Fashion News | Has Fashion Got a New Calendar?
The fashion industry is working to a whole new diary – thanks to sustainability.
Traditional fashion weeks and collection launches are out. As the fashion industry’s biggest players realise that four (or more) fashion collections and launches a year is an unsustainable way to continue doing business, we’re seeing some of the biggest changes in fashion history.
This month, Michael Kors announced it was moving away from its usual four collections a year. Dropping to two, the Resort and Cruise seasons will be no more. Instead, the brand will stick to Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter only.
And this isn’t the only brand making a change.
In May this year, Gucci Creative Director, Alessandro Michele announced to Instagram that the continuous seasonal collections would come to an end. That Gucci would be doing something brand new to “regain a new cadence” with no more pre-collections.
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Before this, April saw an announcement from Saint Laurent stating that the brand would no longer be following a traditional two season per year format. The brand also dropped out of Spring/Summer 2021 fashion week in Paris due to COVID19. In a WWD interview, YSL Creative Director, Anthony Vaccarello discussed the classic fashion schedule of fashion weeks, questioning how relevant it is in our modern-day.
These decisions come after much debate in the industry over the last year or two about the sustainability of fashion weeks. With the fashion crowds flocking to Paris, London, Milan and New York season after season, the travel cost to the environment alone has become nothing other than outrageous.
A recent report on this found that the industry emits a massive 241,000 tonnes of CO2 a year – just from travelling to fashion weeks 4 times a year.
What difference will this make?
Well, firstly, it’s a step in the right direction. And a pretty big one. Designers and major brands have realised that forcing out so many new collections only exacerbates the need for more and new and NOW. An unsustainable way of thinking that has built the fashion industry into the second biggest polluter on the planet.
With less fast-fashion style collection launches throughout the year, there is less need to constantly replace and chase endless new trends. Will this work? Will this help to condition people to shop differently? To think about their purchases more as long-term investments. To turnover fewer clothes and waste less? Will the brands be able to make less and waste less too?
It remains to be seen. But it’s a positive move in the right direction towards a more sustainable industry.
What do you think?
Until next time…
