Has Covid-19 infected already fashion industry?

The past three months of this 2020 have had big ups and downs, starting with the conflict between the U.S. and Irak, followed by the climate change crisis where Greta Thunberg raised her voice to awake the population of this unreversed problem. And then suddenly a virus escaped from Wuhan and flew all over China, followed by South Korea and so on, until it made it to America, and now all industries are being affected by this pandemic virus.

Nowadays we are used to be around global markets, we can make orders from any country and have it delivered to the comfort of our home or work unfortunately we are facing a major crisis. As a consequence of the virus, many industries are shutting down or just paralyzed such as the fashion industry.

Back in late January of 2020 fashion weeks were being performed in the fashion capitals like London, Paris, Madrid and New York, however, these runway shows were affected because of the spread of the virus, so many health measures were taken. Regardless that measures many fashion shows have been canceled or postponed such as Giorgio Armani, Versace, and Gucci.

In addition to fashion shows, numerous fashion weeks have also been canceled in Shangai, Melbourne, Beijing, Seoul, Moscow, and Tokyo. And the lasts news of canceled events of fashion is the Met Gala, early this week Anna Wintour confirmed that the gala would be postponed indefinitely:

“Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala will be postponed to a later date”.

On the other hand, the retailers and physical stores are being affected as well such as Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, GAP, Calvin Klein, Chico’s, DSW (Designer Shows Warehouse), Macy’s, J.C. Penny, Old Navy, Urban Outfitters, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue. However, some stores will adjust their hours of service like Target, Kohl’s, Walmart and Giant Eagle. Despite those efforts online shopping is being affected as well, considering that most of the online services are based in China, only 9% of the population acquire its goods on the internet (when it comes to clothing).

So, what can we expect for fashion? According to the Business of Fashion, the fashion industry could lose over 30-40 billion Euros in sales, being the biggest outbreak for the industry in the last five years. In addition to this global meltdown, more losses are expected for fashion because the mayor consumer of luxury markets and fashion retailers are Chinese.

According to the World O Meter, over 230,542 Covid-19 cases had been detected with over 9,390 deaths and 86,256 recovered cases being China the leading country of cases.

Although this may be a pandemic virus, many fashion icons are looking for useful solutions to help their communities like the Italian influencer Chiara Ferragni and husband Fedez, who launched a fund-raiser called GoFundMe to donate money and resources to Italian hospitals and institutions.

The growing list of benefactors includes Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, who donated 1 million dollars to Canadian and U.S. organizations to provide food and medical attention to people in need.

Another major disruption in the fashion shows is the International Resort Shows of 2021, which were expected to take place in May. Now many design houses including Armani, Dior, Gucci, Hermès, Max Mara, Prada, Chanel, and Versace. Ralph Lauren and Burberry postponed their fashion shows of fall 2020.

Certainly, the cruise or resort season is one of fashion’s most lucrative shows and ambitions, but most of all commercial because it gathers editor, influencers and the most influential people of the world. These shows were plan to take place in May and due to the coronavirus, numerous brands have canceled their cruise shows such as Gucci, Prada, and Burberry.

Overall, the global virus has scared and infected more than humans, has reached various industries like fashion. All we can do is take care of ourselves and take a moment to reflect on what’s happening around the globe and how we can improve our health measures.

In the end, we’re expecting a global paralyze on the markets and our daily activities. A solution to this problem? Patience and recognition of our vulnerability towards the coronavirus. What about fashion? Many brands and fashion icons are starting virtual showcases, such as conferences and fund-raisers.

Regardless of these actions, our future is uncertain, all we can do is wait and help others around us to prevent the virus to spread.