COVID-19 is the topic on everyone’s minds and unequivocally changing the nature of our lives.
As the government lockdown puts further strain on our struggling high-street – Laura Ashley, already on a knife edge, went into administration just days into the pandemic. The fashion industry faced a new cold hard truth, as put by Next’s chief executive Simon Wolfson: “People don’t buy a new outfit to stay at home”.
In this final instalment of our three-part series, we take a closer look at how COVID-19 has impacted the fashion industry.
Windsor High Street
Rise in internet usage
Vodafone, who provides phones to 21% of the UK’s mobile users, reported a 50% rise in internet usage in the last week. With more time at home, people are spending an increased amount of time scrolling through social media (more on that later). A contact of ours at a major UK publishing house told us “We’ve been seeing big spikes in traffic in the last few weeks but people aren’t looking for trend driven pieces like they would normally at this time of year for example ‘Spring fashion’ it’s far more loungewear, pyjamas and then on the flipside sportswear.” So, Simon Wolfson, it appears people do shop to stay at home. A glance online and in print shows a plethora of work from home fashion advice alongside recommendations for best trainers etc. for running / walking during our daily hour exercise.
There is no doubt though that sales have dropped despite online time going up. Jonathan Cheng, partner at Bain & Company, a global consultancy firm predicts clothing sales will follow a ‘dip and rebound’ pattern in the aftermath of this crisis, as shoppers will wait until they feel safe to shop again as they did before and will then start spending at a higher level than before. Much like we found in January once news of Brexit was officially confirmed and brands and consumers alike knew where they stood.
Print media
That’s not to say that print media isn’t equally as important at this time. But, it does mean we are taking a slightly different approach.
The nationwide lockdown has meant many publications are cancelling shoots. Fashion journalists and editors are looking for additional content and are more open than ever to using brand photography. The current climate means thinking creatively about what this means for our clients and how we ensure results.
Whilst clients may worry about how self-isolation will impact readership figures, we are targeting those publications which have the highest reach by evaluating the strength of each title’s paid subscription figures.
In terms of lifestyle publications, Good Housekeeping dominates with over 50% of its total circulation coming via paid subscribers (192,015). Red and fashion bible Vogue follow closely, with 50% of total circulation coming from paid subscribers.
On the national newspapers, The Sunday Telegraph boasts an incredible 80% subscriber rate, with the Daily Telegraph following close behind. The other broadsheets (The Times, The Sunday Times and The Guardian) also have higher subscription rates than the other national newspapers. Whilst digital platforms may prove key, identifying key metrics such as this will help us get our clients in front of readers. During this time, looking out for our favourite newspaper or magazine to appear on the doorstep will be one of the small joys we look forward to!
Social media and influencers
Influencer agency Obviously recorded a 76% increase on daily accumulated likes on Instagram in the first week of lockdown alone. However, in such times, a NewsCred report suggested that consumers are turning to their favourite brands to deliver content which shows is sensitive and considerate of the time, stepping away from pushing product.
Brands need to ensure they are altering their messaging on social media, something we are handling with extreme care for our clients. Ariat, for example, has steered away from a pure product focus to provide light-hearted, fun content that also engages with their followers which has been extremely well-received.
“We’ve seen a huge spike in engagement the last few weeks. Far more people are wanting to engage with us than before and with the content we are putting out, our customers are realising there is a person behind each post and I think this has really helped emphasise the true community we have with our followers” said Cher Wilnecker, who manages Ariat Europe’s social channels. “Engagement has consistently been strong with almost 100% of our posts performing well. I am now spending more time than ever responding to each and every comment, which has been super effective and encourages even more people to get involved”.
Social media influencers are key for our clients now. What is perhaps even more vital than before, is working with influencers on partnerships that truly are authentic and long-lasting. Influencers are continuing to be as active on social media and will still be looking to create content for brands to keep up engagement on their channels.
Alternative events and media engagement
With a string of event and trip cancellations, we are re-thinking our PR approach to launches. Already successfully piloted by other brands. Just last week, Marks and Spencer launched its Spring/Summer 20 collection solely through social media. The British Fashion Council is also allegedly looking at ways it could digitise Men’s Fashion Week in the coming months, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
The art of getting this right, can’t be undervalued. The upside of running these types of events online presents benefits such as the potential to reach a global audience, one spending more time online than ever before.
In lieu of our usual breakfasts, we have been hosting video calls with journalists – to great success. We still get crucial face time to build relationships – paramount to excellent coverage – and ensures we are getting our clients new and upcoming products in front of key journalists.
