How COVID-19 will impact the Fashion industry

Until recently, winter in Melbourne has been glorious. Beautiful fresh days with invigorating sunshine to brighten each day. This week however has been a different story. As the city headed into stage 4 restrictions, the weather commiserated with us. Cold wind and rain came – winter is upon us. Not that the weather really matters at the moment! We are all inside each day and every day living our lives as the new norm. But what is the impact of this new way of living on the fashion industry?

It goes without saying that like a lot of other industries, the fashion industry will be hit hard. It is estimated that globally the fashion industry will be impacted by up to 30 per cent this year alone. But what about the post COVID culture of fashion? We have already begun to see the trend.  An evolution towards sustainability and excess consumption. This change has begun as a spark from international designers and retailers who are questioning the format and pace of fashion shows.  There are calls for an adjustment to the seasonality and flow of both womenswear and menswear, starting now. The industry recognises sustainability calls to reduce travel, waste and unnecessary product. Designers see the post Covid era as an opportunity for change. A change for the industry to find new ways of thinking and working and to put the brakes on the circuit of fast fashion. The concept of ‘less is more’ means that the designers now has the opportunity to be more selective about they produce and to ensure there is more meaning behind their ranges.

As fashion shows globally were cancelled, so to was travel, waste and unnecessary products. Could this be the end of fashion weeks entirely? Digital showrooms and personal creative interactions suggests that perhaps the excessive amount of travel is no longer required.

As consumers become trained to wait for sales and end of season discounts, the industry needs to regroup and look at changing the way they produce in terms of seasonality, size of collections, when they drop and how they discount. Post Covid consumers will be more practical and think about their purchases more. We need to aim for more meaningful collections and ethical supply chains. Let’s take this opportunity to build a more responsible industry. Let’s go back to slow fashion and enjoy the magic and power that fashion creates in our world.

    Dior Fall/Winter 2020/21

    The Capsule Wardrobe

    Clearing out and organising your wardrobe? It’s a big job! Where to start?!! The buzz word around current wardrobe culling is “capsule,” but what does this concept mean exactly.

    The term “capsule wardrobe” isn’t a new one. It was first coined 40 years ago by a London boutique owner called Susie Faux. Faux’s concept was that a core wardrobe of a few essential items that would never go out of fashion, be worn for multiple seasons, and could be expanded with seasonal fashion pieces. Over a decade later, thanks to American designer Donna Karan, the concept became popularised when Karan released an influential wardrobe collection of seven interchangeable work-wear pieces. From a designer’s point of view, a capsule wardrobe features only the most essential or influential pieces from any one collection. A capsule collection is essentially a condensed version of a designer’s vision and is often limited edition, which transcends seasons and trends by being functional. 

    Donna Karan’s 1985 Capsule Collection

    The term is now widely used in the fashion world. It has come to refer to a collection of clothing composed only of interchangeable items to maximise the number of outfits that can be created. The aim is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning an excessive amount of clothing. For this to successfully work, capsule collections are usually considered to be core items in coordinating colours.

    Remember, the aim of your capsule wardrobe is to be able to update this collection with seasonal pieces so that you have something to wear for any occasion without continually buying new items of clothing. 

    Here are the rules for creating your capsule wardrobe:

    • Select your colour scheme. The idea here is to choose one or two base colours that go with everything; black, white, grey, or navy.
    • Wardrobe items such as trousers, handbags or coats should be shades of these colours, so that they can be put with anything else in the wardrobe. 
    • After choosing the base colours, choose one or two accent colours, which are brighter than the base colours, and coordinate with each other. These would typically be used for items such as tops, dresses, or accessories.
    • Once a colour scheme is established, all the items in a wardrobe should be interchangeable, so the colour of the pieces always complement each other.
    • Be sure to consider your body shape. Some cuts of clothing are more flattering than others; for instance, stylists often advise that women with wider hips wear cap sleeves, as they make the shoulders appear wider, and more proportionate to the hips. If the items of clothing chosen are flattering, you are more likely to want to keep them in your wardrobe.
    • Also, consider your complexion. As with cuts of clothing, some colours are more flattering than others, to both skin tone and body shape. 
    • Choose classic shapes and patterns. While some cuts and patterns of clothing go in and out of fashion, others are considered ‘classic’ because they do not date. It is wise to choose classic pieces for a capsule wardrobe, as the wearer intends to keep them for many years.
    • Choose high-quality fabrics. Remember, the idea of a capsule wardrobe is to own a few items of clothing that can be worn in different ways, individual pieces get lots of wear. Therefore, it is a good idea to choose clothing that is well made and continues to look good wear after wear.

    The mind game of fashion

    Does what we wear actually make us feel better? “Enclothed cognition” suggests that the clothes we wear directly affect how we think and what we do.

