ABEST, in alliance with several showrooms, releases an open letter regarding the fashion calendar
Faced with the worldwide pandemic scenario caused by the new Coronavirus, we find ourselves living in a world that even science fiction did not foresee. The world halted. Our industry suffered the same fate. We are all housebound and using our creativity to keep our business afloat.
Our shoes, handbags, costume & high jewelry manufacturing and sewing workshops came to a halt. Many of them are still running, but have shifted their focus to manufacturing masks and scrubs to be donated to hospitals and health care professionals in their regions. There’s a pressing question in the air: how are we going to release our winter collection on the market? Part of the new collection is already manufactured and part is suspended due to social isolation.
The arrival of COVID-19 made us reflect on a subject that has long been in the minds of 100% Brazilian, artsy and belonging to the so-called slow fashion movement brands. Why do we have to follow this crazy -from fast fashion brands- fashion calendar? Why, after just 15 days, the pieces that are on the racks or in the windows are considered old and we have to release and sell an entirely new collection? Our product is not that perishable; its shelf life is way longer. We make pieces to last, to be worn today, tomorrow, the next year and so on. Why winter sales need to happen when the season starts in July and the summer ones when our thermometers are above 30 degrees Celsius?
Who buys a collection to sit months in the closet? Few, very few people do.
With this matter in mind, the Brazilian Fashion Designers Association (ABEST) together with seven of the most important showrooms and small trade shows in São Paulo (Salão Casamoda, Contemporâneo Business, Feira TM, Maria Eugenia Showroom, Conceito +, Novo Showroom and Fashionroom, with the support from SPFW, InMod and FFW) established a new fashion calendar.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wholesale sales will take place on the following dates:
• Summer: from the second half of June until July 10th
• Winter: second half of November
Retail:
• Winter sale: August 2020.
• Summer sale: February 2021.
After this difficult period that we are living, we imagine a more realistic scenario for our industry. We suggest wholesale sales from 2021 on running as follows:
• Summer in May.
• Winter in November.
Retail sales will remain in February and August.
