision, Who's Next, Magic, Pure, Pitti Uomo and Prêt À Porter Paris.
Complementing rather than competing with the European forecast services, Bannister says Scout's role is to sort through a wealth of information and edit it for the Australian market.
"Who has time to sift through all the information from trade fairs, catwalks, the street, internet, magazines, etc? We do it for the client, delivering an edited, inspirational and cost effective report. A niche personalised service with an Australian view point."
Time is also important in keeping up with the market, adds Bannister.
"Speed to market is important due to trends, colour and hot items constantly changing. How we work at getting that info to our clients and in our service has definitely changed. It's a lot faster paced than when I started the company."
Also changing is Scout's direction in its offering. Recently moving into a slick white studio in Sydney's creative Surry Hills district, Scout's head quarters has also gone virtual. Launched December last year, Scout's online HQ gives potential clients and fashion lovers alike a taste of the information subscribers can expect to receive.
"The depth of information on the website explains the various aspects of our business and trend information," says Bannister.
"As Scout has many facets, it's important to get this across to people and companies who may not have heard of us or want to find out exactly what we do and what they'll be paying for before they sign up. We also felt it was an important growth step for the company to give us wider exposure both locally an overseas."
Noticing an increasing synergy between what's happening in the world of fashion and interior decorating, one of Scout's recent expansion avenues utilises research from key seasonal fashion reports and what's happening with interiors.
Highlighting key trends in the world of interior design, Scout's on-line interiors colour and trend report includes emerging colour (and its correct use for optimum impact), fabric and surface samples, shapes, finishes, product designs, styling elements and accessories.
"It initially came about due to a client requesting an interior report from us," says Bannister. "The first 2007/08 report (launched late last year) has proved popular with visual merchandising and retail marketing managers looking to inject relevant fashion and trend elements into their environments."