FASHION AND CORONA VIRUS

FASHION AND CORONAVIRUS

(Written by Vani Gupta)

From the time fashion flourished as an industry it has been dependant on the latest trends, the changes that these trends bring with them and the new styles changing with the seasons. Clothes sell on the popularity they gain among the people. With the corona virus outbreak, we can no longer go outside and actually fulfil the purpose of wearing new trendy clothes and “dress to impress”. Any normal person who is not involved in the acting or modelling industry is not buying new clothes with the argument that he/she doesn’t have a place to wear those new clothes to. Nobody wants to buy clothes for sitting at home. With the work from home policies and social distancing policies in place restaurants, work places, clubs, malls, movie theatres, gyms etc. are all closed and people do not feel the need to buy new clothes suitable for every place that they used to visit earlier. Most people prefer to stay in their pyjamas and other comfortable outfits when staying at home, and do not exactly feel the urge to buy new clothes even though they have to attend meetings/classes from their homes. With all these things going on, the fashion industry is facing a great slump, causing brands and design houses to close their shutters and postpone their runway shows lined up for this year.

Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus many award shows like met gala etc. have also been indefinitely postponed, this will obviously have a direct impact on the biggest fashion brands which play a key role in designing brand new outfits for the celebrities from around the globe.

The pandemic has led to an existential crisis for the fashion industry and hit it on every imaginable level; production has ceased, retailers have closed, demand has plummeted. More than 80% of the sales of the company still depend on physical retail happening in the stores. Added to that many consumers are not interested in buying clothes right now. There’s so much focus on buying essential products such that buying clothes is of the least concerns to most of the population.

Although, every known company is producing masks, partly because of the reason that their business gets to stay open as an “essential service”. But masks are a controversial contribution at this particular time. Apart from being stylish their main objective is to be of proper design so that they serve their purpose. However, the type and style of mask one wears does make a statement and establishes where you are located on the social ladder.

Fashion magazines have shifted online and have found interesting ways to sustain themselves. However, the slump in the employment, not only in the industry itself but for the fashion models, retail stores, salespersons at those retail stores etc. have a far reaching effect on the economy.

This pandemic, for all of us, has awakened retrospection and given us the time to try different things in a different manner. As the world turns to reopening and adjusting to this new normal, it’s for those in the fashion industry to rethink, innovate and do some soul searching to save the entire industry from the inevitable.