How Covid-19 has impacted the fashion industry

There’s no denying that the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to its radical effect on life as we know it, is also having a colossal impact on almost every aspect of industry.

While the public focus is on the unprecedented strain the disease is placing on health services, supermarkets, restaurants and the inconvenient adjustments to our daily routines – there’s another equally important industry that’s also experiencing the effects of this global health crisis.

Granted there are those who are quick to dismiss the fashion industry as frivolous and pretentious when compared to the frontline essential services battling to keep people alive and fed, there’s no discounting the fashion industry is one of the world’s most significant fiscal heavyweights.

Taking into account how the industry’s deterioration could see a serious impact on our local economy and the employment status of artists, designers, tailors and more – The Citizen tracked down three industry players to get their opinion of the pandemic’s effect on their businesses.

“If you consider this from a global perspective, this has already hit the overseas fashion industry extremely hard, and South Africa is still in for a tough knock,” said Thandana Bag Co. owners Carla and Stanton Ashton.

The pair says strict country lockdown requirements have given rise to business closures and has resulted in a major trend to drastically minimise business expenditure and consolidate overheads especially working capital, giving rise to more unemployment and joblessness.

Although there are currently no real figures on the local impact of Covid-19 on fashion, Bloomberg, a New York-based business and markets information agency, points to Bangladesh (one the major global fashion assembly lines) where about 1,089 garment factories have had orders worth roughly $1.5 billion cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Thandana Bag Co owners Carla and Stanton Ashton. Picture: Supplied

On their website, the Awaj Foundation, a grassroots labour rights NGO representing over 600,000 Bangladeshi textile workers, says scores of factories have shut down indefinitely with some workers given less than a month’s severance pay or nothing at all.

Awaj expresses their concern over the humanitarian crisis that will follow when these workers become infected and can’t afford medical care for Covid-19.

Given that the public health system in South Africa is in disarray and that many workers can’t afford medical insurance or private health care, the country could soon follow suit.

The Thandana Bag duo say they don’t think that anyone was quite prepared for this to happen the way it has panned out.

“Although being in the fashion industry, which is an ever-changing industry, has helped us to be more decisive in our decision making.

“This pandemic will certainly make us realign our business priorities and drastically change the way we look at providing and marketing our goods and services,” said the Ashtons.

Sharing the Ashtons’ sentiment, JJ Schoeman, one of South Africa’s top fashion designers since the ‘90s, says it is impossible to prepare for something like Covid-19.

JJ Schoeman, one of South Africa’s top fashion designers since the ‘90s. Picture: Supplied

“Luckily my 35 years’ experience has taught me that one has to have a little savings set aside for a rainy day. When we became aware of this situation, we focused on paying bills or any amounts due as quickly as possible but the pandemic scared prospective customers away and the trade dropped in a flash, affecting the turnover drastically,” Schoeman told The Citizen.

But it is not just the production line and overheads of the industry that the viral pandemic is taking its toll on. The disease and lockdown mean that organisers of fashion events and catwalk showings – which designers rely on heavily to market their seasonal lines – are also feeling the blow.

Jan Malan, a global and local fashion show producer, says his heart breaks for his sisters and brothers in the fashion design industry and that the disease is forcing a rethink of how fashion shows need to be presented.

“As it is, fashion designers have been struggling due to the adverse business climate. As for the show and event side of things, it’s devastating. We have been telling ourselves for years to explore other ways of presenting shows and events, now this happening has made it a reality.”

Malan admits that he and his peers have no choice but to find new ways of adapting.

Meanwhile, prominent showings such as Africa Fashion International (AFI) and South African Fashion Week (SAFW) are already going digital with their catwalks.

Jan Malan, a global and local fashion show producer. Picture: Supplied

AFI in March cancelled its third and final day of live presentations at Fashion Week Cape Town, issued refunds and streamed their remaining shows through social media outlets.

Following the AFI example, SAFW also announced that for the first time in 23 years it too will be taking its Spring/Summer 2020 runway shows online.

Although acknowledging the speedy efforts and necessity of going digital, Malan said: “There are no replacement for bringing people together in a space and giving them an audio-visual experience. This is something we are all still working around.”

As previous fashion marketing, sales and buying habits are expected to change with the global outbreak, some designers like Thandana Bag Co. are already promoting their online buying option and providing incentives for shoppers.

“We think in a time like this, an online store is the most essential survival tactic that any business can rely on. Still, the most challenging obstacle is not being able to give our online shoppers the instant gratification of receiving their online purchase, as soon as they placed it,” said Carla and Stanton Ashton.

However, not everyone has the benefit of the online option.

“The online space is an option and we have been exploring it, it is just really expensive to start and the upkeep is very time-consuming.

“We are still very much keen on this avenue, but we have explored other avenues where we will be offering the prestigious JJ Schoeman label at a more affordable price point to consumers, later this year,” Schoeman said.

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