Daily Newsletter

22 July 2024

Daily Newsletter

22 July 2024

Week in Review: Climate change and the death of traditional fashion seasons

As the climate crisis makes extreme weather more likely, and blurs the lines between summer and winter, is it time that fashion stepped away from traditional seasons?

Rachel Lawler July 22 2024

Here in the UK, we’re immune to unpredictable weather.

As we head toward the end of July, it was only last week that many of us were finally packing away our boots and rain macs, swapping them out for shorts and t-shirts as the country was finally treated to a burst of sun and warmth after weeks of damp and wet weather.

But as the public toys with the most appropriate outfit for the day based on the unpredictable weather, fashion brands and retailers are also experiencing similar challenges.  

For large companies with huge supply chains, adapting to the erratic climate is much more difficult than simply remembering to pack an umbrella whenever leaving the house.

After the sixth-wettest spring on record, many UK retailers have reported a slump in sales as consumers chose not to spend on new summer outfits.

And as the climate crisis makes weather patterns more unpredictable, stalling sales on the back of unseasonable temperatures will likely be a worldwide trend in the coming years.

According to the Met Office, climate change is causing more frequent and intense weather across the world.

Last week, Uniqlo-owner Fast Retailing blamed a sharp fall in profits from its Greater China business on “lacklustre consumer appetite, and unseasonal weather".

And one recalls Superdry's eventual downfall came after several years of dwindling sales stemming from unseasonable weather.

Earlier in July, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed June's total UK retail sales decreased 0.2% year on year with clothing and footwear hit particularly hard by unseasonably cool weather.

In 2018, the BRC and Met Office’s Weather to Shop? report claimed that for each degree warmer the first week of September is in the UK, relative to the previous year, the rate of growth for clothing is reduced by 1.1% - that’s equivalent to £40m in sales.

We've all walked past rails of coats in an unusually warm autumn or skipped the summer dress section when the sun has failed to appear, but as these weather events become more commonplace, retailers and brands are going to need a new approach.

As consumers continue to tighten their belts and spend more selectively - and the weather becomes even more unpredictable - the fashion industry might not soon have a choice but to stop basing their drops on specific seasons.

Top stories on Just Style this week

AI could replace third of textile material inspection jobs by 2034
The Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has created an AI-based Textile Material Inspection Technology that should be ready for the fashion industry to use within the next four years.

Explainer: What a June UK retail sales washout means for rest of 2024
A wet June and a Euros loss dampened consumer spending in the UK but industry onlookers are hopeful that easing inflation and a new government will inject some confidence in consumers and boost spend in the second half of 2024.

Superdry delists from the London Stock Exchange
UK fashion retailer Superdry will delist from the London Stock exchange today (15 July) as part of a restructuring plan.

In data: Better Cotton launches fund to drive India climate resilience, equality
Better Cotton is launching a new fund to support cotton farming communities in India, focusing on women's empowerment and climate resilience.

Hirdaramani Group invests $30m in green textile mill
Apparel manufacturer Hirdaramani Group has announced a $30m investment into a new “cutting edge” textile mill in Pannala, Sri Lanka.

Explainer: How is the apparel sector affected now CSDDD is here?
The first phase of implementing the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) could be as early as 2027 so Cascale and Worldly are urging fashion companies to start preparing their corporate due diligence programmes.

In data: Depop removes US seller fees in bid to grow secondhand market
Pre-loved shopping platform Depop hopes the removal of its 10% selling fee for US users will encourage a wider audience to sell their secondhand clothing to its online community.

In data: Puma uses 75% recycled textile waste for all replica football kits
German sports retailer Puma has scaled its textile-to-textile recycling innovation RE:FIBRE to make all its replica football kits with a minimum of 75% recycled textile waste.

Luxury Apparel Market Overview

Per GlobalData, the luxury apparel market was valued at $201.6 billion in 2023 and will grow at a CAGR of >5% during 2023-2028. While macroeconomic difficulties in Western Europe and North America will impact luxury demand in the short term, countries in APAC and Eastern Europe will continue to emerge as burgeoning economies. Per our analysis, Hermes emerged as the uncontestable winner within the luxury apparel market, growing its share at an exponential rate in 2023.

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