Break the Endless Circle

Everyone is shouting: “BBQs!!! Beach!!! Summer dresses!!!” But the fashion retailers answer: “Winter!!! No? Are you sure? Aw, that’s a shame!” An opinion piece by Stephan Huber

Does this sound familiar? The news continues to roll in. One of the dominant current issues is the pension reform. You would be forgiven to think: “Oh for Pete’s sake, isn’t this news from 1997? The problem was defined decades ago! Isn’t the solution crystal clear by now? Can’t somebody just do what’s required?” That does sound familiar, right? I agree whole heartedly! In August and September, the temperatures were high and the sun well and truly had its hat on. The sales of fashion retailers dropped significantly and the industry started vomiting - in the liter al sense of the term. In the same way that people, who are getting older than ever before, are not to blame for the crumbling pension system, the sum mer weather of August is not to blame for bad sales figures in the fashion industry.

The Human Psyche So what’s wrong with trying on a thick winter jacket in 30 degrees Celsius with a dripping stracciatella ice cream in hand? If you think about the human psyche, it quickly becomes clear that just about everything is wrong about it. The entire nation cheers that the summer has decided to return for a little while. Everyone is shouting: “BBQs!!! Beach!!! Summer dresses!!!” But the fashion retailers answer: “Winter!!! No? Are you sure? Aw, that’s a shame! See you mid-November at the sales?”

Problems Don’t Resolve Themselves This is old news, to be fair. By now, it feels like an endless circle - or a tragicomedy in which I could easily handle all supporting speaking parts. In summary: “The retail industry demands such early deliveries! What am I supposed to do?” vs “Those are the delivery dates that the industry imposes on me. What am I supposed to do?” As always, nobody is willing to take the blame for something that is making us all suffer. How can we escape this situ ation? Should we wait for snow in August? We’ll be waiting for a quite a while. Let’s take an unemotional look at the status quo. Problems don’t solve themselves, especially if you ignore them and pass them on to others. A sys tem-stabilising trend of people dying earlier is j ust as unlikely as an adaptation of consumption patterns to a seasonal rhythm. The latter simply isn’t suited to the life of - a conservatively esti mated - 95% of consumers. By the way, we are talking about consumers who have proven that they are quite willing to spend money. However, there is one explicit exception: fashion and clothing!

Fundamental Reorientation Pure symptom control does not result in long-term or lasting healing. What is needed is a fundamental reorientation. The consumer NEEDS to be at the centre of it. It NEEDS to focus on the individual and his or her needs. This may sound like a plati tude from a mediocre marketing seminar, but it is a point that one cannot emphasise often enough. Even although everyone always stresses that “it’s all about the people”, our reality is - consciously and/ or unconsciously - determined by the exact oppo site. So let me say it one more time with fervour. The reason that fashion has lost so much of its relevance is that it has lost its connection to the people! If you prefer a less melodramatic expla nation, one could argue that the fashion industry simply operates outside the realm of a vast majority of the consumers. THIS is the key factor in terms of declining cus tomer frequency and sales figures. If the demand seems inadequate, it may be time to rethink the supply. The driving force of the reorientation process can only be the product, i.e. the prod uct range. A future-oriented product range must be structured like an exciting, thought-provoking, and stimulating menu. It needs to include sea sonal highlights, regional references, surprising elements, and timeless classics. In terms of the fashion industry, this means that the range needs to consist of products that can easily escape the completely anachronistic laws of constantly repeat ed seasonality - and the associated disgraceful devaluation logic.

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