Future of Fashion

Julia Weber Over the course of this year, the fashion industry has been forced to change in order to adapt and survive in the midst of the coronavirus. Instead of catwalks with buyers watching shows from the sidelines and paparazzi flashing their cameras, fashion events are now virtual with customers watching online. Additionally, now that people are staying home more, there has been much more of a focus on leisurewear, rather than fast fashion. According to an article by the Indiana Daily student newspaper, seasonal fashion trends are disappearing, and instead people are more interested in tie-dying or bleaching their own clothes at home than shopping from a catalogue. During a time when there is far less social interaction and leaving the house, personalizing clothes by dying it at home is an affordable way to maintain a personal, unique style while remaining in the comfort of your own home and sweatpants. Along with DIY clothes, online thrifting has seen a major growth due to the pandemic. A recent New York Times article reported that online shops such as Poshmark, Depop, and Thredup have been receiving lots of business since they offer cheap, used clothes from trusted sellers, and buyers can shop from their homes. On the contrary, in-person thrift stores, such as Goodwill or small, local businesses, have seen a severe decrease in business. Because thrift stores are known for being not very clean, customers do not want to shop there, making it difficult for many small thrift stores to stay open during the pandemic. While many people may miss shopping in person from second hand stores, they are not the safest during an era of COVID, and online shopping certainly appears to be taking hold as the future of thrifting. In terms of fast fashion, it also appears to be shifting to a virtual market. This year, fashion shows had to be modified with a completely virtual audience. According to Helen Lambert Kennedy, a long-time stores, “the real world of fashion is not supposed to be fast fashion.” Now, only a select amount of tickets can be sold for a small number of viewers to attend runway events. Additionally, due to the lack of fashion showings and economic stresses of the coronavirus pandemic, many fashion designers and artists have lost profits and have had difficulty selling their items to the general public. Furthermore, buyers have started reconsidering where their fashion comes from. Now more than ever, consumers are conscious of the factories producing fast fashion clothing. An interview from NPR stated that people are now thinking about the “14 year olds making their blue jeans.” Many clothing factories in Bangladesh have been forced to shut down or operate with considerabely fewer workers due to COVID, which means fewer and fewer fast fashion items are created each day. Ultimately, it seems

Sarah May

Our first-ever crossword featuring pop-culture references of 2020-2021! Stop by Mr. Johnson’s classroom for a copy!