Resort 2021 got canceled; it is a sign of the times. Not to mention unheard of. The fashion industry marks the pandemic as an opportunity to rethink and reset its ways, stating its “normal was not normal to begin with.” Does this mean we are ready to give up the Fashion Nova shopper mentality of mindless wholesale and start investing in a more sustainable future?
“This pandemic has brought to light that fashion seasons are kind of nonsense,” says Emily Gordon-Smith, director of consumer product at Stylus, as suggestions for reducing the frequency of fashion shows to two a year skyrocket among industry insiders. On top of fueling wastefulness, producing multiple collections per year also boycotts the creativity of designers who invariably rush to meet deadlines instead of working on more innovative projects.
Marc Jacobs weighed in on the subject during his Zoom chat with Edward Enninful on Vogue Global Conversations.
"The amount of stuff we make and the quantity we make and the amount of time — it's just so excessive," Marc Jacobs revealed. "We've done everything to such excess that there is no consumer for all of it. And everyone is exhausted by it. No one really appreciates it. It's all become a chore, and it's a chore that's just a waste of time, energy, money, and material. I think that whole waste is taking the luxury and the creativity out of it."
With constant reform potentially out of the picture, the absence of pre-collections can fracture the whole operating system of a brand built on introducing numerous collections a year.
However, today’s grim reality of canceled fashion shows, closed stores, and a growing buildup of unsold inventory might force brands who previously had no intention of slowing down to reevaluate their strategies to stay afloat and maintain relevance. A definitive brand identity could be the answer here as trend forecasters anticipate a move to more trendless approaches with designs driven by the individual vision of the brand.
“Take Gucci and Prada, who have most recently been referencing their brand’s heritage and reinterpreting the past to create something new, such as Prada Sport. And then there are designers such as Christopher Kane, who are also evolving each collection as opposed to starting a new story each season,” explains Heather Gramston, head of Womenswear at Browns.
Renovation of the whole business model of a brand will change its entire work structure - for better and for worse. The flow of income might fluctuate with the silver lining of having the opportunity to invest more time in making better clothes. It is quality over quantity in its most basic sense. But are brands ready (in more honesty, willing) to commit to such change for the greater good once the COVID-19 craze is over? A greater good that will not only be beneficial in terms of preserving resources but will improve the quality of work-life balance of so many in the fashion industry.
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