COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2, better known as the novel coronavirus, is on everyone’s mind lately. With over 3,000 deaths worldwide and the number of confirmed cases in the five digits, this disease has become a public health emergency almost beyond control. Besides its country of origin, China, it has shown up in South Korea, Italy, Iran, and Japan. More and more cases are confirmed each day. Now authorities are reporting community spread in most nations, meaning that patients became infected with the disease but the source is unknown. Worldwide, everything from agriculture to retail to the service industry has been negatively affected by coronavirus. Unsurprisingly, the fashion industry has also been severely impacted.
Chinese consumers make up a large portion of global spending on luxury goods, but since many of them are currently under quarantine and restricted from traveling to other countries, many brands in the sector are feeling the brunt of the impact. In addition to this, many brands have taken the proactive step of closing the majority of their physical locations in China to prevent further spread of disease. While online shopping could make up for the lack of physical stores, brands still forecast a major decline in total sales this year. Furthermore, many products from these brands are produced in China, but factory workers are either choosing to stay home or are sent home involuntarily from their workplaces, which has led to a major disruption in the supply chain. This dependence on one geographical area has made fashion more cost-effective, but the virulent illness has demonstrated fashion’s vulnerability to serious issues roiling the country. Since brands operate on a seasonal basis and sometimes rely on one factory for production, there will most likely be significant delays with the rollout of items over the next few months. There are rumors that some brands may have to reschedule their event calendar entirely due to the unpredictability of the coronavirus. Capital-F fashion brands are not the only ones who have a lot to lose; sportswear companies and makers of uniforms for the service industry will no longer be able to offer additional products since manufacturing has stopped in its tracks.
Luxury labels also hold seasonal fashion shows to display their latest wares, but a number of these were postponed or cancelled entirely due to the sudden outbreak. Events in Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul were cancelled and the runways in Milan and Paris were not the same with designers pulling out or holding private, isolated events. Nonetheless, several events such as Kanye West’s Paris Sunday Service and Yeezy Season 8, Miuccia Prada’s announcement that Raf Simons was joining Prada, unveiling of Ermenegildo Zegna and Fear of God collaboration, and other runway shows (Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Sacai) went ahead as planned. Seeing models and influencers in face masks, the ubiquity of hand sanitizer, and fashion insiders not exchanging hugs and kisses or shaking hands gives one the feeling that this is a rocky start to the rest of the year and something with long-lasting effects. Some events continued business as usual, though one hopes they do not regret their decisions later on. Better safe than sorry. Always remember to wash your hands!
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