Photo: Peter White/GettyImages
An open letter released online on Tuesday, May 12– and signed by a host of prominent designers, retail executives and CEOs from around the world– is getting in touch with the fashion market to make some huge, substantial modifications to its present calendar
DriesVan Noten — who, with LaneCrawford executive Andrew Keith, arranged the informal brainstorms that would cause this declaration– informed the NewYork Times: “When you try to explain how fashion works to people not in fashion, it’s impossible. Nobody can understand it.”
Current hold-ups on Fall 2020 shipments due to the continuous Covid-19 pandemic explained to the Belgian designer and to much of his associates that the method things had actually constantly been done just wasn’t going to suffice any longer. He informed the Times, for instance: If his autumnal collection shows up in shops in September versus July, would the costs be slashed simply 2 months later on in November, as they would be under more common scenarios?
TitledOpenLetter to the Fashion Industry, it starts: “Recently a group of us from across the global fashion industry, from CEOs to buyers and creative directors, came together in a series of conversations with a shared vision; to discuss ways in which our business needs to transform. We agreed that the current environment although challenging, presents an opportunity for a fundamental and welcome change that will simplify our businesses, making them more environmentally and socially sustainable and ultimately align them more closely with customers’ needs.”
The letter proposes moving the fall collections to provide from August through January and the spring collections to provide from February through July, to line up with the real seasons they represent. (As it presently stands, autumnal lines begin providing around July, spring lines around January.) Discounting would just occur at the very end of each duration– so, fall clothing would go on sale in January (versus November) and spring clothing would go on sale in July (versus May). It likewise contacts us to “increase sustainability throughout the supply chain and sales calendar” by decreasing unneeded item, waste of material stock and travel; plus, an evaluation of how brand names place on fashion reveals.
Current signatories consist of Acne Studios CEO MattiasMagnusson, JosephAltuzarra (and the CEO of his name label, Shira Sue Carmi), Bergdorf Goodman’s LindaFargo, ErdemMoralioglu, Gabriela Hearst, PeteNordstrom, PR Consulting’s Pierre Rougier, ToryBurch, DriesVan Noten president MatteoDe Rosa and Van Noten himself, amongst lots of others. (You can discover the complete list here)
“Working together, we hope these steps will allow our industry to become more responsible for our impact on our customers, on the planet and on the fashion community, and bring back the magic and creativity that has made fashion such an important part of our world,” it checks out, in closing.
You can check out the complete letter here
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