WGSN

WGSN

Global trend forecasting and consumer insights

Overview

WGSN provides subscription-based trend forecasting, consumer insights, data analytics, and expert advisory to brands across fashion, beauty, interiors, lifestyle, food and tech. It uses proprietary data feeds, AI-assisted analysis of third-party sources, and expert reviews guided by its STEPIC framework (Society, Technology, Environment, Politics, Industry, Creativity) to generate long-term forecasts. Its platform gives access to trend reports, market analytics, and predictive data, plus custom advisory services for tailored guidance. The company helps brands—from startups to Fortune 500—align product design and marketing with future consumer demand and broader cultural shifts.

Significant Headcount Growth

About WGSN

Simplify's Rating
Why WGSN is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Data & Analytics

Consulting

Consumer Software

AI & Machine Learning

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Acquired

Total Funding

$20M

Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

Founded

1998

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Radiant Earth's 2028 launch extends WGSN's visible influence across fashion, tech, and interiors.
  • IWSR gives WGSN immediate beverage alcohol data breadth for cross-selling in 2025.
  • Asia Shopper Priorities 2024 shows WGSN still shapes regional buying strategies for clients.

What critics are saying

  • Heuritech, Stylumia, and Trendstop attack WGSN with cheaper AI-native forecasting tools in 2026.
  • If IWSR integration stalls by 2027, WGSN wastes Apax capital and dilutes advisory focus.
  • Forecast credibility collapses if another flagship color call misses broad adoption by 2028.

What makes WGSN unique

  • WGSN and Coloro launched Radiant Earth for 2028, reinforcing cross-industry color authority.
  • Apax-backed WGSN acquired IWSR in June 2025, combining trends, data, and beverage intelligence.
  • Carla Buzasi has led WGSN since 2018, preserving editorial rigor with commercial forecasting.

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Funding

Total Funding

$20M

Below

Industry Average

Funded Over

2 Rounds

Acquisition funding comparison data is currently unavailable. We're working to provide this information soon!
Acquisition Funding Comparison
Coming Soon

Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Health Insurance

Paid Vacation

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

8%

1 year growth

8%

2 year growth

8%
Elle Decor
Mar 19th, 2026
WGSN's 2028 Color of the Year is a warm, earthy neutral.

WGSN's 2028 Color of the Year is a warm, earthy neutral. WGSN and Coloro have a 94% accuracy rate - here's where they say color is headed next. WGSN, the global consumer trend forecaster, and its color partner Coloro have revealed their Color of the Year for 2028: Radiant Earth (Coloro code 017-42-31). It's a warm, grounded hue that the organizations say reflects a broader cultural pivot toward resilience and lasting stability. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below The announcement, made jointly from London, positions Radiant Earth as a new kind of neutral - one with enough assertiveness to anchor a room or a product line. WGSN and Coloro forecast color direction with what they cite as a 94% accuracy rate, working two years ahead of the market. The partnership has built a credible track record since launching the annual selection. Past picks include Digital Lavender for 2023, Apricot Crush for 2024, Future Dusk for 2025, Transformative Teal for 2026, and Luminous Blue for 2027 - each forecast two full years before its target date. Digital Lavender, named in 2021, proved especially prescient. By 2023, the shade had surfaced across fashion runways, nail polish lines, car colors, Apple's iPhone lineup, and it even turned up on the cover of Taylor Swift's Midnights album. Radiant Earth marks a notably warmer, earthier turn after several years of cooler, blue-leaning selections. This year's selection responds to what the WGSN team sees as a collective desire for permanence after years of global disruption. "In a world that often feels chaotic, we're seeing a shift toward emotions like resilience and flourishing," says Stephanie Barnscher, senior color forecaster at WGSN. "For 2028, the demand is for colors with a grounding, permanent feel, moving beyond fleeting trends." Barnscher notes that Radiant Earth's versatility is central to the selection. It performs across soft, matte, high-gloss, and iridescent finishes. It also reads just as well on organic textiles and ceramics as it does on machined, high-tech surfaces - lending warmth to materials that might otherwise feel cold. That cross-material adaptability is key for Coloro, whose physical and digital color tools are embedded in WGSN's forecasting process. Vice president of global sales at Coloro Thorsten Traugott says: "It translates confidently across textiles and contrasting material finishes, reinforcing its versatility across product categories." Engagement Editor Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor at ELLE Decor, where she oversees the brand's social media and writes about the intersection of design, pop culture, and emerging trends. She also authors the monthly ELLE Decoroscope column. Her work has appeared in Inked magazine, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, and more. Watch Next Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Bowmark Capital
Jun 6th, 2025
Bowmark sells global drinks data and insight provider IWSR to WGSN - Bowmark Capital

Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm, has sold IWSR (or “the Company”), the global leader in data, analytics and insights for the beverage alcohol industry, to WGSN, the world’s leading consumer trend forecaster. WGSN is controlled by funds advised by Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”).

Apax Global Alpha
Jun 6th, 2025
Apax Funds to support WGSN in the acquisition of IWSR

Including this acquisition, AGA has invested a total of approximately €24.7m in WGSN on a look-through basis.

WGSN
Dec 17th, 2024
Arts Thread x WGSN & Coloro: Meet the creatives of tomorrow

WGSN and Coloro collaborated with Arts Thread to select the talent of tomorrow at the Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2024.

Adobo Magazine
Mar 1st, 2024
Here's what consumers prioritize in Asia, according to WGSN's latest report: cultural transformation, value-hacking, and more

SINGAPORE - WGSN, the global authority on trend forecasting, has published its annual flagship Asian report, titled "Asia Shopper Priorities 2024," calling out key Asian consumer priorities that will shape consumer behaviors in 2024 and beyond.

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