Chester University lecturer says coronavirus will “decimate the fashion industry”

A University of Chester lecturer says coronavirus will “decimate the fashion industry” and dramatically affect the wider economy.

The coronavirus pandemic has severely compromised the global fashion industry but a fashion lecturer from Chester University says the ripple effects on the ‘value economy’ could be the most damning.

The fashion retail shops that line Chester’s high street are expected to further decline unless a ‘greener view’ is adopted, the lecturer suggests.

One Chester store has said the crisis will transform the way business is conducted in the future.

The University of Chester says it is preparing its students to enter a new fashion industry, post-coronavirus, as they train them in sustainable and ethical manufacturing.

It comes as fashion retailer Next recently announced that it expects a 40 per cent drop in sales amid the crisis.

But this issue stems far beyond trends and textiles as fashion lecturer Delphine Wilson explained: “The furloughing of staff and closing of retail outlets is just the tip of the iceberg.

“The pandemic’s real effects, even for as little as two months’ disruption to the global value chain, will decimate the fashion industry as we know it and post COVID-19, it will have to adapt to survive.”

From those harvesting the fibres used to make textiles to shop assistants who sell the finished fashion product, Mrs Wilson says fashion is key to the bigger economy.

She added: “The effect of breaks in production cycles, fractured supply chains and ultimately pessimistic sales post pandemic, in an already declining high street, will have massive long-term effects on the future of fashion as we know it.”

As lockdown restrictions start to ease, sadly consumers can expect a high number of retail outlets to shut down forever.

Chester fashion store Laundry Boutique Chester closed its doors on March 21 and still has no idea when it will re-open.

Owner Dawn Robinson said: "I, along with the rest of the population, never imagined anything like this could ever happen.

"I think moving forward it will make a lot of people think very differently about future decisions in business and life."

All the store's staff have been furloughed and Dawn is relying on social media to drive sales.

Senior business lecturer Lisa Conway said: "Many retailers will not survive the current pandemic.

"Of course, many were already closing or vulnerable to closure beforehand, particularly where they had been slow to respond to changing customer preferences and behaviours, and in these cases COVID-19 is likely to provide a quickening of that decline."

Laundry Boutique Chester continues to operate using social media but for other retailers, the pandemic may see them closing their doors for good.

But, there may be hope for bespoke products and stores that join the growing movement towards sustainable and ethically sourced manufacturing.

Mrs Wilson added: "Possible growths may be in bespoke, limited edition products, and ‘locally made and sourced’ will become new buzz words. Online will be a more interactive and personally developed buying experience."

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