Reinventing Fashion Industry to Sustain Itself During Covid-19

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic that triggered lockdowns across the world from early 2020 hit the global economy adversely and one of its worst victims was the fashion industry. Lockdowns disrupted normal business activities and barring essentials, and many commercial engagements came to a grinding halt.Brands had two options – transform or perish. They chose the former. Their common and immediate goal was to accept the new reality, respond to it effectively for survival, and devise strategies to reclaim the lost ground.The pandemic had pressed the “reset button” for fashion brands. But, it also gave time to introspect to a sector that was always in the rush to beat its own creation. It was the time to reinvent and re-brand. This transformation was inevitable to survive devastations caused by the pandemic that threatened the very existence of the industry.It was evident in some of the reactions. Due to lockdowns, businesses in general halted and the first casualty was advertising and PR spend. The advertising budgets were ruthlessly slashed by brands for print media – newspapers and magazines, followed by out-of-home/billboards, radio, and TV, according to industry reports. Therefore, the fashion industry that is based primarily on branding and storytelling struggled to stay visible as the pandemic and imminent lockdowns not only separated people from other people but also brought forced distancing between brands and their audiences. While digital advertising budgets were also slashed, several opportunities for brand communications in digital media emerged such as Instagram Reels, YouTube channels, and SnapChat.Across the globe, fashion and luxury brands turned their focus toward the manufacture of essential items to protect health professionals and those working to combat the novel coronavirus. The narrative in India was no different from the rest of the world. Fashion designers stood for the cause by communicating through their collections and digital campaigns and by designing products catering to the need of the hour. The fraternity proactively reached out to help and contribute financially to the migrants and craftsmen, from providing shelters to workers and craftspersons to donating percentage of sales to organizations working on the ground.This chapter will present to readers the “reinvented fashion sector with primary information from the Indian fashion sector” and details on its altruistic contributions, brand building initiatives. It will discuss how fashion brands attempted to stay relevant and how messaging was characterized by humane, ethical, and social overtones.KeywordsFashion designersReinventIndiaBrand outreachAltruismFashion Communication