What does the Fashion Industry have in store after Quarantine?

Although we all are figuratively dying to know when quarantine will end, the big question remains as a fashion enthusiast: what does the fashion industry have in store after quarantine? Is there going to be any drastic changes? Will this even still remain a multi-billion dollar industry? Although I don’t oversee the fashion industry as a whole, I have done careful analysis and observations to come to these various conclusions

Already, the majority of retail stores are keeping their e-commerce sites available for retail therapy. They even allow for international shipping! This includes places like BooHoo, an affordable clothing retailer, and Suspicious Antwerp, a popular streetwear brand among A-list celebrities. With all of this being available to us, it allows for these stores to easily cycle out of their Spring collection and dive into whatever they have for the summer. Or will there be no summer inventory? Additionally, many stores are phasing in an “in store pick-up” right to people’s cars to eliminate multiple hands going through merchandise. Perhaps this will keep the industry running, just on different standards even after quarantine.

In terms of what I’m seeing so far, the “trendy” clothes are definitely going to be popular, by the time quarantine ends. That being said, people often use clothes for the purpose of “being seen” and will ease out of the everyday sweatshirt and sweatpants for work. Although it is hard to pinpoint what patterns and looks will be hot for the summer, we certainly can expect people to want to “dress up” and be seen in clothes that make them memorable and presentable. In a way, I’m looking forward to this–as a fashionista, I really do encourage everyone to dress up whenever they get an opportunity. Although comfort is a great thing to have, I always value the “Look good, feel good” mentality.

Additionally, post-quarantine times will have the fashion magazines up-and-running again, and there will likely be an increase in subscribers–as more people value the trendy clothes when they’re planning on being out and seeing people. With that being said, I could only imagine the amount of chaos the fashion journalists are about to face once we’re allowed to step outside again.

The last aspect that we can predict for the general fashion industry when quarantine ends, is the likelihood that people will get comfortable with the usage of online retail therapy. Although this has been predicted for years, perhaps we’ll really see a shift from browsing in store, to fully online unless you’re a tourist or you are insistent upon seeing merchandise in person. The fashion industry is definitely going to remain a multi-billion dollar industry, as everyone needs clothes–but the times are changing in such a way where it’s minimized interaction with retail associates and it gets delivered right to the customer.