The global pandemic, and in turn, the lockdown that followed it, has stunted the development of many different industries and disciplines. Theatres have shutdown, sports have paused, and retailers have closed their doors. However, despite that, fashion has made a valiant attempt to march on. With London Fashion week still going ahead back in April, albeit online only, it demonstrated a keen desire for fashion to remain essential and part of the cultural future.
Loungewear
Although, after weeks and now months of living in loungewear and pyjamas, fashion appears to have fallen out of favour, or perhaps more accurately, conventional fashion has fallen. These days, the emphasis has appeared to have shifted to focus on more comfort-orientated looks, with many online influencers and designers, such as Kylie Jenner, taking inspiration from their situation, ditching their suits and dresses, and instead investing in loungewear. They’re not alone, according to Love The Sales, a website that aggregates sale items from 850 retailers, online demand for loungewear has soared 322%, with this April being the best month for online retailers in years. After getting so used to loungewear during this time, society could drift in favour of this style in the long term. A popular Highstreet retailer that’s seen a spike in loungewear sales is John Lewis, with many people utilizing John Lewis discount codes online to get a better deal on their products.
However, on the contrary, there does appear to be a social and vocal effort to still dress up despite the situation, as various hashtags and campaigns have sprouted with the intent of getting people dressed, and more importantly, to show off their looks. This again, suggests that there is a desire for people to dress up, and could mean that we may see an explosion of people expressing themselves in interesting ways, as people look forward to returning to normality.
Accessories
An interesting development is that over this time, many luxury companies have noticed that consumers are more frequently buying what’s known as forever pieces. These are items that are intended to last for a long time and include jewellery and handbags. This may be because people are shopping for stuff that is versatile for not just today but also much into the future. It’s believed that these pieces are investments to feel more hopeful and are something to look forward to wearing out and about, suggesting that people are already planning and looking forward to a life beyond this pandemic.
Facemasks
A fashion trend that’s definitely going to stay long beyond lockdown is lifted is the customization of facemasks. With them poised to be an essential part of life for the foreseeable future, maybe retailers and brands are turning them into accessory pieces. This makes sense to do, as with them being on the face, they can be turned into memorable and impacting garments. This could be a public benefit as making them fashionable items can encourage greater use of them, which could help contain the spread of the virus. There truly is a facemask to match any outfit or personality, and it’s only a matter of time if it hasn’t happened already, for them to become a massive accessory in the same way handbags and earrings are.
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