Like everything else, fashion too will be different in the post Covid-19 world

Mona

While ‘fast fashion’ is flying out of the shelf, durable and sustainable clothing is making its presence felt like never before; style will sure take a 360-degree turn in a post Covid-19 world. Earthy hues, classic styles; goodbye to fancy sequins and ruffles, fashion, as and when the world recovers from the pandemic, will never be the same.

“It happened faster than we imagined,” says Pooja Monga, founder of Saltpetre, minimal, sustainable, work-wear brand. “Nobody saw the pandemic coming, but the scenario across the globe has made people sit back and think about their choices,” she adds. People will now go beyond the brands and look at the material to ensure that their choices are eco-friendly. “While colours will go by the season, emphasis will be more on functional clothing, something that we have been doing for a while now.”

Futility of impulse buying

Comfort clothing got a new lease of life during lockdown and will continue to trend high even post it. “Sitting home in t-shirts and track bottoms has made people realise the vanity of cupboards full of fancy clothes, bags and shoes,” says Ritu Kochhar, founder-director, INIFD.

While fashion pundits predict revenge shopping to brighten the industry’s mood, Kochhar believes otherwise, “If anything, one has realised the futility of impulse buying. Seeing the pandemic as a revenge of Mother Earth, many have become more responsible towards the planet.”

Changing contours

Classic styles that are trans-seasonal and lasting will make it to the top of the list; ruffles, sequins, ‘dry-clean-only’ having lived their heyday! “People are likely to invest in clothes that are multi-functional and easy to maintain. In a wash-and-wear world, neutral hues with classic lines are set to rule,” says designer Anjali, while making a case for natural dyes.

Marketing gimmick?

As for the anti-virus and anti-bacterial clothing, at the moment it seems more like a marketing gimmick than something real to be taken up by the fashion fraternity. “Selling anything to the world while labelling it as ‘antivirus’ looks like another ploy; it doesn’t seem like a saleable option at the moment,” says Kochhar.

Bright note

One segment that will not be affected by the pandemic seems to be wedding couture. “Wedding remains huge in India; the pandemic may curtail the number of the guests at the party, not the bride’s vanity. Matching masks with lehengas seems to be the new look for the bride,” laughs Kochhar.

Men will go in a different direction though, points out celebrity designer Ravi Gupta. “While we have already got orders for matching face masks, it is back to the basics in terms of groom’s styling.” As far as colours are concerned, people want to play with the safer tones. “Grooms wearing a sherwani will definitely want to go for lighter options like peach, beige, off-white or mint colour,” says Gupta, proprietor, Gargee Designer’s.

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