With all that’s been going on since the pandemic started, the fashion industry has been affected a lot and in many ways. People from the industry have had to come up with new and creative ways in order to adapt themselves to the current crisis situation. It doesn’t come to a surprise if people even consider that with all the restrictions and limitations, this is the beginning of the end for the fashion industry. Usually justifying their statement by saying that the industry is “overly saturated”, that fashion shows are being cancelled, that controversy around fast fashion keeps on growing, etc. Which isn’t completely true. There are still many reasons that show potential hope for fashion and why we still need it in our everyday lives.
As lockdowns have been imposed all over the world, people have come to find themselves stuck at home. In a way, the world has come to a pause – most people lives have been slowed down. Inevitably, with this comes more time of reflection; a period where many are left to face their own self, to reflect and evaluate their past actions to see if whether or not, they are in line with their goals, beliefs and values, etc. Designers have also been through this transformative period just like anyone else. What we now see is that some brands are looking into making decisions or creating designs that are much more authentic. In this period of time, many feel that it is more important than ever to be truthful, authentic and ethical. Especially because the pandemic has enabled many to find themselves thanks to the time they spend on their own; we know more about what we thrive for and what we vision for our future. Not only that but people seem to cherish more what they truly need such as human connection, family and so much more – which is overall what our core happiness consists of. The approach that consumers now have towards fashion has also changed. We want to be more mindful of our consumption. Therefore, this feeling of wanting to be authentic has been expressed through various collections and designs. Designers have even brought us a breath of fresh air which is much needed through fresh, original and vivid designs. Contrary to what we could think, some have greatly been inspired by the space they spent their quarantine time in. In some fashion houses, we truly sense the optimism that comes out from experiencing this dark time in the history of humankind. Talking about creations, there has also been rise in the emergence of new designers during the pandemic. New young talents have found a way to share their creations by interacting with the online world. And that’s where we see the beauty of virtual interactions between people – people get to know each other, discover small businesses and support one another.
Yes, it’s definitely unfortunate not to be experiencing the fashion world like we were all used to but this shouldn’t stop us from being inspired to search for new opportunities and possibilities. The roaring 20s are the perfect definition of what we mean by : “there is always light at the end of a tunnel.” After the end of the war, the twenties was a decade of prosperity that was very much celebrated and reflected into fashion. Thinking about it, it always passionates me to see how fashion has been such a part of people’s expression back then – but also still is nowadays.
After all, we will always need fashion whether we’re fully conscious of it or not. As long as humans need to put clothes on, fashion will stay alive.
Thank you for reading,
Issa ♡
The Fashion Vitamin 