Praying for a fashionable reboot?

The pandemic has hit nearly every sector hard but it is the fashion industry that seems to have suffered the hardest knocks.

Adapt or die. As much as it sounds like the oldest cliché to utter when adversity strikes, as far as the fashion industry is concerned, this is now the gospel truth it must clutch to if it has to survive the third wave of a pandemic that now seems relentless.

The pandemic has reset priorities and needless to say, fashionable clothing has been the last thing on everyone’s minds. Little surprise then that an industry that’s all about feeling good, luxury and indulgence was too stunned to react; it spent much of the first year of the pandemic in a state of shock. As the second year dawned and the multi-billion dollar industry faced its nonplussed consumers and financial backers, it became clear that a total thinking reboot was necessary. High-couture was shoved deep into the wardrobe and out came the athletic and leisurewear. Concepts like sustainability, pre-loved fashion and eco-wear did not remain mere words on paper — the wise among the fashion houses began to shift gears in earnest.

By the end of last year when the pandemic had receded a bit, the Lakme Fashion Week was seen as a frontrunner of an oft-discussed hybrid move — fashion weeks that are presented partly digitally and partly physically with the right blend of technology and sustainability. The show highlighted the ‘new normal’ vibe of fashion: easy wear and unisex clothing and simple patterns.

With the third wave threatening to disrupt everything yet again, it remains to be seen whether the industry will go back to noddy land or wake up and put on its freshly woven sustainability hat. In this context, DHoS spoke to a range of new-age fashion entrepreneurs to understand how they dealt (and are dealing) with the upheavals the pandemic has caused and what they think is the way forward

Waist-up fashion

“Since we are a retail store, we had to be more digital. We created online catalogues where our clients could ‘shop from home’. We focused on creating great product imagery, shoppable features that could be showcased on Instagram, and an optimised WhatsApp business account. It was certain that keeping up with the changing times was the new normal,” begins Neha Arora, founder of an independent jewellery label.

Arora further avers that since everyone was sitting at home, the focus was on waist-up fashion. “Being able to help our consumers strike a smart and confident look during Zoom calls was our focus. There was added demand for minimal everyday wear jewellery, hence we focused on creating such a line. And I believe earrings and a pair of necklace makes you feel confident and dressed at the same time. We created clean elements in plain designs that would ideally go with the bold solid colours of your blazers and shirts. We focused on jewellery that weighed nothing, made a statement, and fit well underneath your headphones.”

Designs that can multi-task

“The fashion industry is extremely labour intensive and that is something that got deeply affected by Covid. Due to the lack of labour and manpower, there was a direct impact on the kind of designs and styles that a label can work on and the pandemic forced many designers to think out of the box to keep their businesses running. It required coming up with ideas, unique designs, and learning to work distantly versus the traditional way of working,” says actress-cum-celebrity designer and founder of a fashion label Krishi Thapanda.

Nikitha, co-founder says: “We thought this was the time to offer people designs that could multi-task instead of the same options that are out there. For instance, designs, makes and cuts that can be styled in three different ways and would really help in the purchasing decision of a consumer.”

Athleisure it is

In keeping with the need of the hour, Malika Mehta, co-founder of a boutique label, states that the pandemic reset the brand’s focus on providing optimal value to customers in terms of product design, quality, fit, packaging, and free merchandise. “We also tapped in on opportunity products and launched a one-of-a-kind Athleisure line — a blend of athletic wear and casual wear — that is so much in demand in the present lifestyle scenario. We adapted and became highly agile to seamlessly cater to customers at all touchpoints; because, ultimately, fashion is all about customer satisfaction.”

Thinking along similar lines was Karam Puri, another fashion entrepreneur, who maintains that the pandemic served as an eye-opener to a truth the industry should have seen before — the future of fashion is sustainability combined with comfort. “I felt that the pandemic created a need for clothing which was snug enough for lounging at home and formal enough for a Zoom meeting. Hence, we came up with the concept of ‘Sleep to Street’ and offered versatile clothing that could be worn out, but was also comfortable enough to sleep in. Going forward, we believe fashion will serve clothing, which has an aspect of duality to it; comfort and style will remain the keywords.”

Surviving the never-ending waves of the pandemic is all about ideating, and working around innovations to create outfits that resonate with the sentiments of people across the domain. “We decided to take things one day at a time. Our first concern was to make sure our karigars don’t run out of livelihood. We took that time to sit and ideate and create outfits with a whole new mindset. First, we decided to sell out all the existing stuff in order to generate the revenue to pay our workers. Shipments were banned so we would take orders in advance and manage the production line accordingly. Then, we started creating outfits that are more versatile and suit any occasion or intimate meets with friends and family once the restrictions are eased a little. Our next strategy was to cater to personalised needs in terms of colour, texture, embroidery and embellishment in order to hold the existing clientele and just survive through the pandemic,” say Avi and Shrapi Sanghvi, founders of a Western wear brand.

Look, stop and think

For designer brands, it’s really important to stop and look at what they are doing, and own what it means to be really sustainable, believes Mansi Gupta, founder of an ethnic wear brand. “The introduction of Hemp fabric is one of the initiatives we have taken and we are slowly changing other fabrics also into sustainable or reusable ones. Mul Mul is the next new fabric,” she says.

Enthusing how the three Rs — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle — is here to stay, Mansi believes that brands need to simplify the idea of sustainability by taking a holistic approach and offering an environment of good fashion. “While staying true to the basic principles of recycling, our focus is on curating new and unique handmade designs for consumers and presenting it to them in an easy-to-adapt format.”

“We’ve always been India-centric with our designs and our overall business approach towards the brand. During the initial days of the pandemic, we launched our face mask range made of Maheshwari handloom fabrics with a mission to keep the craft of handweaving alive in the town of Maheshwar. And now, with the #SaveTheCraft T-Shirt, our objective is to embrace traditional artforms in contemporary ways. We wanted to make it cool and hip to wear something with an essence of the rich heritage of India,” says well-known designer Krsnaa Mehta.