OP-ED: Back to live shows, back to reality? It's unlikely.
By Selena Wu
Back in March, the majority of the fashion community believed that we'd have a normal fashion month for SS21. We'd all written off the possibility of Men's/Resort holding any physical events but - whether we were optimistic or naïve - we really thought the trade side of the business would be having a normal fashion month at the minimum. It didn’t turn out that way, and it’s strange.
On the one hand, there are undoubtedly positives. It's an unprecedented opportunity for small brands to operate a full wholesale campaign this season. It's cheaper as everything is virtual, and if you don't have the opportunity to, we don't even need to decamp to Paris because very few buyers are travelling. It's been great for new brands to get in front of buyers, without all the usual expense. There is an unspoken rule that the first season is usually just a marketing exercise, and that you rarely pick up many stockists.
As a sales agent, it's been nice to sleep in my own bed. To not have to be travelling so much whilst also trying to be in constant communication with people. It's nice that it's not so manic. But on the other hand, there are all the worries. Buyers budgets have been cut. Many aren't looking to pick up any ‘newness’. Multi-brand retail is going through a rethink (as it always is these days), but this time no one seems to have an inkling of the answers to the problems the industry is facing.
Selling virtually is also a bit underwhelming, if I am honest. We try as hard as possible to make the garments come alive, to show you how they move, but it's not the same as being at a showroom. Buyers can't touch, can't walk around to see things from the angles they naturally want to. They can't play with the clothing. As a consumer, I'd want to touch something and try it on before I commit to buying – buyers would find it extraordinarily hard to commit a significant chunk of money to buy a new brand, new collection without seeing it in person; what if it's not as nice in person as it is on the screen? And we find it harder to read their faces, to figure out what they're feeling.
Though travelling can be draining, I miss networking, meeting new people, seeing new clothing in person and generally soaking up the atmosphere. To be able to talk frankly to contacts, brands, press and buyers, gather insights into big retailers and publications. All the things that are done in person that you wouldn't think of passing through an official channel. That's something that builds cohesiveness in our industry and many of us are missing out on that this season.
Many of us - or at least I am - are hoping that next fashion month will be far more physical.
However, the chance that by February we will have gone back to normal, never-mind Pre-Fall in January, is slight at best. If things continue in a direction that requires another virtual fashion month we will continue as we are. We will take care, we will do things virtually, we will avoid travelling and we will avoid meeting physically. We'll keep doing this for as long as we need to.
But each season that goes by without the physical shows and events, physical trade shows, showrooms and all of the things that make up a normal fashion week - the lack of the ability for the people of our industry to get together, to talk, to meet with new people, to refresh our relationships with those we only see twice a year, to have meetings between brands and buyers and press, weakens the whole network of relationships within the fashion industry. Something that won't be good for all the small innovative brands that really push the industry towards change, inclusiveness and sustainability.
Selena is a brand consultant working in fashion and adjacent industries. She works with brands to help them refine their image, develop their sales and marketing and elevate their direct-to-consumer strategies. She is passionate about sustainable business models and enjoys working closely with brand to realise the full commercial potential at all stages of growth. To get in touch with her, you can drop her a line at selena@moodconsultancy.co.uk or find her on Instagram @wu.selena