How the High Fashion World is Dealing with the Pandemic
Written by Rana Belle
The fashion industry is resistant. We all know that. Although many hardships and obstacles have been faced by the biggest people in couture, from controversies surrounding designers and models to scrutiny from the media regarding a certain collection, they have overcome it all. But the one thing no one in fashion was expecting was the magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has had devastating impacts all over the world and the fashion community is certainly not immune. Runway shows have been cancelled, the economy is collapsing and designers are scrambling to provide us with brand new, innovative collections in the midst of this chaos. These hectic and uncertain circumstances raise the daunting question wandering around in the back of our minds; Is this the end of the world of High Fashion as we know it? But like I said, the fashion industry is resistant. Many of those involved behind the catwalks and also those who grace the catwalk with their designs are working hard to bring back a sense of normalcy to the industry. This article will provide an overview of how the fashion world is working in response to the pandemic send will give an insight into the potential future for the fashion industry.
“Masks for all” and Donations:
American designer Christian Siriano announced in March that he would be working alongside Dov Charney to make medical masks and donating them to NYC hospitals and others in need. His team got straight to work, Siriano updating us weekly on his instagram account. Having reassigned his 10 seamstresses in New York, they hope to produce a few thousand a week. Charney and Siriano are each designing their own washable, reusable masks. They are not “medical grade,” though Siriano creates masks that meet F.D.A. standards. Alongside Siriano, other designers and key figures in the industry such as Alice + Olivia designer Stacey Bendet revealed that the brand is producing masks to donate to hospitals in New York and the Tiffany & Co. Foundation allocated $750,000 to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.
British Vogue: Restart
Leaping across the world to England, Edward Enninful, editor in chief of British Vogue who is renowned for his activism and unbiased monthly issues, began a new series called “Vogue: Reset” for the August 2020 issue. Commenting on the response that the movement achieved, Enninful stated “I wanted it to be a breath of fresh air after all these months of turmoil, a chance to pause and rethink our busy lives – and I’m glad that so many readers have reached out to tell me how the covers brought them comfort, and how they made them think about the cadence of their lives and that of the natural world.” The covers, instead of portraying models or certain brand or pop figures, instead capture landscapes of nature from all over the world.
Similarly, the July issue of the magazine was dedicated to key workers on the front lines, working amidst these uncertain times. There were 3 covers: Narguis Horsford, a train driver on the London Overground, Rachel Millar, 24, a community midwife in east London, and Anisa Omar, a 21-year-old supermarket worker, each photographed candidly in their uniforms with many more key workers, including doctors, cleaners, epidemiologists, carers, teachers, ambulance drivers and volunteers from the fashion community and beyond.
Jaquemus’ Social Distancing Show:
The iconic brand was set to showcase their Spring/Summer 2020 collection during fashion week in July but due to the laws and legislations in regards to the coronavirus, it was set to be cancelled. But Simon Porte Jacquemus, French designer and Founder of his eponymous label, had other plans. In true “the show must go on!” Fashion, Jacquemus hosted a scenic, picturesque show in a wheat field whilst abiding by social distancing rules. Over 2.3 million viewers on Instagram clocked in to watch the live streamed show and the only people present at the show were close friends and immediate employees of the Maison who were seated 6 feet away from each other. Despite the obvious complications, the fashion house provided a beautifully romantic collection, wowing the digital and physically present audience.
Jacquemus Social Distancing Runway Show
What can we expect from the future of fashion?
On the surface and according to what we are seeing on the news, the fashion market is set on a course of decline and devastation. The average market capitalization of apparel, fashion and luxury players dropped almost 40 percent between the start of January and the 24th of March 2020, a much steeper decline than that of the overall stock market. Designers have dropped out of season fashion weeks (Alessandro Michele at Gucci), standards of collections are declining and the demand for slow fashion is putting a lot of pressure on well known fashion houses. But let's not jump to conclusions. Despite the obvious issues, many brands have begun working to make more ethical collections, lowering their prices and also increasing sample sizes. As a result of the lockdown, loungewear and pajama chic is en vogue. British Vogue has showcased several “trend” sections, titled “comfort zone”, encapsulating the latest collections in mostly nude colors and cotton/linen or light fabrics. Future runway shows are expected to revert to more minimalistic, comfortable sartorial complexions and we can also expect the more widespread notion of ethical fashion in the industry.