Obituary: David Wolfe, Preeminent Trend Analyst and Forecaster
David Wolfe, fashion trend forecaster, artist and former creative director at The Doneger Group, passed away at his home in Visalia, California, on April 17 due to natural causes related to Parkinson’s Disease. Wolfe was 82.
“Everybody loved David,” said Abbey Doneger, chief executive officer of The Doneger Group, the research, consulting, trend and merchandising firm. “He was kind, interested, interesting, supportive, a mentor for many people throughout the industry, whether it was a young person in college or a senior business leader.
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“As the creative director of our company for 25 years, he was instrumental in the growth of our business and was a leader internally,” Doneger added. “Not only was he a great trend forecaster, but he was involved in all aspects of our business, from making presentations and leading seminars to taking on big projects with our corporate clients. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion and designers that he articulated in his presentations. They were always entertaining and really informative.”
Wolfe was widely quoted in the media and routinely outspoken on fads and future trends. He would tackle subjects as varied as aging, demographics, shifting fashion silhouettes and color comebacks. He was equally adept at critiquing a spring season of graphic prints and ultralight fabrics to predicting the future for artificial intelligence and robotics, and in many cases, his predications came years before a trend or technology was widely adopted or discussed. Fashion insiders from every level of the industry consulted with him regularly.
Wolfe was born in Cleveland. As a child, he was interested in fashion. The Cleveland Plain Dealer once quoted him as saying: “When I was in the second grade, I got into serious trouble. I not only said I wanted to be a dress designer, but I drew a picture of a hula girl with a navel. I guess I knew low-risers were coming.”
His first job was in the advertising department of Carlisle’s, which sold hard and soft goods, where he rose to fashion director. His interests in fashion and art, as well as travel, led him to relocate to London during the Swinging ’60s. It was there that he paved his way to a career as a fashion illustrator, working for high-end designers, manufacturers and retailers. His illustrations were featured in such periodicals as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and WWD.
In the ’80s, Wolfe traveled extensively and lectured frequently. His interests also led him to edit fashion magazines. Eventually, he joined The Doneger Group, where he cemented his career as a top forecaster.
Upon retiring in late 2017, Wolfe returned to his first childhood hobby, paper dolls. He illustrated more than 20 paper doll books that were published.
Wolfe is survived by his husband, Francisco Murillo; his sister, Sally Biondi, and his three children, Lynette Seebeck, Nicole Smith and Zack Wolfe.
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