Artwork by Rachael Bennett from brand images via Instagram. Displaying current brands exhibiting creativity and craft Rotate, Pyer Moss, Khaite, Loewe, Christopher John Rodgers, Ffixxed Studios, Maggie Marilyn, Guage81_, Cecilie Bahnsen, Peter Do, Sandy Liang

“I don’t want to hear from one of my employees that they ‘like’ something, or that they made a decision because they ‘liked it’. This is a business it cannot be run on emotion”

Working as a branding and design consultant for multiple fashion companies I have been told by several CEO’s some form of this phrase. Not only do I believe this is the wrong direction for leadership, I advise companies to encourage their creatives from design to buying and marketing to bring emotion to their work and above all, follow their gut.

Undoubtably data has solidified its role in the business of fashion and will continue to be important to consumer insight going forward however, data has become a crutch to brand leaders cycling designers and buyers back to the well in a repetitious carousel encouraging teams to rely only on data from last year’s product and devaluing the creativity and genius that comes from the innate talent of individuals that were put in place to move the company forward. By removing emotion, I have seen designers’ creative process reduced to minimal updates on last-season’s best sellers, similarly buyers planning strategies diminished to purchasing only garments that appear similar to a successful product of the past. This results in haphazard collections that started with imagination and purpose reduced to little beyond meaningless stuff put on sale before it hits the market. This outdated train of thought has led designers to create collections of stale merchandise and brands spiraling toward loss of identity as they appear eerily similar to their competition across the aisle. It has also created a larger gap between the merchandise produced, based on last year’s items, and what the consumer will likely be shopping for nine to twelve months down the road when the product is available for purchase. It is the removal of emotion that has landed us in the “spiral to the bottom” that is the fashion scene of today.

I argue that emotion and gut feelings will allow for a new level of creativity unseen for several years and bring much needed newness and a fresh perspective to lure in consumers and drive purchases when we reach the back side of this pandemic. Newly found and unleashed creativity unencumbered by the rules of “LY” remain only one part of the pie with cultural relevancy and a return to craft and inclusion of sustainability all being additional keys to unlocking consumer acquisition and brand loyalty.

WWD reports Lilly Berelovich, president and chief creative officer of trend forecasting firm Fashion Snoops, expects that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak, fashion will embrace an “emotional maximalism.” She goes on to predict style that will endure having both practical elements of comfort while also embracing creativity.

“fashion will embrace an ‘emotional maximalism’”

— Lilly Berelovich, president and chief creative officer of trend forecasting firm Fashion Snoops

I agree with Berelovich that there will likely be a fractured path for consumer style trends. There will be some consumers very reluctant to give up those sweatpants after months of getting dressed from the neck up only. With this, there will likely remain a sector of consumers with strong and lasting love for loungewear styles.

On the other hand, there will be fashion lovers the world over eager to burn their leggings. Perhaps influencer, Man Repeller said it best, “R.I.P Athleisure”.

“R.I.P”is an over statement as leggings and athleisure are likely to both live on, however we should expect an updated approach to the look. For example, instead of a head-to-toe sweatsuit, leggings can be paired with a slouchy button down shirt and over-sized boyfriend jacket. Rather than sneakers, perhaps a slide or mule.

Fashionistas will hit the scene fast and hard eager for their first post-covid party or insta shot. Melissa Marra-Alvarez, curator of education and research at The Museum at FIT agrees as she told WWD “On the one hand, with many of us working from home in ‘comfy’ sweats, tracksuit bottoms” but at the same time she warns, “… When quarantine lifts, we could see people yearning to dress up again, and a strong move toward a return to maximalist glamour as a sartorial expression of liberation.”

Still others with a more conservative outcome will look for seasonless apparel and footwear with a timeless feel. Items with built-in flexibility that can be dressed up or dressed down.

Craft and sustainability are other drivers of purchase post quarantine. According to the EY Future Consumer Index around one-third (34%) of consumers polled in their post Covid-19 survey said they will pay more for local products, while 25% will pay more for trusted brands and 23% will pay more for ethical brands. Berelovich spoke to WWD on the topic, “Like we saw post-WWII, customers will desire items of quality that they’ll want to keep in their wardrobes and build upon. It’s a needed departure from disposable fashion as we shift towards more sustainable consumerism. The focus on the maker and their techniques and craft will emphasize the best reasons to buy into slightly higher ticket items in the seasons ahead.”

There is no doubt that the entire fashion process has been put into question, spurring the players into action and even coming together to write an Open Letter to the Fashion Industry. With this time to pause, there is real opportunity for change, to slow down and look inward before we drive forward. A moment to rethink everything from the pace of the calendar to the development process to presentations. With everyone working from home there is hope that teams are rethinking their approaches and seeking new sources of inspiration and returning with heightened creativity and passion for a better future.

#rewiringfashion

Rachael Bennett

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FUTURE OF DESIGN - Post Covid-19, Bring Back the Emotion, Bring Back the Craft