A Change of Seasons: Rethinking Fashion in the Post-Pandemic Era

Resort 2021 got canceled; it is a sign of the times. Not to mention unheard of. The industry is using the pandemic as an opportunity to rethink fashion's seasonal collections and reset its ways, declaring that its “normal was not normal to begin with.” But are we ready to abandon the Fashion Nova mentality of mindless wholesale and invest in a truly sustainable future?

“This pandemic has brought to light that fashion seasons are kind of nonsense,” says Emily Gordon-Smith, director of consumer product at Stylus, as suggestions for reducing the frequency of fashion weeks and runway shows to just two per year are gaining traction among industry insiders. On top of fueling wastefulness, producing multiple collections per year also boycotts the creativity of designers who invariably rush to meet deadlines instead of working on more innovative projects.

Marc Jacobs weighed in on the subject during his Zoom chat with Edward Enninful on Vogue Global Conversations.

"The amount of stuff we make and the quantity we make and the amount of time — it's just so excessive," Marc Jacobs revealed. "We've done everything to such excess that there is no consumer for all of it. And everyone is exhausted by it. No one really appreciates it. It's all become a chore, and it's a chore that's just a waste of time, energy, money, and material. I think that whole waste is taking the luxury and the creativity out of it."

With constant reform potentially out of the picture, the absence of pre-collections can fracture the whole operating system of a brand built on introducing numerous collections a year.

With fashion shows canceled, stores closed, and unsold inventory piling up, even the most fast-moving brands may have to pause and rethink. A strong, unmistakable brand identity could be the key, especially as trend forecasters predict a shift toward timeless, trendless collections driven by each label’s singular vision.

“Take Gucci and Prada, who have most recently been referencing their brand’s heritage and reinterpreting the past to create something new, such as Prada Sport. And then there are designers such as Christopher Kane, who are also evolving each collection as opposed to starting a new story each season,” explains Heather Gramston, head of Womenswear at Browns.

Overhauling a brand’s business model inevitably reshapes its workflow—for better or worse. Revenue may wobble, but the silver lining is the chance to invest more time in crafting better clothes. At its core, it’s quality over quantity.

The question is: are brands not just ready, but willing, to commit to such change once the COVID-19 craze fades? A shift that could preserve resources and, importantly, improve work-life balance across the fashion industry.