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This is the main question for a lot of people right now, and their choices are affecting the fashion industry in many ways. For some, it is an opportunity — allowing them to emerge into the world of e-commerce, for others it is a detrimental time filled with bills and stress
The fashion world is one of the industries heavily affected by this pandemic. Although I am sure everyone around the world is still excited by new clothes and runway shows, those things just aren’t at the forefront of people’s minds right now. People all over the globe are now stuck at home, burdened financially and dealing with new childcare regimens. Many own their own businesses and are struggling to stay afloat themselves, and some just cannot find any places to wear new clothes or reasons to buy them right now. This is not only affecting fashion retailers, but manufacturers as well - the most vulnerable, lowest paid people in the supply chain.
IndustriALL, the global trade union which works to give workers around the world a voice, says that,“Millions of garment makers have already lost their jobs as a result of the virus and have no access to social or financial safety nets to help them weather this storm”. Bangladeshi garment manufacturer Mostafiz Uddin reminds us, “Poverty is a killer too, and many more people die from poverty than from COVID-19”. However, buying more clothing items in support so that they can work more is not the solution here. Warehouse workers in the supply chains of several UK high street brands are begging people to stop ordering frivolous fashion items during this crisis, as workers doing 12 hour shifts note a surge in sales making social distancing impossible. Safe and hygienic working conditions have become unacceptable and this is a reminder that the fashion industry continues to operate in exploitative conditions, with little transparency.
Clothing brands have been using their supply chains to make face masks in a humanitarian effort, however this is not as humanitarian as it seems due to the unsanitary conditions in which these life-saving masks are being made. A video has gone viral on Instagram showing a garment sweatshop manufacturing face masks in extremely unhygienic conditions, however these workers have no choice but to expose themselves to the risks of COVID to supply for their families and provide medical care if needed. In India, the whole country has been locked down and mass starvation may trump the threat of COVID as workers who travel from their towns and villages to work in the city centres at these factories are left unable to return home as public transportation has been halted, resulting in many left homeless in the city centres. In Tamil Nadu, there are 40,000 factories with dormitory style living conditions for the workers, making social distancing impossible, especially considering the lack of shift work forcing all of the workers into their dorms at once.
“These workers now don’t know how they will take care of their families in the coming days — how they will manage costs for food, rent and other necessities. They can’t even imagine what they’ll do if they or a family member needs medical treatment for the Corona Virus. The meagre income these workers earned was barely enough to cover their living costs, and as a result, they have little to no savings set aside to deal with a crisis such as this.” – Nazma Akter, AWAJ Foundation
Some companies have made efforts to make up for these difficulties, although there is still much to be done. In South Africa, the South African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union entered into a collective agreement with the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry to ensure that workers still receive 100% of their salaries during South Africa’s lockdown.
UK Charity, Traidcraft Exchange has published a report that shows the governmental responses that should be occurring in these countries. The Traidcraft Exchange argues how the consequences of COVID-19 unveil a fashion system already reliant on widespread exploitation and an imbalance of power between big brands and developing economies. The report states, “This supply-side model has not been compatible with the establishment of deep and wide social protection coverage. Instead, [producing] countries have, under pressure from financial institutions, followed a race to the bottom through wage suppression, deregulation and privatization. Faced with the collapse of orders combined with the effect of the COVID-19 virus, these countries are all ill-equipped to provide support to the increasing numbers of sick people, workers at risk of exposure and families without income.” Hopefully this experience will shine a light on the detrimental conditions overseas factory workers have to work in, and initiate some major changes.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have new brands and locally made brands who are experiencing a surge in e-commerce opportunities and this is helping their brand get a leg up in the online shopping world. While this pandemic has cost many luxury brands their in-store business, it has helped many smaller brands transform their online presence. It has also given people the time to start their own businesses and brands online, now that we have more time to work on them. It has created both difficulties and opportunities, but some brands have locked onto these opportunities.
Knix, a Toronto based brand that focuses on customers finding their perfect fit and being comfortable, usually has an annual warehouse sale that sees thousands of shoppers lining up on the streets of Toronto for a two-day sales event. With their increasing popularity, they booked their biggest space yet for the 2020 sale however they were unable to host the event this year — physically. They turned to e-commerce for a solution and found one that worked out better than the physical event ever could.
“Retail is being disrupted, and brands need to find new ways to deliver experiences with trust and care. Thanks to Shopify Plus, we’re able to expand our product offerings and reach new audiences. The world’s next legacy brands are being built in real time, and I believe Knix will be one.” - Joanna Griffiths, Founder & CEO, Knix Knix developed a virtual fitting so that shoppers could still find their perfect fit.
Knix worked with Shopify to develop a virtual warehouse sale, using 100% unpaid promotional tactics through social media and email to let customers know about it. Customers chose a date and time, booked a 20 min consultation, and on that day they received a reminder introducing them to their personal in-store associate. This associate would help the customer take their measurements over a video call, and find their right size and fit, with a full array of clothing to choose from in real time.
The warehouse sale was beyond a win, with over 35000 people shopping within the first 10 mins and at one point 5000 customers checking out simultaneously. Virtual fittings have been super successful, with 97% of time slots taken and they are now taking thousands of virtual appointments a month. This is faster than any warehouse sale in person could have ever moved. This tactic saved thousands of people from waiting in lines, saved the company the costs of renting space, and laid down a foundation that will allow them to succeed virtually — well beyond the reach of their two Canadian stores. Joanna Griffiths, the founder and CEO of Knix, has this to say, “Can you imagine the kind of space and staffing you’d need to physically check out 5,000 people at the same time? We sold more in 10 minutes than we did in all of Black Friday, 2019.”
Perhaps this says something about the quality of purchasing we are doing when ordering from brands who use factories overseas to produce their clothing. We can take a stand and create awareness for these workers, while supporting local brands!
As Wangari Maathai said in her famous 2004 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, “In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.”
