The recession has given us all a fashion rethink. been well pointed out that the downturn in the economy has to a great extent impacted the fashion industry. Although downturns in the economy occur once every 15-20 years, this recent one we’re experiencing is going to have a prolonged effect on how we see fashion. We are living in a very practical period these days. Prior to these pragmatic days we’re now living in, we delighted in the decadance of fashion – nothing was outrageous or too pricy – you could only be accused of being too dreary. It’s different today though : the labels and fashion catwalks are receiving a bad press. And now that everybody’s conscious of globalization, even bargain-priced labels are copping bad publicity for utilizing sweatshops to manufacture their garments! What went wrong? Why are people turning against fashion brands ?

First of all, fashion isn’t dead. In point of fact, looking online there is strong rivalry between online store retail merchants (e.g. looking for wholesale fashion accessories or Accurist watches) – a signal there is still strong demand and supply. What’s dying out is the now traditional way we saw fashion – being told what’s now trendy by the established fashion labels. Fashion has always looked at our lifestyles rather than vice versa, and today many factors are stopping us buying from big brands. For a start, young people are now much more conscious of globalization, and flaunting your fashion labels makes you look egotistical and uncaring in many peer groups today. Secondly, it’s the economy, stupid! Style has invariably been seen as something of a luxury, not a necessity. In a recession, non-essential items get hit the hardest. Lastly, people express themselves much more individually these days -we don’t need to be told how to act or what to wear, there’s no big “tribe” to assimilate or fit in to, and fashion requires that sort of herd-like thinking to sell in numbers.

So what does this mean for the fashion industry? Like ever, they must change to exist – create a wider range of fashion lines to supply to more niches of the marketplace. If you’re a small store offering individual clothing at a cheap cost, you have a strong business model despite the grim economic days we are in. Nowadays, people are blending their styles, purchasing from markets and more personal, low-priced fashion shops.