Coronavirus & Fashion: A Sequel
London, United Kingdom
As the world slowly emerges from Lockdown and non-essential retail reopens, it seems a fitting time to revisit the impact that Covid-19 has had on the fashion industry and begin to look at some of the trends that will emerge as a result of it.
THE GROWTH OF ONLINE RETAIL
Coronavirus can’t be said to have started the slow death of the high street and the growth of online retail but it may certainly catalyse it. The shutting down of all non-essential retail stores has forced the whole population to shop online for non-essential goods. Whilst social distancing has encouraged many to do so even for essentials. An EU study into the growth of online shopping demonstrated that between 2009 and 2019 the percentage of the population who bought goods online grew by over 15%. Of those that didn’t force of habit, lack of skills and knowledge and delivery concerns were amongst the largest reasons given. Covid-19 has changed this, firstly by breaking the habit and secondly by forcing many, particularly the elderly, to shop online both for reasons of safety and necessity. In terms of fashion this may spell an even greater shift towards online as the last holdouts and those who previously lacked the skills or knowledge to shop online have begun to do so. This may also cause a growth in the number of online shopping platforms aimed at the over-50s and 60s who have finally been converted to shopping online. This will of course have a knock on effect for high street fashion businesses who may be forced to close or shift online. Zara’s owner Inditex for instance saw sales down 44% between 1st February and 30th April despite a 50% rise in online sales year-on-year during the quarter (including a 95% year-on-year rise in April). They have already announced the closure of between 1,000 and 1,200 of its stores whilst implementing a plan to accelerate online sales in the hope of pushing it to account for 25% of the total sales by 2022 compared to 14% in 2019. Meanwhile, Adena Brands (owners of Monsoon and Accessorize) has announced that at least 130 of its 230 stores will go, and Debenhams, Cath Kidson and Oasis and Warehouse Ltd have all gone into administration. Boohoo the online retailer on the other hand has seen a 54% profit rise as the online shift happens apace.
ACCESSIBILITY
Corona is also forcing fashion to become more accessible than ever. London fashion week has already gone online meaning that more people than ever before will be able to access it. Other fashion weeks are expected to follow suit as fashion becomes more accessible to all. This is extending to fashion brands who are increasingly engaging with customers online. Webinars and Vogue Global Conversations are booming, Lowe has launched a series of online events and workshops on Instagram live, Alexander McQueen has launched McQueen Creators which invites followers to create art via digital tutorials and post them on the companies Instagram feed. Chanel has held live music performances on it’s histogram live and Chloe has launched a Chloe Club. On top of this London Fashion week has gone gender neutral and the recent wave of protests following the killing of George Floyd may finally push fashion to tackle the industry’s systemic racism.
SLOW FASHION
I have written before on the issues of fast fashion. Covid-19 is beginning to force a reckoning. The British Fashion Council and Fashion Designers of America issues a joint statement recommending “designers focus on no more than two main collections a year”. Designers like Thom Browne and Dries Van Noten have written an open letter to the fashion industry calling on changes to the fashion calendar and a focus on sustainability. Covid has caused an inventory crisis with many brands left with huge amounts of unwanted stock causing cash flow problems. But there is hope this will push fashion brands into recycling the goods, into developing more sustainable supply chains and to slow down. Giorgio Armani is going seasonless. Transeasonal clothing is increasingly seen as the future as brands look to produce less clothes, less collections and finally tackle the longstanding issues of fast fashion. Gucci is perhaps the best example of this with it’s creative Director, Alessandro Michele announcing that it will reduce it’s number of shows from five to two and go transeasonal whilst also doing away with the distinctions between men’s wear and women’s wear.
THE GROWTH OF CASUAL WEAR
Sale’s of men’s and women’s dress shoes plunged 70% in March and April. With the increase in home working and shutting down of nightlife, Corona is causing a shift away from formal wear and towards comfort. On top of this many are forecasting a greater emphasis on value. As people lose their jobs and a recession looms people will have less disposable income meaning that value will be more important than ever. Analysts also expect to see more casual attire and athletic wear even when offices do return as meetings are carried out virtually and people push back against traditional formal wear. After months working from home, many expect comfort to be king.
FACE MASKS: THE ESSENTIAL ACCESSORY FOR EVERY SEASON
As masks become compulsory on public transport and recommended more generally by Governments and the WHO, masks are quickly becoming the must have accessory of 2020. Fashion brands have been quick to adapt to the demand with everyone from Nordstrom to Rag and Bone bringing out their own design. This trend is only going to grow as demand has skyrocketed. Vogue, GQ and Glamour have all done features on where to buy them, whilst Halpern, Julien Macdonald, Liam Hodges, Mulberry, Raeburn and Rixo have teamed up with the British Council to bring out six sustainable masks with 100% of profits going to NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Urgent Appeal, Wings of Hope Children’s Charity and the BFC Foundation Fashion Fund in the hope of raising £1 million. The growth of masks is also expected to see a growth in eye make up (Mascara sales grew 11% and eyebrow products 5% in May) and false eyelashes (which averaged 15% increases in week-over-week sales in May) as with masks covering most of your face it’s all about accentuating your eyes.
By Samson Royston, June 2020
Check out our recent interview with BASMA, ARSHYS, Daniel Pascal Tanner, Shivangi Sahni and Rose Danford-Phillips to learn more about the talented designers from The New Edit's Future of Fashion series.
