What are the emerging trends in the world of design? In an exclusive panel discussion at JD Institute Of Fashion Technology, hosted in association with The Knowledge Company, Puneet Dudeja, Principal & Director at WGSN, South Asia, provided a deep dive into the methodology of modern trend forecasting.
Watch the full vidoe at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCuwFpUmho4&t=2071s&pp=ygUNcHVuZWV0IGR1ZGVqYQ%3D%3D
His address outlined a new design landscape where success is defined not just by aesthetics, but by a brand’s ability to navigate consumer emotions, technological shifts, and the complexities of sustainability.
The New Design Brief: Joy, & Self-Care
Puneet identified that the most significant consumer trends shaping design are fundamentally emotion-led. The new brief for designers is to cater to these key feelings:
He noted that concepts like “revenge shopping” are coined around emotions, proving that a consumer’s mental state is what dictates their purchases.
The Forecasting Engine: Combining AI and Intuition
How do brands and designers predict these feelings? Puneet explained that modern forecasting is a “marriage of data and intuition.”
1. AI as a Powerful Enabler: Puneet clarified that AI is a critical tool for efficiency, not a replacement for human creativity. He warned that professionals who rely on AI for “readymade answers” are making themselves replaceable. At WGSN, AI is used as a powerful enabler. He revealed that WGSN uses proprietary, in-house tools to get real-time data from global platforms, identifying “which colors or prints sold well yesterday in a particular country.” This provides the “what.”
2. Human Intuition as the Core Differentiator: The “why” comes from human research. WGSN uses its proprietary STEPIC methodology to track “signals of change” across six key domains: Social, Technology, Environment, Politics, Industry, and Creativity. This human-centric analysis of socioeconomic shifts and political moods provides the predictive insight that data alone cannot.
A Critical Take on Sustainability in Design
Puneet offered a pragmatic and critical business view on sustainability. He argued that the real driver for it is not brands, but Gen Z consumers who are educated and demand transparency.
However, he was clear that sustainability is still just one of the trends and not yet the mainstream, as fast fashion also continues to grow. For brands to survive, they must remain financially viable. This often means employing a mix of 30-40% sustainable offerings while relying on “non-sustainable things” to run the business.
India: The “High Potential” Future of Design
Puneet was unequivocal about the Indian market, calling it “high potential.” This is driven by two key factors:
The Designer of the Future
Reflecting on his own journey from finance and software engineering to WGSN, Puneet insisted that passion is the only factor that truly drives a career.
For design students and future leaders, he advised cultivating an “entrepreneur spirit”—a mindset of a self-starter who can take decisions, even if they work within a larger organization. He emphasized that in an age of fluid roles, the ideal talent is a “Jack of all and Master of one,” blending versatile, cross-functional knowledge with deep expertise in a single area.
Supporting Strategic Retail Transformation
Puneet Dudeja’s insights from this panel exemplify TKC’s role as a trusted advisor to businesses navigating complex retail and design transitions. Whether it’s category expansion, private label strategy, or Q-commerce profitability, our insights are built on decades of experience and real-world data.
We work closely with clients to evaluate emerging categories through a multi-lens approach—consumer behaviour, infrastructure, margin potential, and operational scalability. As the retail ecosystem evolves rapidly, our role is to balance ambition with execution reality.
This feature aligns with TKC’s ongoing work in:
At TKC, we believe the future of retail will be built on precision, adaptability, and consumer-first thinking—not just speed.
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