    Stuck inside during the Covid19 lockdown. Working from home and needing the inspiration to get up and change out of your loungewear during the day? You may think that clothes don’t make a difference to your performance, but you would be wrong…

    According to research in 2012 by Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky, the clothes we wear do influence our own behaviour and the way we think and act. During this study, the researchers coined the term “enclothed cognition” to describe the mental changes that we undergo when we wear specific clothing.

    Volunteers for the study were given either a lab coat or nothing special to wear and then required to complete attention related tasks. The group wearing the lab coats proved significantly more successful at their task than the group that wore nothing special.

    The research highlighted the symbolic meaning that we associate with a particular item of clothing. The same can be related to all aspects of our lives and the way we are perceived by the world. This is a combination of group consensus and independent thinking. Let’s consider the explosion of activewear in recent times. Once upon a (not so long ago) time, the idea of wearing our yoga pants to the grocery store would have never happened. Nowadays, even the most unathletic of us are wearing our Lululemons as part of our staple wardrobe. What’s more, our activewear makes us feel like yoga goddesses. When we see a girl wearing a fabulous matching set of activewear, we think: They must be really good. They must have their life together…

    Hailey Bieber

    Let’s transfer this theory to our Covid19 lockdown period. Enclothes cognition isn’t a substitute for overall motivation. It is unlikely that a new yoga outfit is going to inspire us to take up yoga when we haven’t done a downward dog in 6 months. But what our clothes can do is make us feel more in control and more activated to tackle life. In other words, dress like you mean it.

    Fashion, Culture and Globalisation

    The fashion industry is all about making statements. The industry relies on continuously changing styles each season, prompting consumers to diversify their look each season. Amidst this ever-changing industry is culture. Fashion and culture work hand in hand to create a non-verbal form of communication. Our fashion sends a message about who we are, where we come from, and what we do… Fashion allows us to express ourselves through our clothing and accessories. The biggest contributor to the latest fashion styles is popular fashion (aka pop culture). Pop culture is a reflection of cultural forces as well as social factors. Think of the last piece of fashion you purchased. Was it a classic piece or a curated pop culture style influenced by your social media feed?

    Digital technology has changed the way consumers spend their money. No longer content with classic cultural styles, consumers are now influenced by global culture via the worldwide marketplace through international labels offering their brands. This global scale of consumerism is referred to as a ‘global consumer culture.’

    To comprehend the fashion industry environment, we must recognise the influence of culture on the fashion industry. Remember that when we talk about fashion, we do not isolate clothing as fashion, we consider fashion to be connected to our life in every aspect, and amongst this, culture is significant. Fashion extends to the way we desire to live our lives; think about the way fashion influences your lifestyle. This includes modernisation, art, and even technological innovation.

    Consumer lifestyle, fashion, and culture – they all interact. To understand fashion and trends, then we first have to understand the culture of our lifestyles and the way we live. The development of a new fashion will ultimately stem from one of three cultural sources; high culture, low culture, and pop culture.

    High culture is elite activities such as visual arts, design, and architecture. This source of culture influences fashion by bringing new types of ideas and concepts to fashion designers.

    Popular culture (Pop culture). This source of culture is understood by a more significant portion of the population. It is usually influenced by movies or celebrities and is a large part of the marketing culture. It is produced at a mass level for mass consumption. Globalisation, common trends from our favourite celebrities as seen nearly instantaneously from across the world thanks to digital media.

    Low culture is local street activities applied to subcultures. It can be difficult to distinguish individual styles as subcultures because they are often quickly adopted by mass culture and then adopted by the global fashion market.

    Paris Fashion Week 2019

    The fashion industry is shaped by macro and micro trends. Macros trends are a driver for 5-10 years, whereas micro trends are drivers for 1-3 years. Macro trends are larger behavioural groups, and micro trends are a mini fashion craze. The current micro-trend in fashion is sustainability. These trends come and go due to the impact of media on our lives.

    Culture is made of factors such as society, education, values, and norms. Since fashion deals with how we look and what we wear, it is mostly influenced and controlled by culture. Previously our fashion was segmented by our local culture only, but with the emergence of globalisation, we are turning towards global fashion consumerism.

    What influences the consumer?

    Consumers, in general, can be referred to as individuals who purchase or consume products or services. A consumer will exhibit various behaviour patterns during their purchase process. They will keenly observe the fashion industry, looking for ideas to fulfill their needs. Businesses should be reaching their consumers to engage in committed, loyal, enthusiastic, and best of all, repeat customers.
    Fashion is important to many people. Fashion influences nearly every aspect of our lives, with both economic and social value giving us a tool to express ourselves and create an identity. Because of this, it is essential to understand the process of a consumer’s decision making within the fashion industry.

