Are shops for the chop?

Well, probably not Hermes’ Guangzhou flagship store which apparently collected $2.7 million in sales in the first day it re-opened after lockdown ended. But not every store is selling luxury to newly-minted millionaires anxious to advertise their wealth via social media. Most shops are closed, their windows emptied, their staff furloughed, their future more uncertain than at any time in the last hundred years. So, what will happen when we emerge from lockdown? Will we pick up where we left off or head in a new direction?

Let me begin with a disclaimer. I’m very sceptical of ‘experts’ who predict the future so I’m not going to try. However, I do think that there are some trends which have probably been accelerated by the lockdown. The most obvious is online buying and home delivery whether it is groceries, takeaways, or fashion. People complain about having to wait in online queues to access a website or two weeks for a grocery delivery slot but overall the retailers and delivery firms have done an extraordinary job in difficult circumstances and will only get better with each week of lockdown.

Second, my sense is that people have continued to buy fashion online but are being more selective about what they buy, partly because they are being more careful with money, and partly because they are starting to realise that they don’t need to feel pressured into buying items from every collection.

Third, it is possible that with more time to reflect on their buying habits, people may move away from ‘fast fashion’, buying low cost clothes with the intention of only wearing them once or twice before discarding them. I would like to think so as many such clothes are manufactured from environmentally unfriendly synthetics materials using poorly paid workforces. However, if consumers do move towards fewer, better-made, more expensive but longer-lasting garments, it will negatively affect many of the high street retail chains.

Lastly, I have found this period of enforced confinement very helpful in allowing me time to pursue other projects, reflect on what is important, and not feel guilty about spending the entire day in casual clothes and make-up free.  I’m sure some of you must feel the same and while I am certain that as soon as lockdown is ended, there will be queues outside hairdressers and nail salons, I also think that women will have more confidence to be themselves.

Overall, I think that we are going to see many shops close after the lockdown ends with the fashion brands having to re-think the way that they make, promote, and sell their products. Fashion is going to change as a result of the lockdown and in a future article I will give you my thoughts on how it could change for the better.