Temperature Taking: Trends and Changing Consumer Behavior
In recent months, apparel sales shrank as consumers prioritized necessities and sheltered in place. Now that they are beginning to shop for fashion again, their needs and wants have been altered by their pandemic experiences.
Shoppers are looking more closely at sustainability, transparency and company values. The pandemic offers an opportunity for a fashion reset, allowing the business to change its model for the better.
Throughout COVID-19, we’ve seen women leaders in both business and government rising to the occasion with particularly effective strategies for handling the crisis.
Women are also disproportionately represented in the apparel business, comprising 80 percent of the 75 million-strong workforce.
In light of this, Carved in Blue is presenting a series of talks with women holding creative and business roles in denim to hear how they are navigating the pandemic.
During the fourth and final edition of Taking the Temperature on June 2, panelists from around the globe joined to share their thoughts on everything from a seasonless fashion system to the potential for on-demand production.
Here is some of what they had to say.
On the impact of remote work on the modern definition of denim:
“Denim is a great canvas that has this opportunity with soft denim, comfortable denim that we can both wear to work, after work and even leisure hours. The off-screen hours will be shaped now by comfort, simplicity and functionality, whereas now pieces worn on-screen will be the new means of self-expression,” said Gulfem Santos from Dibs on Blue.
On post-pandemic quality needs:
“After the pandemic, folks are washing and wearing their garments more than ever before….So I think that color retention is going to be a little bit more important because they’re going to look for that now,” said Debra Frederick, denim specialist formerly with VF/ Kontoor.
On what consumers will be buying:
“People are going back to buying products that are really essential, needed. Maybe because they changed their size, maybe because they wanted a new pair of jeans, also because their kids grew up. But it’s really something that is very much focused on actual needs,” said Maria Cristina Pavarini from Sportswear International.
On whether fashion can still sell:
“I don’t think fashion will go away, for the romance of it all and the individuality of it all…I think the fashion will still be there. The question is do we need so much of it turning around every month…The customer has already told us a long time ago, even before the pandemic, that they’re shopping differently. They’re not rushing to the shops every day to buy up an entire assortment. So we will have to really look at how much we want to put out there,” said Towanda Vaughns, global denim specialist.
On solving fashion’s unsold inventory problem:
“The most sustainable garment you can have is the one you already have in your wardrobe. So I think we just have to educate people and tell them that you have to buy less and buy better,” said Lucie Germser from Sphynx.
Watch the previous Taking the Temperature webinar here. And if you would like to participate in a future discussion, please message us.