What is Seasonless fashion and how does it affect the industry?
Photo: Inez and Vinoodh via: Marie Claire UK
Traditionally, the fashion industry has always released their clothing within seasons. Fashion brands typically have summer and spring collections and fall and winter collections and have fashion shows or editorials that correspond with each season. Because of this, the typical brand will release about four collections a year. Fast fashion brands have even more seasons and release up to fifty two collections a year because they always have to have new clothing every week or so. However, there are some brands that practice trans-seasonal or seasonless fashion or a brand not following the typical season cycle. Seasonless brands can release their collection at a slower rate and whenever they feel is right instead of in a specific season. For instance, some seasonless brands release one collection a year.
Photo: Steven Meisel via: Fashion United
Seasonless brands really rose to prominence during the pandemic. It came from consumers wanting more durable clothing in addition to brands needing to figure out how to save money while still making a profit. Seasonless clothing is used as a more sustainable way to shop for consumers and a better way for brands to be smarter about their clothing releases. Seasonless fashion is a more realistic and sustainable approach to fashion. Seasonless fashion focuses more on core and timeless pieces that will last a long time and can be worn with a lot of things.
Photo: Danko Steiner via: Harper's Bazaar
Many seasonless brands have made to order garments and thus has less potential waste created or money waste from garments that may not be sold. This system allows brands to not have to worry about making a collection deadline just in time for a specific season, avoiding too many markdowns and high order quantities. Less collections also causes less pressure from consumers and it is less overwhelming for them to have less clothing to look at.
Photo: Inez and Vinoodh via: Lifestyle Asia
Overconsumption has completely taken over the fashion industry and its consumers. However, the reality is that most of the time, consumers do not need as much clothes as brands want them to think. Seasonless fashion allows consumers to slow down their consumption and buy garments that will last them for a long time. It allows consumers to think better with their money when it comes to what they buy and what they wear. As fashion is trying to change, seasonless fashion may be the future of the industry. Many brands are already going the seasonless route as time goes on. For instance, Gucci announced last winter that they would be seasonless from now on with only 2 collections a year. Even if seasonless fashion does not become a trend, it should at least allow the fashion industry to think better and smarter when it comes to their garments. The fashion industry needs to re-evaluate their current practices and think more about garment longevity and quality over quantity.
