Fashion Go or Fashion No: Coronavirus and Fashion Don’t Mix

Audrey Holmes, Reporter

Clothing sales dropped by 34% in March of this year due to the incoming Coronavirus pandemic. Simon Wolfson commented on this issue saying, “No-one wants to buy clothes to sit at home in.” Everything from production to sales has been negatively impacted. 

“It has led to a real existential crisis for the fashion industry,” Imran Amed, founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion said. Amed continues, “This is an industry which is still almost entirely dependent on physical retail. More than 80% of transactions in the fashion industry still happen in physical stores.” 

Because of this, many people are wondering where all of the stocked clothing will go. People won’t be interested in buying late fashion trends once the pandemic is over. “Unlike food or some medicines, [fashion] products do not go off. But many go out of style. Sometimes, as with seasonal apparel collections, rather quickly,” says The Economist. Many brands like The GAP and H&M have been going crazy with sales because of the pandemic. They are more focused on selling everything to get it out of their stocks. 

Along with general sales, fashion events have been postponed or even cancelled due to the pandemic. People weren’t sure if September’s fashion week would be carried out in London, Paris, New York or Milan. No one was sure how everything would be carried out, whether they should’ve broadcasted it to further protect the people attending. 

Along with fashion week, events like the Met Gala were moved online to protect everyone attending. After the pandemic settles down, even if it’s not in the near future, many are wondering what the fashion industry will look like. Vogue editor Dame Anna Wintour commented on this topic saying, “I feel very strongly that when we come out at the other end, people’s values are really going to have shifted.”

 

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