The Impact of Coronavirus on the Fashion World

Covid-19 (also more commonly referred to as Coronavirus) has pushed nations' healthcare systems to their breaking point and continued to raise the unemployment rate to 1930’s great depression levels, bringing some of the richest nations in history to their knees. However, this article won’t focus on the general impact of Covid-19 on the global economy but zone in on the virus's impact on the fashion industry.

Fashion Industry Jobs at Risk

No doubt, the impact of the virus on manufacturing in China puts fashion industry jobs all over the world at risk. Mostly those that fill up the primary and secondary sector occupations are in danger of being made temporarily and even permanently redundant. However the impact will also be felt by those in the tertiary sector too. One clear example of this is H&M Group releasing a statement on their official website stating that “a total of 3,441 of the group’s 5,062 stores are closed”. That figure means that almost 70% of their shops worldwide are closed due to the coronavirus. The statement also mentions both temporary and permanent layoffs due to the global epidemic. On the other end of the fashion scale, major fashion events in both London and Paris have been affected too.

Major Fashion Events Cancelled

It doesn’t get much bigger than the London and Paris fashion weeks, however, both have been negatively affected by Covid-19. The Board of Directors of the Fédération de la haute couture et de la Mode announced that both the Paris men’s fashion week and Haute Couture Week set to take place in Paris this summer have been cancelled. Furthermore, the British Fashion Council released a statement saying the men’s show scheduled to take place in June is cancelled. More recently, Chinese fashion giants such as Shiatzy Chen, Masha Ma, Maison Mai and Jarel Zhan cancelled their shows at the Paris Fashion Week that took place from the 24th of February to the 3rd of March. However, it is not all bad news as certain organisations within the fashion industry have put it upon themselves to help out in these dire times.

Providing A Helping Hand

Since the majority of news surrounding Covid-19 is negative it is important to shine a light on some positive action occurring during the epidemic. Two major organisations in the American fashion world have joined forces and launched a relief fund for those in the fashion community who need a helping hand, namely the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue. This is just one example of the fashion industry providing help and if you’re interested in keeping up-to-date with how the fashion industry is tackling Covid-19 then I recommend this article. Unfortunately, those who are looking to make a quick buck off the virus have also emerged. LegitGrails prevents the spread of ‘fake items’ (as is currently happening with healthcare products during this epidemic) as through our checks, we ensure that your clothing apparel is authentic.

Faked Items

Popular streetwear brands such as Aimé Leon Dore, Balenciaga, Off-White, Palace, Supreme, and more have increasingly found their high grossing items being ‘faked’ over the last few years. This can range from the obvious fake Gucci glasses sold across beaches all over the world but also more legitimate items sold online claiming to be 100% authentic. Obviously, such wrongdoing has extreme repercussions on consumers as they could be being ripped off hundreds of dollars on fake items. That’s where LegitGrails comes in to help. Whether you have already bought an item or are checking out a link for an item made by a streetwear brand such as those mentioned above, our team of highly-trained individuals will “legit check” your item and confirm whether it is real or not. If you have already purchased an item and we find that it is fake, ensure to check the kind of refund that you are eligible to receive from the seller. In the UK, a consumer is eligible for a full refund within a month of purchasing the item as per citizens advice.

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