What The Future Of Fashion Looks Like In A Post-Pandemic World
The fashion industry as a whole is undergoing some of the most notable changes and downfalls in its history as a result of worldwide interruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The domino effect of hits to the fashion community since fashion week in February include the postponement of the Met Gala, major retailers filing for bankruptcy and hundreds of thousands of employees on furlough all around the world.
What was perceived to be the future of fashion is now forever altered. The one light in the darkness is the opportunity for online retailers and e-commerce to flourish in the midst of chaos.
Jennifer Chan is a senior-level fashion and beauty editor, copywriter, style expert and on-air host who has worked for leading media outlets including E! Online, The Kardashians, InStyle.com, IPSY, Fashionista.com, The Daily, Real Simple Magazine and more. She offered her insight regarding the ways COVID-19 has affected retailers.
“From a retail perspective, the fashion industry is suffering because the vast majority of Americans aren’t shopping for exciting new pieces to add to their wardrobes or investing in luxury handbags right now,” Chan said. “The economy is tanking, and millions of Americans are without jobs. The priority at the moment is surviving, not spending. The majority of Spring/Summer 2020 inventory will not move, which means retailers will have to slash pricing significantly post-lockdown to make room for Fall/holiday.”
USA Today and WWD have reported on large retail companies that are suffering the brunt of the worldwide lockdown as big name retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, JCPenney, Forever 21 and others have liquidated several stores within the U.S. in the name of bankruptcy with the possibility of shutting down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hallie Saculla is the corporate communications coordinator of stores & merchandising for Macy’s. She has worked as the business and store events coordinator of modernist collections at Bergdorf Goodman as well as the editor-in-chief of A Magazine at Kent State University. She explained the relationship between retail stores and modern-day customers who enjoy shopping in stores and online in an interview conducted for this article.
“I feel it is crucial for retailers to create a shopping experience where customers feel like they come first,” Saculla said. “The successful retailers are observing how customers shop and creating an atmosphere where one can seamlessly go from the app on their phone to the store in the mall. It’s nearly impossible to have a strong brick-and-mortar presence without a strong digital presence to accommodate the masses.”
Gayle King recently hosted an interview with Anna Wintour on CBS This Morning, in which the two discussed how the fashion industry has been affected by COVID-19 and how to go about moving forward. In the video, Wintour is promoting “A Common Thread,” a storytelling initiative that raises funds for members of the fashion community including designers, business owners and employees which comprises 50 million people.
Many of the retailers that are currently facing downfalls were very successful in the past but failed to efficiently maintain their businesses entering the age of technology. Duality is key if retail brands are to optimize their sales and display their market value in the form of an established online presence.
Maghan McDowell, innovation editor at Vogue Business, goes into depth regarding the challenge of online returns along with new strategies retailers will have to implement in order to maintain what is left of their businesses during lockdown.
McDowell explains, “The COVID-19 pandemic has also made its impact on the Spring/Summer 2020 collections. With stores closed, retailers bolster e-commerce to make up for lost sales. But an influx of returns might be an unwelcome byproduct. Technology platforms see an opportunity to tackle this inconvenient challenge.”
In the face of this seemingly never-ending quarantine, online retailers and e-commerce are rising to the occasion as many homebodies are seeking solace in online shopping. Whether it be purchasing household necessities like toilet paper and cleaning supplies to home decor and the newest AirPods, as long as those with items in their cart don’t mind paying an extra shipping fee and running the gamble of having their items backordered, the sky’s the limit.
“On the upside, we’ve seen a surge of online shopping in the categories that make sense during this time of at-home quarantine: comfortable athleisure separates, loungewear and wireless bras,” said Chan. “I think a lot of people are cleaning out their closets and realizing what they actually need and what feels truly excessive right now.”
Online shopping and e-commerce are set to take over as a primary method of purchasing going to 2021 as reported by Kevin Winkler in an article on Shopify.com. “More than 2.1 billion shoppers are expected to purchase goods and services online by 2021,” said Winkler.
According to an article in Vogue written by Emily Farra, a positive outcome to the shut down of major retailers is the decline in fast fashion and its unethical practices which include cheap fabrics, sweatshops, less pollution and more room for designers that aren’t well known to maintain their originality without the threat of having their ideas copied by a corporation. Farra states that the future of fashion will be circular with an emphasis on recycling clothes.
As many around the world continue to follow regional stay-at-home orders, the question of what the future holds for the fashion industry is unclear yet full of potential. There has never been a better time to create new ways to innovate the art form of fashion. Not only to increase accessibility, the blueprint of circulation could be completely revolutionized inside of a generation. Trend forecasters have predicted sustainability and protective wear will be the overall statement for collections to come.
Laure Guilbault is a contributor for Vogue Business and a Paris correspondent at Business of Fashion. In a Vogue Business article titled “What will post-lockdown fashion look like?” She dives into the subject of the strategies designers will have to adopt in order to construct a new vision for the future.
Guilbault wrote, “Designers are thinking about how to translate the public mood into their Spring/Summer 2021 collections. Protection will be key, whether it’s rethinking the silhouette to incorporate a mask or developing antibacterial fabrics. In the face of such mental and economic austerity, designers will also offer cheerfulness and escapism. Also think sharper, tighter collections as well as thoughtful shows.”
On April 27, Harper’s Bazaar reported on its Instagram that Yves Saint Laurent announced they would not be presenting any previously scheduled new collections for the remainder of 2020. The French fashion house is refocusing their efforts on more direct-to-consumer formats when releasing future collections post-pandemic.
If the postponed events from this year are set to take place at same time next year in 2021, it will be the year of declarations. Every garment tells a story, as owning clothes is a journey and many are turning to new ways to send off their beloved pieces with a fond farewell. Thrifting, selling, swapping and renting clothes are all the primary transactions which will take place online.
“Fashion strikes an emotional chord in all of us and gives us hope, aspiration and personalization when we want to reinvent or improve ourselves,” Chan said.