    A consumer’s fashion decision making is influenced by information via different sources. The most powerful of these sources is the social influencer. Whether it be journalists, celebrities, bloggers, or brand advocates, their influence over the consumer’s purchasing decision is based on their personal opinion, ability, and position because consumers consider them to be experts in the fashion field. Social influencers, therefore, have a significant impact of influence on consumers purchasing decisions. Consumers will tend to copy their style and influence what becomes a trend, or a “must have” fashion item. In today’s society, consumers are influenced by social influencers to a greater extent than ever before.

    Involving your influencer in your creative process

    The rise of influencer marketing may mean that brands need to shift their focus. Did you know consumers will trust an influencer more than what they will any brand promotions of a product? This means that direct marketing is not as effective as it once was. The idea of influencer marketing gets more challenging when targeting younger generations. This is because millennials don’t get convinced from traditionally popular celebrities – the majority of young consumers prefer non-celebrity influencers for product endorsements. What does this mean for brands? For influencer marketing to work for you, you need to understand your audience.

    Influencers Tash Sefton & Elle Ferguson

    The fashion industry is more driven by influencer marketing than any other industry, and there are many ways to collaborate with bloggers and brands. A word of advice… Involve your blogger in the early stages of the creative process. Your blogger knows their audience better than anyone, and they may be able to offer ideas and strategies that are effective for their audience.

    An introduction to Influencer Marketing

    These days, the term “influencer” is part of our daily vocabulary. In recent times, fashion has shifted towards digital platforms and technology to instantly identify the latest fashion trends. The digital world allows consumers to be influenced by brands from local stores to international labels. At the forefront of fashions digital marketing is the rise of the influencer! But what is influencer marketing?

    Miroslava Duma

    In simple terms, influence marketing means finding an individual who has an influence over a specific target audience. This individual will then be used as part of a brand’s campaign to grow brand awareness and sales. Consider it a new generation of “word of mouth” marketing with more of a social context and performed more professionally. Influencers help to build relationships between consumers and brands through trust and authenticity.

    There are generally two types of influencer marketing practices. The first type is earned influencer marketing. This is an unpaid or pre-existing relationship a brand has with an individual. The individual provides content to promoted the brand and to further their own social media growth. The second type is paid influencer marketing, which can take the form of sponsorship or testimonial advertising.

    Depending on the value brands require, marketers can use influencer marketing to establish brand credibility within the market, to create social awareness of the brand, or to drive product sales – online or in-store. The aim of the game here is “reach”. Reach is the measurement of the audience size reached by the post, which then (hopefully) drives the consumer to action.

    Viktoria Rader

    And why is this so effective? Because of their above-average number of followers, influencers can reach millions of consumers through their social media channels and blogs. Influencers use original marketing content for brands that are relevant to them and resonate with their followers. It is essential to remember followers love to engage with their influencers. Influencers with strong relationships with their audience have a certain amount of trust with them, so a single post can gain a lot of traction.

    Why luxury brands should take the lead in eco-fashion.

    The history and reputation of luxury brands

    When we consider eco-fashion, it is crucial to consider luxury brands and their role in sustainability and the fast fashion epidemic. As leaders of the fashion industry, luxury brands need to use their history and reputation of quality and craft to effectively rectify consumer opinions on the eco-fashion industry. Luxury brands need to use their leadership to promote eco-fashion in a luxury format to alter the current perceived consumer opinions. By mainstreaming eco-fashion, luxury brands would provide another level of luxury to the consumer; that of quality products which link to the most topical social issue of our era… saving the planet. Is it possible to effectively reposition expensive luxury brands with environmental principles?

    It ain’t easy being green; the barriers to Slow-Fashion

    There is a growing global concern about environmental issues, yet consumers tend to separate fashion from sustainability. In general terms, consumers support the idea of sustainability but do not apply their ethical concerns when it comes to sustainable fashion. Why is this? More likely, the term “eco-fashion” conjures up images of hippies from the 60s and 70s – a time when eco-friendly fashion meant shapeless clothing. But the reality is there is a marked difference between eco-dress and eco-fashion. Eco-dress is what we would associate with the hippie movement, whereas eco-fashion represents slow-fashion.

    Eco-dress or Eco-fashion?


    Slow fashion, as we have mentioned in our previous blog refers to eco-fashion. “Slow” in this context does not refer to time (unlike “fast” in fashion which does refer to time). The Slow in slow-fashion refers to the philosophy of mindfulness in the fashion industry and the impact the producing fashion has on workers, consumers, and the environment.

    Eco-fashion

    Eco-fashion is evolving, but unfortunately does not always meet the consumer’s needs. The main hurdles in the industry are, lack of awareness, negative perceptions, high prices, low availability, and last (but not least) lack of style.
    Perhaps in the future, as consumer attitudes evolve so too will eco-fashion.