Fashion during a pandemic
The spring of 2020 has been a difficult time period for most of us to adjust to, but also for the fashion industry. What is the reason to put out a collection of anything else than pyjamases, sweats and Birkenstock collaborations? How are department stores and physical retailing going to survive a global lockdown? And how are haute couture brands making money if they’re not able to present a noteworthy show?
Most countries took on lockdown policies in March 2020 just when fashion designers were about to launch their spring 2020 collections. Rules for lockdown came into force even prior to that in China, currently the biggest market for luxury retailing in the world. An example of the importance of the Chinese market is that an Hermès in Guangzhou, China earned about 2,7 million US dollars in one day after its reopening.
This has obviously affected the fashion industry. For example, two of the largest department stores in the United states has gone bankrupt, Neiman Marcus and Barney’s. Both companies depend heavily on physical retailing and seeing how the US has the most reported cases of the coronavirus, the prognosis for the retail giants hasn't been that good. But the online retail sector has also been affected since many countries strict policies has affected warehouses and shipment companies as well.
If we look at the collections that have been presented during the pandemic we can see that there are two different paths that designers seem to have been taking. First we have the path of “sticking to what you’re good at”. Examples of that are Saint Laurent pre fall 2020, a collection that I’ve already reviewed and Chanel resort 2021, a collection filled with tweed suits and cardigans, little black dresses, ballet flats, and flap bags which is basically everything that comes straight into my head when i think of Chanel.
The second one is the path of athleisure and comfort. Examples are Hellessy resort 2021 and Balenciaga resort 2021. Both collections showcase chunky knits, turtlenecks, flared denim and sweatpants.
And I can only assume that Proenza Schouler and Rick Owens’ collaborations with German footwear brand Birkenstock have increased their sales rapidly.
These are all results of designers having to adapt into the current state of the world.
And designers adapting to the current state of the world is probably not that bad. Since most brands are not able to waste their financial resources on production we might have come closer to a more responsible and eco friendly industry.
In late June, early July we saw the first ever digital haute couture week. Haute couture is simply explained a French technique of making clothes only by hand and it’s based on principles like featherwork, floral embroidery having an atelier in Paris, etc… Haute couture is the most expensive form of fashion and a dress can cost over a hundred thousand dollars. That has lead to the fact that there are only about 200 people that are able to afford haute couture pieces and most designers use Haute couture more as an act of PR than to actually sell. But seeing how the brands are not able to use fashion shows to promote their haute couture this season it seems like the death of this 300 year old craftsmanship is not too far.
But designers have become creative with their haute couture presentations this season which might keep the craft alive. Valentino showed their collection with video presentation that showcased the pieces in a circus.
These past months have been challenging for the fashion industry, but it has also lead to designers and brands thinking more outside the box and resulted in a new fashion landscape that might have its grip on the industry for a much longer period of time than we expected.