Fashion vs Covid-19

This post gives a quick insight into how the fashion industry has been majorly affected by COVID-19, and how businesses are making efforts to overcome and adapt to the change.

How is the fashion industry is responding to the virus?

In reality no one really knows what the world will be like on the other side of the Coronavirus pandemic, but we can assume that it will most certainly be different. Rona may not catch some of us physically, but we can be sure that she will catch us economically. To date we have already had to adapt to many changes which will in turn become a somewhat routine of how we live our future lives. Changes include but are not limited to how we live, how we work, how we spend our money, how we interact with one another and funnily enough even how we dress (the protective mask is not just for protection but has also become a fashion item).

And so given all these changes, how is the fashion industry coping and responding? Non-compulsory spending is heavily depended on in the fashion realm and as our current focus is to spend money on things that are essential like food (although some are still going crazy and bulk buying toilet roll!), the fashion sector has become one of the businesses most vulnerable to disruption. Drapers have been conducting a few ongoing surveys to find out how businesses are responding to the virus and from this we can have a look at some figures at a glance:-

· ASOS – sales have dropped by 20%-25% mainly as a result to the containment measures impacted at the end of March.

· Primark are introducing temporary salary cuts for their employees for the next coming 12 weeks – 20% for senior executives and 10% for the remainder of employees.

· Ted Baker has furloughed 75% of their workforce - the closure of stores have impacted the company’s revenues.

· JD Sports have withheld rent and service charges for the quarter.

· Monsoon – are considering a sale of business

· Retailers such as the Arcadia Group, New Look and TK Maxx have terminated any future orders of stock until further notice and have negotiated extending their payment terms with suppliers.

· Men’s fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and London have been cancelled or postponed.

In essence many retailers who have made decisions to extend payment terms and cancelled orders have sparked a detrimental impact on the fashion supply chain and suppliers will also suffer substantial reductions in income.

All sounds very doom and gloom, however despite such fall backs the fashion industry are making attempts to respond to the detrimental impact. Teams are pulling together to re-strategise, asses business goals, build action plans and most importantly hold on to the hope of overcoming. In fact there are many retailers who have boosted business moral and seen an opportunity for new doors open. Some examples include:-

· Marks and Spencer – has offered its frontline team an additional 15% additional pay reward

· Schuh – have reopened their website

· British Fashion Council has announced £1m in support to help fashion businesses

· Cash grants of £25,000 are available to businesses that have a rateable value above the £51,000 threshold.

What are people buying these days if anything?

As the nation is working and socialising at home, fashion retailers have seen a surge in lounge wear sales. I must admit that loungewear is not something I would normally actively look for however due to the circumstances, I have had a browse here and there and if this lockdown goes on for too long I may be swayed to make some purchases!

One thing we need to understand about loungewear is that it is clothing that is one step away from your actual pyjamas or nightwear of choice. It can be both chic and comfortable, you can go down the luxe route and invest in some silk and cashmere pieces or you can go all out in cotton in a 2 piece set. I think the point here is that there is a huge difference between throwing on some tatty tracksuit bottoms and investing in some stylish loungewear.

So where can you find some good pieces you may ask? Well, this all depends on your budget. If you are strapped for cash, the good news is that Zara Home have incredible loungewear lines. If you see my posts on the gram, no doubt I will have some piece of clothing from Zara in almost every post. And honestly speaking, this is where I saw some good piece including co-ords and satin! My only issue with Zara right now is I am hating their website but hey that can be a story for another day. Other cheap options also include ASOS and M&S so please also check out these places. If you have quite a bit of change to spare after buying your essential food during this Lockdown, you can find some more expensive but eye-catching loungewear on sites such as Ted Baker, the White Company, Selfridges and so on.

Another all time buy in these difficult times, is gym wear. Here in the UK we have been advised to do one form of exercise a day (not necessarily hardcore gym exercises but of course this plays on people’s minds to make sure they get the right type of clothing to be able to exercise in even if they are just walking). I personally have been serious with the gym for some months now and since the lockdown I have made sure I continue keeping fit and working out at home. Monday – Friday I am working from 9am until 5:30pm doing my usual day job, but I will make sure I am dressed and ready in my gym attire to ensure that when 5:30pm hits I am prepared to bust a gut.

That all being said, what is the best gym wear to buy? This really depends on your body shape and what sort of work out you are doing. The key obviously is comfort and movability but that doesn’t mean you should chuck on some baggy clothes and torn trainers. There really are some great stylish pieces out there that almost look like day clothes.

Now as this line of “clothing” is a somewhat must have and in high demand the prices have soared on purchases. And unfortunately, the cheaper pieces may cause you problems for example the material can be thin and not durable at all. This does not mean however that you need to spend a huge amount of money, but you must expect to invest. Gym shark and fabletics in my opinion are great brands and they have huge ranges if your pockets are deep, but if your pockets are shallow right now you can always find some great brands like Nike and Adidas at sale prices so keep your eyes peeled and really search! I have made a purchase at ASOS for some gym leggings which after 2 weeks I am still waiting to arrive! When and if I get them, I will give my review.

Happy Easter to all and let’s continue to stay safe, stay home and save lives!