The recession has made us rethink our fashion statements. been well remarked that the recession has heavily impacted the fashion industry. Although downturns in the economy occur once every 15-20 years, this current recession we’re experiencing is going to have a prolonged effect on our whole concept of fashion. We are living in a very pragmatic period these days. Not so long ago, that decadance and frivolousness were all part of the fashion scene - there was no such thing as too overpriced or too outrageous. - you could only be accused of being too lacklustre. It’s different today though : the fashion labels and fashion catwalks are getting bad publicity. And since everyone’s mindful of globalisation, even affordable fashion labels are getting bad publicity for utilizing sweatshops to develop their garments! So what’s going wrong? Why is it that people turning against fashion brands like this?
Not at all. People need fashion, and forever will. It is engrained in our minds to spot new styles! In point of fact, looking online there is ample competition between online store retailers (e.g. looking for gold evening bags) - a sign there is still a great need for fashion. It’s the old way we saw that is dying - being told what’s now chic by the established brands. In reality, fashion has always looked at the public rather than the other way around, and nowadays many factors are turning us off big brands. Firstly, people are now very much more mindful of globalization, and showing off your fashion labels can give the impression you are selfish and thoughtless in many peer groups nowadays. Second, it’s the economy, stupid! Fashion has invariably been seen as something of a luxury, not an essential. In a recession, non-essential items get hit the hardest. Finally, individuals express themselves a lot more individually nowadays - peer groups are more tightly knit, there’s no big “tribe” to fit in to or assimilate their thoughts, and fashion needs that kind of groupthink to trade in large amounts.
What is the future for the fashion industry? As ever, they need to change to exist - create a broader range of fashion lines to cater to more corners of the market. If you’re a tiny shop selling individual clothing at a cheap price, you have a strong business model despite the depressing economic months we are experiencing. These days, people are fusing their styles, purchasing from markets and smaller, bargain-priced fashion stores.