post- pandemic fashion

Post-Pandemic Fashion Trend Report Lena Rashed

Future Fashion

The world was hooked on baking banana bread and drinking frothy coffee, so it should be pretty obvious that there were many fashion trends as well. The pandemic has changed many things in our lives- somethings we hope to forget, while others we will keep with us for a long time and fashion is no exception.

This trend report is going to be looking at how the pandemic has affected the fashion world, diving into the ethical and psychological effects it has had on fashion and consumers. We will also have a look at the trends we predict to see again in the future due to the impact COVID-19 has had on the world.

Sustainable

The future of ethical fashion “Ethical fashion is garment design, production, and distribution that focuses on reducing harm to people and the planet.

In the most ideal sense, it benefits those working along the supply chain and creates a better future for everyone—not just for those at the top” (What Is Ethical Fashion? 2021)

Surprisingly the pandemic has had a positive effect on fashion. Fast fashion has decreased by 11% at the end of 2019/ beginning of 2020, due to the lockdown closing many stores the demand for products has and will continue to decrease.

Throughout 2020 more than 7 billion hours were spent online by consumers searching for sustainable, ethical, fair trade and eco friendly items. We can hope that this indicates a shift in fast fashion, but it is possible for there to just be a halt in production due to the pandemic.

How psychology effects our fashion tastes

As we are living in a time where many things are uncertain I was sure that my research would lead me to the conclusion that people were going dress in a way that would portray that uncertainty, instead they decided to remain confident and strong.

As the pandemic has changed our outlook on life it has also changed our fashion tastes. I believe that the way we think will not be the same again, we have been put into a situation like no other and there is no true way to know what the future holds

Psycholog y

The psychology behind what people wear can tell you a lot about them, from the colour to how it fits them and most of the time it all links back to confidence. When I looked into how clothes made us feel I was shocked to see that people were wearing bright bold colours during lockdown, colours that show confidence and strength opposed to colours that are calming and safe.

Colour psychology How colour influences our habits

Colour psychology is the study of colours linked to human behaviour, they are able to influence our taste in food and can trigger different emotions so it’s no surprise that colour can change our taste in clothes.

While people decorated their homes in calming neutral tones, dusty pinks and soothing greens/blues they allowed their emotions to shine through what they wore.

The top used colours for 2020 were tangerine, scarlet red, sherbet greens, pinks

and blues- this isn’t much different to the prediction made in 2019 with flame scarlet, saffron and blue.

The connotations of these colours are strength, confidence and calming providing the needed emotions to help in a time like this.

It is safe to say that even though the pandemic has left people feeling worried about the future they are still willing to cling to hope, in the form of fashion and colour.

Interview about the pandemic

Has the pandemic impacted your mental health?

Has your mindset on fashion changed during the pandemic?

It’s certainly be hard not seeing people as much and not having things to look forward to such as holidays or social events, however it has given me more time to analyse my own thoughts and actions, I’ve been able to put things into perspective better.

I’ve realised that I don’t need to buy as much, I’ve also had more time to browse for clothes so my decisions have not been on impulse as they used to be, this has also given me the time to shop for second hand clothes and the patience to wait for a piece to come up for sale.

Did your confidence change due to the pandemic?

A bit of both, I still think I need to dress up for certain situations but I have started to worry less about what others think. I’m more comfortable going out in sweats than I was before.

Did you follow any of the trends that happened in lockdown, and if so what?

I brought some new lounge wear but that was just to be comfy, I wasn’t really aware of trends as I wasn’t really looking for them as I wasn’t going out.

Did you work from home during lockdown?

Yes

Has the pandemic changed your fashion sense / style?

Yes, It has made me dress a lot more casually although I still really look forward to occasions when I can dress up. I’ve also got a lot more comfortable with a no makeup look.

Questionnaire statistics

Questionnaire statistics that were taken from 30 people. 3 of the most diverse answers were used to make the pie charts.

The questionnaire was about work and lounge wear during lockdown.

How the pandemic has affected future sales When lockdown was first announced in march, active wear sales increased by 32%. Many people swapped their work shoes for trainers as lockdown seemed like the perfect time to get in shape, after all there is only so much to do at home.

According to fashion historian Valerie Steele ‘seismic world events usually accelerate changes that were already occurring’ (How Lockdown Changed our Wardrobes and our Mindsets Forever - Fashion Capital, 2021).

Loungewear became the new work wear during lockdown as people had nowhere to go so they might as well be comfortable. Loungewear increased by almost 50% in March and April alone, it is pretty obvious that work/ formal wear decreased in fact it is estimated to be around 25%. As lounge wear became more popular so did consumer’s confidence, it could be said that there is a direct link between being comfortable in what we wear and how we feel about it.

Lockdown gave people the realisation that comfort is more important that how others look at us, people used to be more concerned with people’s opinion than how they felt themselves.

