Apparel Online India Magazine November 1st Issue 2018 | Page 37

FASHION BUSINESS
Adaptive fashion
With the fashion industry becoming more
and more inclusive in recent times, adaptive
clothing is also becoming more mainstream
than ever. Adaptive clothes are garments
especially designed for people with
physical disabilities, for the elderly, or
for the infirm who finds it difficult to
dress himself/herself. Enabling easy-to-
wear features in regular, everyday clothing,
adaptive clothes present a multibillion dollar
retail opportunity today.
Earlier in 2018, Tommy Hilfiger launched
its adaptive clothing line that addresses
disability issues with functional details like
magnetic buttons, adjustable pant hems
to accommodate a prosthetic or brace,
wrist loops to help put on pants, easy open
necklines, expanded back and side openings,
one-handed zippers, and Velcro closures that
make fastening a cinch. 
Fashion immediacy
Fashion immediacy is defined as a
concept of presenting a designer
collection that can be purchased and
delivered immediately after its runway
debut. Born out of the business models of
fast-fashion retailers like H&M and Zara,
and combined with the tremendous reach of
social media in an average consumer’s life
– fashion immediacy is all about the instant
gratification of the buyer who is today
demanding a runway outfit much before it
goes out for large-scale production and even
before it hits the store shelves.
While the entire fashion industry is debating
over this new ‘see it now, buy it now’ trend
and is choosing sides – fashion immediacy
is a concept that can only be sustained
by retailers who are willing to invest in
an integrated supply chain and drive
operational adaptability to cut down time
and be able to produce everything in-house.
Gucci's new experience store embraced an open design of almost a 10,000 square foot space
"CONSIDERING THAT WE LIVE IN A DIGITAL WORLD, A UNIQUE SHOPPING
EXPERIENCE IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE PSYCHOLOGY OF A
SHOPPER, AND WHY EXACTLY ARE THEY OUT THERE TO SHOP IN A STORE."
the foundation of experiential retail is.
Considering that we live in a digital world
– a unique shopping experience is directly
proportional to the psychology of a shopper,
and why exactly he or she is out there to
shop in a store. unisex collection called Denim United with
gender-neutral silhouettes such as a shirt-
dress, capri shorts and hoodies. Some fresh
gender-neutral brands today are One DNA,
Official Rebrand, 69, The Phluid Project and
Agender.
Mastering this experience-driven fashion
market are luxury stores like designer
fashion house Gucci, which let go of its
divided store layout in its new 2018 store and
embraced an open design of almost a 10,000
square foot space - with exposed bricks,
plush sofas, an eclectic decor throughout,
including an augmented reality shoe and a
handbag design experience. Circular fashion
Gender-neutral fashion
The concept of experience economy is based
on the idea that value is everything, and
that products and services can outcompete
by building a unique experience for the
consumer. According to experts, millennials
today are more likely to invest in an
experience rather than buying products, or
owning houses. Freedom in gender expression has become
the new conversation of our society. And the
fashion industry refuses to stay behind as
brands continue to gain momentum in being
more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community
and transgender castings. While the line
between the traditional male and female
binaries is blurring at a rapid pace, an
entire cultural shift in fashion is also bound
to happen. Designers are choosing to make
gender-neutral lines and even the colours
of choice for a male vs. a female collection
are dramatically changing. In definition,
gender-neutral fashion is simply a
growing acceptance of gender fluidity.
Taking this concept further into a retail
store wherein the consumer can not only
see, touch and feel a product physically,
but can also experience a certain emotion
of calmness, exhilaration or surprise
while shopping for products – is what Back in 2017, UK department store John
Lewis ditched the labels on ‘boys’ and ‘girls’
clothing to reduce gender stereotypes and
instead marketed them as ‘Girls & Boys’
clothing on all of the tags. Fast-fashion
retailer H&M released a nineteen-piece
Experiential retail / Experience
economy
Tommy Hilfiger launched its adaptive clothing line that
addresses disability issues
There have been endless conversations
about sustainable fashion in the past,
and a new addition to this dialogue is the
introduction of ‘circular fashion’. Emerging
from the concept of a circular economy,
clothes in ‘circular fashion’ are produced at
their highest value and are designed to never
end up as waste.
In simple words, a fashion product
is made to last in the society for the
longest of time – made with minimal
resources and organic materials, which
later after use can be taken apart and be
reused, rebuilt, or recycled into a new
product. They are even sourced keeping
sustainable materials and practices
in mind, and if at all they need to be
disposed, it is done in a planet- friendly
manner.
Fashion brand MUD Jeans has pioneered a
‘Lease A Jeans’ business model that shows
how circular fashion can be put into action.
During the recent Copenhagen Fashion
Summit in 2018, the biggest of fashion
names such as Burberry Group plc, Gap
Inc., H&M, HSBC, NIKE, Inc. and Stella
McCartney, have claimed to have joined
their forces together to create a thriving
industry based on the principles of a
circular economy.
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