How Has COVID affected the Fashion Industry?

COVID has affected the fashion industry tremendously. While the industry itself was on a decline already, the pandemic made it come to a scary halt. March 12 was the day that came to mind of Irina Aleksander. That was the day that the world quite literally shut down. People were returning or cancelling orders and many stores were filing for bankruptcy. No one wanted to buy clothes anymore because they knew that they were going to be staying inside for a long time. Sales went down for so many companies that they couldn’t even afford to pay rent for their stores. Brands like J. Crew, Gap, or JC Penny we’re affected greatly by this. The fashion calendar as well as fashion week will never be the same. Designers will start making and releasing their own collections on their own time. They now realize that they can put out a Fall line in the Fall. They do not have to do it two seasons early. Brands that specialize in athleisure or lounge wear are doing exceptionally well during this time. Although clothing sales have rebounded, they are still nowhere near how they were in years past. I think we will see the effects that COVID had on the fashion industry for a long time.