Trend Atelier
Trend Atelier
(
Academic institution
)
#SDGAction49176
Description
Trend Atelier is a community gathering purpose led future foresight professionals and futuring creatives from around the world. They work in the style and broader design industry and are focused on implementing sustainable futures.
Our community platform, hosted on Circle, provides foresight and participatory futures training to empower their methods, strategies and mindsets to implement sustainable futures.
We see the field of future foresight and participatory futures as a gateway to critical decisions for the greater good of the planet & the people.
Our Mission is to help future forecasting professionals and futuring creatives acquire the tools to:
- Implement sustainable and participatory futures strategies in their work and organisations
- Achieve impact through the output of these sustainable and participatory futures projects
- Commit to what we call ‘Inside Out sustainability’ by applying sustainable principles to their own wellbeing, ways of working, collaborating and long-term mission
On a macro and long-term level, Trend Atelier’s mission is to help the future foresight community in fashion and design change outdated systems + build regenerative ways of manufacturing, designing, exchanging and innovating.
In terms of methodologies, Trend Atelier teaches methodologies and principles under the ‘World Building framework’, a comprehensive method for building sustainable futures.
In this framework we teach:
- The Hunt Identify Gather methodology
- Transcendence foresight
- The Syntropic Flower Model
- Inside out sustainability
- Speculative Design
- Ethical futures research methods
In terms of implementation both online and offline, supporting sustainable innovation and futures literacy is carried out through the practice of:
- Panels with experts and diverse voices
- Lectures
- Workshops
- Downloadable tools and guides
- Surveys to track our impact and the experience of our members
The Trend Atelier facilitates sustainable futures knowledge and insights through several irl and url platforms:
- Circle for the online community platform
- Teachable for online courses
- Online events on Zoom
- Online workshops on Miro and Zoom
- Online Newsletter delivered through Mailchimp
- Webflow hosted website where articles and resources are shared
- We will start hosting irl workshops in London in 2023
Trend Atelier is a hybrid online community and school founded by Fashion Futurist Geraldine Wharry.
In terms of strategies, Trend Atelier focuses on:
1- Futures Literacy: applicable methodologies, frameworks, philosophies under what we have called our ‘World Building program’, to drive sustainable innovation and foresight
2- Future insights: Collective foresight of future trends and societal macro driving forces impacting the world of fashion and the creative industry to promote information on pioneering changes and sustainable innovations
The Trend Atelier’s involvement in programs includes our Membership program which provides:
- Workshops and trainings on sustainable future trends and strategies
- Downloadable tools and frameworks
- Monthly support calls
- All access to our network of forecasters, designers and creatives
- Knowledge base shared by Trend Atelier members
In terms of platforms for:
- Trend Atelier writes about future foresight philosophies and methods to educate its audiences on its blog here https://www.thetrendatelier.com/insights
- Trend Atelier also makes free downloadable resources available on its site here https://www.thetrendatelier.com/resources
- Trend Atelier also makes its sessions available to the public on YouTube
- Our founder Geraldine Wharry is regularly interviewed on Podcasts and advocates for the Trend Atelier’s work
Below are insights pertaining to strengths and results the Trend Atelier community have provided:
Nalini Arora
Footwear & Accessory Design Consultant – Los Angeles USA
"I've really enjoyed being in the community because there's not just designers, there are trend forecasters, teachers different creatives. we're sharing our thoughts and I love hearing the different perspectives. it gives me an opportunity to challenge and question myself. as a designer you're rushed to do things and so your research kind of goes to the wayside. so being part of a community reminds me TO do more careful, thoughtful research, IT will be better for my clients and I love going to the website and reading links from people and finding new ideas."
Veronica Fossa
Togetherness & Community Researcher, Speaker, Podcaster @The Nourishing Workplace, Entrepreneur - Milano Italy
"I really like the idea this is democratic and accessible. People can also contribute with insights and it is a very collaborative platform. So being part of the community I was introduced to a lot of concepts I wasn’t familiar with. What I really love about it is also that it is very broad in terms of topics we cover. As trend forecasters, we are also curators of our own world, ambassadors of the type of world we want to see."
Rachael Taylor
Course Leader of Fashion Communication and Business at Brighton University, Researcher and Artist – Brighton UK
"That is the amazing thing about the community it’s that co-created conversation. It opens up new ways of thinking and doing. We have critical conversations and come up with solutions. And I think for me it is a really special place because it feels safe to take risks and have these open conversations you really want to have about making a positive change in what you do."
"I'm really thankful to be in this community of so talented and amazing people during this year. It has encouraged me to be systematical and also gives many inspirations."
Barbara Strabel-Horbacz
Trend Researcher - Warsaw, Poland
Geraldine Wharry – Pure Origin – Shapers of Society – The Community experience

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Timeline
Entity
Region
- Global
Geographical coverage
Other beneficiaries
- Individuals working in future foresight focused on the style and design industry
- Employees of fashion, innovation and design agencies
- Innovators existing at the crossroad of the arts, speculative futures and experimental design practices
- Sustainable Fashion small and medium sized businesses in the digital fashion space, biomaterials, and circularity
- Universities Teachers and course leaders
- Fashion and design industry young graduates
More information
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Contact Information
Geraldine Wharry, Founder