Seasonless trends started appearing on runways a few years ago. Perhaps you have noticed slightly odd trends like boots or long sleeves in summer or sleeveless coats and trenches during winter. The word on the street is that seasonless styles will replace catwalk styles almost entirely. Keep reading to find out why.
Insightful Purchases
Pre COVID-19 designers noticed that their consumers began to make a shift towards purchasing quality pieces that would transition from day-to-night. Consumers also showed that they were purchasing more mindfully and cared about their items’ story and where it was coming from and were more likely to buy from brands that aligned with their values.
Consumers and companies alike have experienced an overload of downtime over the past months. Many have taken this time to reevaluate where and how they spend their money, rework their business models, and become more conscious of the brands they support and the impact that their consumerism is having on the environment. Fast forward many months into the COVID pandemic; people are opting for pieces that are seasonless, like denim, instead of trendy pieces that will run their style course in a season or two. Modern women are purchasing to complete a capsule wardrobe instead of shopping based on impulse, making a shift from quantity to quality pieces in their collections.
See Now, Have Now
Our entire planet has become enthralled with the idea that everything should happen instantaneously, expecting fast deliveries, new technology every day, and quick turnaround time in all fields. This way of life prompted the “see now, buy now” model in fashion, introduced in 2016. This model alone is playing a huge role in the story of the seasonless style allowing consumers to see an item on the catwalk and then purchase it straight away instead of waiting until the appropriate season draws near to buy and wear it.
COVID Effects
Since March, we’ve all been forced to stay inside. I decided from the jump that if I was staying inside I would keep it comfy, 24-7. The rest of the world had the same idea as loungewear sales boomed since March, while other styles like workwear and designer clothing sales have plummeted as lifestyle changes have shifted dramatically. Similarly, athleisure sales are on the rise by at least a quarter across the millennials and generations after that.
People have committed to finding comfy, decent looking clothes. Research shows that this type of clothing tends to stick because it’s comfy and smart (enough) and doesn’t require wearers to compromise comfort for style.
Gucci Goes Seasonless
As many are fully aware by now, Gucci announced that it would be going seasonless in the months ahead, cutting their collections from 5 to 2. Gucci made statements declaring the fashion calendar obsolete. Additionally, the famous fashion house has chosen to forego its typical slot in fashion week in September and will instead drop its first seasonless collection at a later date. More brands will likely make the change from seasonal drops to creating pieces that will stand the test of time. In hindsight, this shift is sensible, considering that European seasons don’t align with US seasons, so the seasonal shift caters to a wider array of consumers.
As a whole, the world of fashion is positively responding to the pandemic, which is exciting. Saving the planet and our coin by investing in pieces that will last a lifetime is a train I am ready to jump . As a lover of fashion and textiles, I would love to see people shift their mindset from shopping trends to learning about the science of fashion— focusing on quality over quantity.
Are you interested in learning more? Check out Mood’s capsule wardrobe planner or some fabric science articles to get started.
I’m glad this is becoming a thing. I’m poor so I buy a lot of what’s considered “fast fashion” Walmart clothes, but I don’t wear them a few times. I’ve got clothes that are 10 plus and in some case 15 years old, I mostly have to replace necessities and pants. Honestly couldn’t give a crap if it’s out of style I still wear it. I thrift a lot of clothes, but we’ve been doing that since I was a kid. Second hand has never been an issue to me. XD When you’re poor you can’t really afford to buy expensive, or by quality all the time, but if you take care of the cheaper clothing it does last. Sometimes I wonder if people would treat fast fashion pieces more this way, they would save more money in the long run, and waste less. They would still have their fun pieces but keep them longer to set a precedent. Aside from obvious problems with a lot of fast fashion like child slavery. Some good habits can be taught when purchasing fast fashion. At least it mitigates some issues.