Globally, the fashion industry has undergone tremendous amounts of changes in the past couple of years. At a point in time, the world thought it had reached the peak of fashion accomplishments. Well, while peaks may appear on the fashion scale, they don't last forever. Fashion shows are still moving forward and driving beauty lovers crazy. Even if you don't have the zest for establishing a career in this industry, at least, you are still free to admire the happenings in the fashion industry. So here are the 10 top developments that changed the fashion industry.
- Brand awareness
The social media effect has not been left out of the fashion industry. Fashion consumers have a high need for attention, and with the rise of social media platforms, their prayers have been answered. Showcasing your fashion brand to the world is no longer a problem, thanks to the internet. As new fashion trends and products become available, they spread through the net like wildfire. In the past, fashion businesses had limited ways to market themselves. But since the birth of the internet, their story has changed significantly. They don't even have to utter a word before the world gets to see their products. Also, online e-commerce giants like Amazon provide conducive platforms for fashion companies to sell their products.
- Millennial impact
Millennials are a fancy name for people born in the last two decades of the 20th century, and they account for roughly 30% of the earth's population. This broad group of people carries the fashion industry on their heads because fashion means the world to them. Millennials want to take all the fashion glories right now, and you can see this fact by observing cultural events and how millennials are influencing the whole business. Iconic fashion collaborations are setting the records straight, and the demand for fashion products is rising high. No wonder stars like Kylie Jenner are making billions out of the industry.
- Diversity on the catwalk
Here's more good news. The fashion industry has come far from the dark ages. Now there's a laudable diversity in recent fashion shows, and the world now sees models from all walks of life parade the stage to exhibit their senses of fashion. Some time ago, the fashion industry was heavily criticized for its lack of social inclusion. For example, in September 2019, the All Sizes Catwalk fashion show in Paris proved that the fashion world could grow stronger if it embraces all models from diverse demographics. It's a dream come true for fashion shows to give equal platforms to, for example, for plus-size women to display their unique makeup. Yet that's not all the achievements. In 2017, Halima Aden stunned the world when she mounted international stages to partake in fashion shows with her Hijab on. These developments are positive, and they stand to rewrite the definition of fashion for several years.
- The era of no real fur
It took many years of heavy backlash and relentless campaigning for the fashion industry to drop real fur (from animals) as must-have fashion materials. Basically, what happened was that animal rights groups (including vegetarians) found it deeply worrying that animals were being slaughtered to serve the growing demand for fur in the fashion industry. In response to the campaigns, luxury brands are now beginning to put a stop to fur farming. But does that really save animals from being killed for the sake of fashion? Not exactly! The other problem is that even though fashion companies are decreasing their demand for real fur, they are also shifting to another dangerous alternative - that's leather. Unfortunately, leather also comes from animal sources. In 2019, a Gucci CEO admitted that the use of fur products for fashion purposes is actually not the real problem, and leather products equally contribute to killing animals. Despite the controversies surrounding the use of fur and leather, the fashion industry continues to evolve towards its better days.
- Product ordering
In the olden days, fashion companies used printed mail orders (catalogs) to deliver fashion products to their clients. This was distributed once a while, like one to two times per year, meaning that people could only order for a limited number of products at a time. Today's fashion industry has grown past those days. Thanks to the internet age, fashion lovers now order their products online for the most part. Products can be delivered faster to consumers, so you don't have to wait for weeks before you receive your products. Now that the coronavirus pandemic hasn't stopped spreading, online retailers are making money from models who stay at home while purchasing products. When online shops, physical stores, and the catalog system are used together, convenience is assured.
- Fashion seasons
Fashion has changed since time immemorial, and the same is true for its seasons. Instead of making products for the traditional two main fashion seasons ( like summer and winter), companies like Zara are now introducing flexibility. Zara now offers several products to meet the needs of people throughout the seasons. This, too, is increasing pressure on logistics.
- Sourcing and manufacturing
To improve efficiency and take products closer to consumers, fashion companies are now establishing multinational business models. This allows them to expand their manufacturing centers to other countries. For example, Chinese companies who used to manufacture all their goods in China, now have branches spread around Asia and Africa. Modern technology, like 3D printing, has also come to improve the efficiency of fashion companies. More goods can be produced faster at lower costs, and end-users are seeing products pushed to their doorsteps. Even beauty procedures have benefitted from the advancement with things like cosmetic dentistry cost becoming more affordable. And this is a welcome improvement because, after all, a good smile makes a good fashion impression.
The fashion world has changed dramatically for the past 20 years. The above points just highlight the amazing transformations that have shaken the fashion industry so far. As new technologies emerge and society learns new cultures, fashion will only get better as the years come by.
