Future Snoops: five macro trends fashion brands need to watch towards 2028

Each January, trend forecasting agency Future Snoops (FS) publishes its macro trends, outlining long-term cultural shifts over the next two years. The trends examine how ideas move through interconnected cultural systems and influence lifestyles and industries, including fashion.

Looking ahead to 2028, the macro trends suggest a delicate balancing act: the growing use of AI for efficiency and scale, alongside a renewed emphasis on human intuition, local relevance and long-term thinking.

1. MeOS: The Rise of personal operating systems

Enabled by AI, the next evolution of the connected world will be defined not by platforms, but by people - and the way they choose to participate. FS refers to this shift as MeOS (short for: me-operating system).

“We can expect a fundamental change in how users search and interact online,” says Nivara Xaykao, Director of Culture & Consumer Insights at FS. “AI is effectively funneling the entire internet into personalised portals for each individual user.”

In practice, this means consumers are no longer moving through linear funnels. Instead, discovery happens inside AI-driven environments that curate information, products and inspiration uniquely for each user. As a result, Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) — a marketing strategy focused on providing direct answers within AI-powered search tools — is becoming a strategic must.

“This means brands need to find their customers instead of the other way around,” Xaykao explains. “Data will be the holy grail.”

AI is also accelerating co-creation and the rise of creative-commons-inspired production. FS expects a surge in micro-aesthetics as designers, brands and consumers collaborate with algorithmic support. Traditional ideas of authorship, ownership and value are being challenged, pushing brands to rethink licensing and compensation models, echoing experiments such as Disney’s AI partnership with OpenAI’s Sora.

“For me, this macro trend feels very immediate,” Xaykao adds. “It will change how retail operates, how marketing functions and how creative work is done. Ultimately, it shifts power towards individuals.”

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2. Re-Sensitized: A Return to the Human Instrument

The macro trend Re-Sensitized centres on the human response. “Decades of acceleration and automation have left our senses frayed,” says Laila Carey, Analyst, Culture & Consumer Insights at FS. “Navigating this new terrain will require turning to our most precious asset: the human instrument, including intuition and gut feeling.”

According to FS, one of the key questions brands must now ask is how to connect with consumers beyond data-driven optimisation. Emotional awareness, bodily intelligence and sensory engagement are regaining importance.

Carey considers this one of the most urgent trends to act on. “People are making strong efforts to unplug and awaken themselves in new ways,” she notes. “Getting off your phone is the next Dry January.” There’s a real readiness to be awakened by creativity, to reconnect with the body and to monitor feelings more closely.

Think: immersive retail experiences, tactile materials, slower storytelling and creative formats that invite reflection rather than instant consumption.

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3. Future Keepers: The value of the long view

“In this cultural climate, preservation becomes just as important as innovation,” Carey explains. Value shifts towards resilient ecosystems, past knowledge, skilled craft and intergenerational wisdom. In other words: we are increasingly looking backwards.

Therefore, nostalgia plays a defining role within this macro trend. FS cites research showing that 55 percent of US adults consider retired products more valuable than current offerings, with consumers willing to pay an average of 32 percent more for them.

Letting younger generations co-create the future on their own terms is central to this shift. FS points to platforms like Depop as a case in point. Beyond resale, the company invests in the long-term success of Gen Z sellers through workshops, education hubs and mentorship programmes, extending sustainability from circular fashion to community livelihoods.

Environmental stewardship sits at the heart of this macro trend as well. Not only as a sustainability strategy, but as a form of inheritance, both cultural and ecological.

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4. Outer Vision: Intelligence through proximity

The next wave of intelligence, FS argues, will come not from scale, but from proximity. Outer Vision centres on hyperlocal insight, slow observation and real-world connection. Hyper-localism will demand intimate understanding.

“Gatherings, neighbourhood nooks and close-up cultural observation fill in nuance,” Xaykao explains. “This creates an in real life (IRL) advantage, in both retail and advertising.”

While AI continues to support macro-level insights, designers and brands are increasingly seeking inspiration off the grid. Target, for example, is already looking beyond conventional trend pipelines. While AI helps process broad insights, designers are traversing niche events and cultural enclaves, from Western subcultures to après-ski life, where emerging trends first take shape.

In addition, clarity is key. “When you appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one,” Xaykao stresses. FS highlights niche growth areas such as men’s beauty, petcare and ageing populations. One example: Pilates for 60+ seniors in Japan, which is gaining cultural momentum.

Another takeaway for brands, FS notes, is to question long-held assumptions about who your audience really is.

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5. Material Science

The final macro trend, Material Science, focuses on how advances in science and technology are reshaping material development - and, in turn, transforming fashion at the fibre level. Accelerated material science is unlocking a new generation of bio-based and biotech materials.

“AI is giving us the ability to imagine new materials and the formulas to make them,” FS notes. This approach is already being explored by biotech companies such as Solena.

For brands, this raises a set of questions: how might production itself become part of the brand story, signalling authenticity, quality or innovation? What partnerships or workflows could bring designers closer to the material science behind their products? And how can the benefits of biotech materials and methods be communicated more effectively?

For now, the industry is still in motion, with 2026 and 2027 yet to unfold.

Sources:
- FS 2028 webinar for clients, 15 January 2026.
- AI tools where used in writing assistance.