It’s about having a plan B right through to Z. With many of our events, although pushed back to later in year, a big question mark still hands over whether these will go ahead. To reassure our clients, we have been busy working up creative ideas to caveat these changes from virtual tours of factories and HQ’s to creating social media campaigns for new launches.
Consumer buying habits
Geoff Cooper, men’s fashion columnist at Evening Standard, told us “Being forced to stay home will impact people’s mental health – we can’t go outside and some of us are isolated from our friends and family. We can’t underestimate the value of retail therapy and although people aren’t spending money on fashion right now, once we are out of this crisis, people will want to feel and look good. People will be looking to add key staples to their closets. After a crisis such as this one, people want to show up looking their absolute best.”
Online media and publications are more crucial than ever before; journalist’s will still be looking for content to fill their articles and galleries and it’s our job to ensure we are still fulfilling this need better than we ever have been before. It is vital we are working to ensure we are driving more eyes on our brand’s products during this time.
So, it seems, now is the time to offer escapism and inspiration.
Rise of the new wave
Sadly, many reports confirm that a number of buyers in China and Bangladesh, have cancelled orders or refused to pay for raw materials. As a result of this, 58% of factories in these regions are reportedly having to shut down most or all operations. Whilst governing bodies are calling on buyers to respect the terms of purchasing contracts there is a significant drop in demand for clothing and fashion. Will this period of lockdown force people to think about their materialistic needs and does this leave space for quality, sustainable brands to fill? Will this call into question the future of the fast-fashion industry?
Interestingly, we’ve seen a number of publishing houses lean towards supporting smaller, independent brands – our contact confirmed this saying “We are creating more content focusing on [these] brands who might been support in the current climate and that has had a really positive reaction on our social media channels”.
Geoff Cooper, men’s fashion columnist at the Evening Standard, told us “When this is all over, it’s not going to be about excess – it’s going to be about buying smart. People will be thinking do I need this; do I want this?’. Once we’re out of lockdown, I think this mantra will dominate many customer’s thinking. Excess is over, and need is in. People will be thinking about the clothes they can afford but also make them feel cool and great about themselves”. This is positive news for many of our brands, whose common thread is a focus on quality and performance to create pieces you invest in, but are still affordable, and want to keep for a prolonged period of time.
Are there any particular garments or trends that will prove popular following this crisis? Geoff thinks accessories will be the area taking the industry by storm: “Stylistically speaking, I envisage this being a key thing people will be looking for when we come out of this – accessories are versatile and can be paired with simple white tees and joggers and still look really good”.
Positive change – for good?
The fashion industry is often the subject of much criticism. Whether that’s for being too exclusive, materialistic or a key global polluter (or all of the above), the reaction of many brand’s, despite the fact they are struggling to stay afloat, to the current crisis has been overwhelmingly positive, generous and refreshing to see. The industry has been rallying in the face of coronavirus and coincidently, is showing signs of positive change.
In the heavily affected regions of Northern Italy, luxury fashion houses Gucci and Giorgio Armani donated millions of euros to support the production of respirators and hospital wings, with the former promising to produce and donate 1.1 million masks and medical overalls to local hospitals.
HJ Hall Softop ® Socks
It’s not just the household names that are weighing in either, a number of independent fashion brands are contributing to the fight against COVID-19. British online retailer Boden has collaborated with Helpforce, a charity which works to improve the lives of NHS staff and patients.
Meanwhile, Georgia Hardinge, another British label, is donating 50% of profits from the sale of one of its dresses to Age UK. We are pleased to say that one of our very own clients, HJ Hall Socks, is offering 15% discount to key workers.
This is just a very small sample of the amazing things fashion brands have been doing but it’s been great to see this industry, one usually chastised for its attitudes, lead the way in its corporate social responsibility policies during these uncertain and difficult times.
The rise of the small business fashion label?
It’s devastating to read the news daily of so many brands folding but the evidence across social media is proving that consumers are interested more than ever in smaller, more artisan brands. We really hope the government initiatives put in place to support these small businesses pay off as we firmly believe if they can ride the storm they will be set for more demand than ever.
We adore Red magazine’s initiative to showcase the best British small businesses to shop online on its Instagram feed and stories over the next few weeks.
With that we would like to offer our support to any small business fashion owner who has proven sustainable or artisan credentials and is suffering hardship in this difficult time. We are happy to offer 10 hours of consultancy and advice free of charge. Simply email us at fashion@littleredpr.co.uk
Whilst it looks like there are tough times ahead, we can’t help but think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel to a time when consumers and customers will be very much ready and prepared to buy again, just perhaps in a slightly more thoughtful way.
