Former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman says there could be positives for the fashion industry following the coronavirus pandemic – forcing it to pare down and stop ‘overproduction’.
The 62-year-old ex Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue also predicted a ‘boom’ in clothes sales after lockdown while appearing on Good Morning Britain today.
The retail industry has been hit hard by the government’s restrictions, with fashion brands forced to go online only after stores closed during the last week of March. Many are set to re-open their doors on June 15th, in line with the latest guidance announce by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Bank Holiday Monday.
The fashion guru said while the industry would struggle to regain its momentum; it could be a chance to deal with the long-running problem of ‘too many collections and brands’ being produced.
Overproduction of clothing and fabrics paired with unsold inventory can lead to excess waste with many eco-conscious consumers demanding more sustainable fashion.
Promoting her latest book ‘Clothes… and Other Things that Matter’, Shulman shed some light on the effect the coronavirus crisis is likely to have on the global fashion industry.
She said: ‘All industries are taking a huge hit and fashion as much as if not more than any, she told.
‘There are things happening in fashion, there is over production in fashion, too many collections, too many brands…
‘There was a big conversation going on beforehand and, what’s happening with coronavirus will have to make everyone cut back, so that maybe is a positive side.’
According to the 2019 Global Wellness Trends Report fashion is the world’s second worst offender when it comes to water pollution and is responsible for approximately 10 percent of all carbon emissions.
‘An estimated $500 billion value is lost every year due to clothing being barely worn and rarely recycled,’ The Business of Fashion reported last month.
Burberry faced public outrage in 2018 after it was reported the brand had destroyed more than £28 million in unwanted products in the space of a year in a bid to stop counterfeiters selling their goods to the on the ‘grey market’.
Grey markets are where goods are traded unofficially, without having been obtained from the manufacturer or without their consent.
Brands such as H&M, Nike and Louis Vuitton, have also destroyed excess merchandise in a bid to clear inventory without mark-downs.
Shulman, who recently started her first role since leaving British Vogue at Online fashion marketplace Atterley as a strategic advisor, went on to predict that the industry will see a ‘boom’ after lockdown.
She predicted that as everyone will want to celebrate seeing their loved ones in new clothes, adding that brands will still have to overcome loss in sales from throughout the pandemic.
She said: ‘I also think that when we get out of lockdown people will want to buy clothes and celebrate the fact that they can go out and see people so that will be a bit of a boom.
‘But there’s no pretending that this isn’t really difficult and brands will have to think about what are they going to do with the clothes people didn’t buy.’
Originally posted at Daily Mail
