As we try to stay balanced in the new world order, still in the midst of the tragic covid19 pandemic, fashion consumers and followers are wondering how this multi-million dollar industry will survive at a time when people are not shopping as they used to, much less showing an interest in who’s wearing the latest designer creation, or who wore it the best. People are struggling to survive basically, you cannot go out, so where do you wear your clothes? The days of the fashion shows as we know it is over. Vogue Magazine has started a series of Global Conversations Zoom Broadcasts where fashion professionals discuss the state and re-thinking of the fashion industry. People share ideas, but at this time there is no “one” answer. In essence, no one knows what the future of fashion will be.

Anna Wintour, the Queen of American Fashion, at her Vogue Global Conference, noted the importance of leaving the past behind: “We all want to rebuild this industry that we love so much and leave behind the old habits that are out of date, or indeed unsustainable.” Designer Stella McCartney who, even before the covid19 situation has been touting sustainable clothing and new ways to create relatable and conscious clothing said; “This is an absolute reset button moment  in the history of the earth, as we know it.” Natacha Ramsey-Levi creative director of Chloe’ told vogue.com “I think we all agree that we value a fashion show. It’s a moment where you can gather the community; it’s a moment where there is human sensitivity…We can’t waste materials, because we pollute so much, but we can’t waste creativity either.”

As far as fashion shows go, they can be reworked, but, for the future, do we completely eliminate them? In a recent interview designer Marine Serre, whose garments are all uniquely made from 50% upcycled materials said she and her team are brainstorming on how to make her clothes more accessible. “We need not panic but instead find solutions for a better future. My team and I have continued to think about how we’re producing and smarter ways for us to produce. For example, I think our garments are too expensive. Of course, they are upcycled and unique but not everyone can afford something like that….in terms of fashion shows, doing smaller collections means smaller deliveries. I don’t know if shows have to be eliminated for the future. The fashion show is like unveiling a new painting – it’s that end that’s so important to me creativity. Fewer shows, even two per year is a lot and a huge expense. Shows are important for creativity and conversation. I don’t know if it’s so important that it’s in Paris with the same 500 people. Something should shift.”

Virtual shows, live streams, and fusing digital technologies with garments and models seem to be one way to move forward. People are talking about going back to normal, but, in reality `normal never was.’ Listen in to how Sonya Rene Taylor broke it down – “We will not go back to normal. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate, and lack. We should not long to return my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.”

This is a serious challenge for fashion insiders, you hear words like cutting-back, rethinking, recycling, and the dreaded e-word END. Designers, editors, photographers, stylists, hair, and make-up artists are all trying to craft the new shape of fashion. Clothes are not so much a necessity as we know it. Stores are closing or claiming bankruptcy, celebrities are staging their own fashion shoots, choosing from their own wardrobes, doing their own hair and make-up, and in some cases shooting their own images. Naomi Campbell just shorts her own cover for Essence Magazine, styling and photographing the images on her own I phone camera. No glam squad needed.