There’s this moment every brand hits around the start of a new season.

The studio table gets cleared. The printer starts overworking. Someone drags in a stack of design magazines “for inspiration.” Spotify switches to something ambient.

And suddenly, everything feels possible.

But also, everything feels vague.

There are too many directions. Too many interpretations. Too many opinions disguised as instincts.

If you’ve ever been in one of those seasonal kickoff rooms, you know exactly what I mean:

• A designer says, “I’m seeing everything about grounded textures and tactility right now.”
• A merch director says, “Yes, but the market is moving cleaner and more technical.”
• A marketer says, “We really need a story that makes people feel something.”

Everyone nods. Everyone agrees. And yet, no one really agrees.

The season gets built on vibes, not signals.

That’s how brands end up with:

• Three seasonal stories competing in the same campaign
• A hero theme nobody can explain in plain English
• Or a product line that makes sense in the showroom, but not in reality

The truth is, seasonal strategy has historically been guesswork wrapped in a moodboard.

A Real-World Season

To see how synthetic research could bring clarity earlier in the process, we recently built a seasonal concept for AW27 called SPHERES.

SPHERES started with a simple observation: the layers of the Earth mirror the emotional states people are moving through right now: grounding, expansion, depth, and edge.

• The Biosphere reflects a need for grounding and connection.
• The Atmosphere expresses expansion and looking outward toward what’s next.
• The Hydrosphere speaks to moving deeper, quietly and intentionally.
• The Mesosphere represents life at the edge, where you learn what truly matters.

Each sphere carried a different emotional gravity. Any one could have defined the season. Which is exactly why we needed to test them.

Visually? Beautiful. Narratively? Cohesive.

But choosing a direction based on preference wasn’t enough.

Testing the Creative Instinct

Rather than debate in a room, we put the four SPHERES themes into MakerLabs, testing them with our Digital Twin consumer audiences — synthetic models trained on millions of real product preference signals, sentiment data, and past seasonal performance.

This let us see not just what people liked, but why. And who it resonated with.

Since the study ran through synthetic research, results came back in under an hour. Not a month. The team could start designing tomorrow with clarity.

The Findings

• Biosphere didn’t just look nice, it made people feel rooted, calm, connected, and restored.
• Hydrosphere signaled adaptability and flow. Strong appeal with younger runners and coastal markets.
• Atmosphere landed softly but unevenly. Beautiful, but harder to commercialize. A supporting story, not the hero.
• Mesosphere fell flat. Too niche. Too cold. Better for a capsule, not a full season.

Suddenly, the debate wasn’t “Which theme is coolest?” but:

“Which theme actually resonates with the people we’re designing for?”

That’s a completely different conversation.

That’s a team aligned. That’s a season that knows what it stands for.

The Takeaway

Synthetic research doesn’t replace creativity → it focuses it.

It helps teams build seasons with confidence, not consensus.

If Your Seasonal Kickoff Is Coming Up

Seasonal strategy doesn’t have to start in the dark.

You can test your creative territories before they ever hit the moodboard. See which stories your audience is already responding to, and which ones are better saved for later.

With MakerLabs, brands can upload moodboards, define target audiences, and get directional feedback in under an hour. No recruiting. No waiting. No overthinking.

Just clarity when it matters most, before the first sample is made.

👉 Curious how your seasonal stories would perform? Explore MakerLabs