Covid-19 forces a rethink in the fashion industry

Covid-19 forces a rethink in the fashion industry

Models on a runway during a fashion show. File

Gulf Today Report 

The pandemic has torn a multibillion-dollar bite out of the fabric of Europe's fashion industry, stopped runway shows and forced brands to show their designs digitally instead.

As the world gradually gears for some semblance of normality by the end of the year, the industry is asking what fashion would look like moving forward.

There are various answers, some think it will be a new ear for the Fashion Week format. Others think Asia will have a huge influence and many see brand tilting towards sustainable formats.

According to Gildas Minvielle, an economist at the Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris, "the impact of the pandemic will be unquestionably to increase the importance and influence of Asia on fashion.“

Asian buyers are still considered a largely untapped market, yet their wealth has recently tipped over that of Westerners. China, in particular, was already considered the worldwide engine of growth in the luxury industry before the pandemic. Its quicker containment of the virus will leave it in an even stronger position.

Another thing that the pandemic has pushed is the decision to forfeit the pace of runway calendar shows.

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