The COVID-19 outbreak has introduced a serious reshuffling of ideologies and ways of working in many industries; including the world of fashion. While it has made the conversation around sustainable fashion louder, one wonders if this development will suffice in an industry that works around seasons.
And whether ditching the seasonal collections for a more viable choice is a better option.
The Morning Standard asks fashion designer Payal Khandwala on how post-pandemic fashion should take an overhaul for the sake of the planet.
Do you think seasonless collection is the need of the hour rather than just concentrating on sustainable fashion?
This has been the need of the hour for some time now. Now that we’ve been hurled into this pandemic, I hope it will give us the time to fix our system. Our greed for excess will have to be reassessed. It’s the wastefulness that is unsustainable. Fewer collections will certainly help, but what will be integral is how much we manufacture. Massive inventories cannot end up in discounts and sales and then in landfills, the way they do it now. We must make clothes well, with love, that we can cherish for longer. Not ones we wear once and discard because they are cheap. This puts pressure on the planet, on the people who make them. We have to change our mindset as manufacturers, and also as consumers if things are truly to change.
How will seasonless collections help designers?
Seasonless clothes can be worn forever because these are timeless, don’t follow trends and fashion forecasts, and therefore you are not compelled to buy more. Every time a season-specific collection is launched, in a few weeks that merchandise becomes dated, goes on sale and has to be replaced. People are told to buy the next trend and lose the last one. It’s simply not sustainable.
Another huge benefit of seasonless fashion is that factories can have consistent, paced production. What is your perspective?
Yes, it eases the burden of large quantities being turned around in short time frames. With fewer deadlines there will be less pressure on production houses, less pressure on artisans, and less pressure on the system. A continuous flow of merchandise throughout the year is definitely better than a tsunami of collections several times a year.
Fashion creates a ton of textile waste and a good portion of it is pre-consumer/production waste. How will seasonless fashion impact the use of fabrics?
Because we make seasonless clothes that don’t follow trends, we use fabrics from collections that we made several years ago. Our clothes are always about personal style, because it is an extension of my personality, choice in silhouettes, palette, textiles, all with a continuity that allows for revisiting fabrics left over from previous collections. This brings us closer to being a zero-waste company.
How will such a step impact fashion shows?
Even before this current situation, fashion weeks were limited by their reach, and there were too many to begin with. Shows were presented not because they were credible, but because the brand had deep pockets. Fashion weeks, for some time now, have needed a rethink. Maybe now, they’ll have to find that.
Tell us about the one-of-a-kind virtual shopping experience you have launched?
We’re concentrating on client services for almost a personal shopper experience, trying to retain some of what might be lost when you are not able to shop at our physical stores. This virtual shopping experience will have our senior-most client services executives personally guide, recommend, and offer customised sizing options to each individual, from the safety and comfort of their own homes. This is done via telephone and video calls and includes 360-degree videos images of the products.
Once you select the garment(s), our executive will organise to have the pre-steamed garment (sealed in sanitised packaging) delivered via a local delivery service.
For the client’s safety, we ensure the garments remain untouched for a minimum of 48 hours so that these are safe to wear immediately. The client then has the option to keep the garment or return it within 24 hours for either an exchange or refund.