Future colour trends...

bold, warm, energetic, exudes confidence

reigned supreme on runways, confident, sociable

trending in 2019 and 2020 has no signs of slowing down, healing, quality

optimistic, vivacious, warm orangey-yellow

delicate/ feminine, sweet pale and dusky pinks, sophisticated

calming, soft, dependable

Trends that peaked in 2020 that will continue in the future

Oversized shirts- can be dressed up and down, perfect for all occasions, chicer than oversized hoodies and t-shirts Voluminous dresses- fitted dresses have been swapped for roomier ones, easy to style with accessories, has more comfort value Oversized Victorian sleeves- illusion of slimmer waistline, adds instant feminine touch Tie dye- growing since 2018 but peaked in march/ April, cheerful and easy diy at home Sweat suits- became the unofficial uniform of 2020, comfortable, cool Leggings- been around for many years, many different types; active, thin, thermal, promotes healthy lifestyle

Critical thinking For the first time in history, consumer behaviour patterns are very similar all over the world due to the mandated lockdowns. There have been many trends since the first lockdown in march 2020 and fashion is no stranger to the covid trends that has plagued the world. The point of the critical analysis is to discuss how the pandemic has created a new fashion consumer.

Ethical Due to lockdown, attitudes towards shopping has changed. Brands and consumers have had to adapt how they approach fashion as the current circumstances and mindsets are set to shift big trends. As many companies have had to close their doors to the public and take their products online, many people have lost their jobs or aren’t getting paid the full amount due to furlough .

I wanted to see what trend forecasting websites had to say about fashion in the pandemic, I found an article on LS: N global and the subheading caught my eye.

“With smaller brands struggling to stay afloat and larger brands left with stock but no demand, the pandemic could push fashion towards a post growth future” (Einy, 2021) Clothes are no longer being needed at such a fast pace meaning overconsumption and overproduction is much lower than before the crisis, a post growth world would be ethical, sustainable and eco-friendly. Financial burdens cause by layoffs or furloughs mean people don’t necessarily have enough money to splash the cash on some new clothes. As a result of this the sustainability of old clothes is held at a much higher level than before, the pandemic may be bad for the fashion world but when it comes to the ethical side of things it has never been better.

Psychology While researching about the psychology behind fashion choices I came across an article by psychologist world where they had an array of psychological surveys to see the true impact our clothing choices have on us. It is very clear that what we wear is directly linked to our emotions.

They say that the saying ‘dress to impress’ is very true and although they use it to refer to dating it is also easy to understand that the saying can relate to any event. We dress ourselves in a way that will give off the best first impression. What we wear can also indicate what our personalities are like, sometimes this can fall into stereotyping for example someone who always dresses in a professional way, we would automatically assume they hold themselves in a high regard or that they would rather seem professional than be comfortable. The same for loungewear, people who always wear joggers or hoodies are construed as lazy or unbothered by their appearance.

There is also colour psychology which is where certain colours can show different emotions, this is also true in fashion. People wear different coloured clothes to show others how they feel, however there are some slight differences between colours to do with emotion and fashion. An example of this is red- in emotional terms red can be seen as an angry colour but in fashion it is perceived as the colour of confidence. During lockdown I believed that more neutral tones would have been worn as they can be seen as calming, when in actual fact the colours that were trending during lockdown were red, orange and blue which have connotations of confidence, peace and energy.

Fashion trends: comfort over looks Loungewear became the new work wear in lockdown as people had nowhere to go so they should at least be comfortable at home. Loungewear sales increased by almost 50% in march/ April, people started to care more about how they felt in clothes instead of trying to impress others. It could be said that people started to gain confidence in how they dressed as they didn’t need to dress up, being stuck at home for many months allowed people to focus on the important things.

Some people still got dressed up during the day even if they didn’t have anything to do, this isn’t necessarily a link to lack of confidence it could just be a matter of productivity- people work better under certain circumstances.

References Jones, J., 2021. The Top 8 Colour Trends of 2020 That Pair Perfectly with Your Jeans. [online] Who What Wear UK. Available at: <https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/fashioncolor-trends-2020/slide35> [Accessed 10 February 2021].

The Good Trade. 2021. What Is Ethical Fashion? [online] Available at: <https://www. thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-ethical-fashion> [Accessed 11 February 2021].

Pure Wow. 2021. 12 of the Biggest Fashion Trends of 2020 (And 3 That Couldn’t Stand the Test of Time). [online] Available at: <https://www.purewow.com/fashion/biggestfashion-trends-of-the-year> [Accessed 11 February 2021].

Refinery29.com. 2021. Sweat suits Are the Anti-Fashion NYFW Trend We Should Have Expected. [online] Available at: <https://www.refinery29.com/engb/2020/09/10027969/nyfw-spring-2021-trends-sweatsuits> [Accessed 11 February 2021].

Chan, J., 2021. Colour Trend Report Spring Summer 2021. [online] Issuu. Available at: <https://issuu.com/josie_chan/docs/scad_spring2019_fash419_color_trend> [Accessed 11 February 2021].

Einy, R., 2021. Will Covid quell fashion’s ‘more is more’ mindset?. [online] Fashion | LS: N Global. Available at: <https://www.lsnglobal.com/fashion/article/25846/will-covidquell-fashion-s-more-is-more-mindset> [Accessed 9 February 2021].

Fashion Capital. 2021. How Lockdown Changed our Wardrobes and our Mindsets Forever - Fashion Capital. [online] Available at: <https://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/insights/how-lockdown-changed-our-wardrobes-and-our-mindsets-forever/> [Accessed 4 February 2021].

McClelland, M., 2021. How Covid Brought the Color - The Psychology of Fashion. [online] The Psychology of Fashion. Available at: <https://magazine.psykhefashion.com/ features/lockdown-fashion> [Accessed 7 February 2021].

Goodordering. 2021. Colour and emotions during Covid. [online] Available at: <https://goodordering.com/blogs/blog/colour-during-covid> [Accessed 7 February 2021