The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
THE CHEAT SHEET
E-Commerce and the Coronavirus
Rapper Saweetie at Revolve Festival during Coachella in 2019 | Source: Getty
The economic effects of the pandemic are seemingly designed to funnel spending toward online retailers. But it's not easy for e-commerce players to take advantage. There are basic logistical issues, from keeping warehouses Covid-free to unreliable shipping. The two e-tailers reporting results this week are leaders in their particular niches, and have their own challenges. Revolve's business is built around a festivals and beaches Instagram aesthetic that looks more obsolete by the day. (Coachella alone drives up to 5 percent of sales, according to Cowen.) Farfetch may see its progress toward profitability derailed as discount mania takes hold in luxury.
France Gets Back to Work
Forum des Halles shopping centre in Paris | Source: Shutterstock
The Bottom Line: How stores will operate in the new normal is another question entirely. People will put up with plenty of inconvenience when they're paid to do so in their jobs. Will they do the same when shopping for their Chanel?
Fashion Media Gets Creative in Its Pandemic Response
Vogue Taiwan's latest cover featured a model against an all-digital backdrop | Source: Instagram/@voguetaiwan
The Bottom Line: As in other sectors, the pandemic is accelerating trends that were already well underway. Magazines were shutting down well before the pandemic, and with advertising unlikely to rebound anytime soon, more will follow.
SUNDAY READING
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