Having two annual fashion seasons seems reasonable. Since some countries have extremely hot summers and quite harsh winters, both lightweight and warm clothing are a clear necessity. What doesn’t seem reasonable is having weekly seasons. I know climate change sometimes makes the weather a little crazy, but… 52 seasons? At what point did we start needing a new closet every week? How do we go back? Or better, can we even go back?
In recent years, in the face of consumer awareness of the fashion industry’s impact on the environment and its workers, the rise of seasonless fashion has become increasingly popular. In fact, it represents quite a good approach to breaking the cycle of overproduction, overconsumption, and waste that has led us to the micro seasons’ “illness”.
So, with fashion seasons under scrutiny, is a seasonless fashion the future?
Seasonality, a “necessity”?
The fashion industry has a very clear calendar that establishes when brands and consumers are supposed to sell and buy. In the beginning, it was just Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter, but now it’s every week or even less (just take a look at monsters SHEIN or Fashion Nova whose business models are based on daily launches). Each new season brings along new collections and new trends creating a “need” for consumers to buy what the industry is offering and to quickly dispose of what they already have. It is this “expectation of newness” and the social pressure to wear new outfits constantly that is hurting the environment, the people making our clothing, and our wallets!
Can you see it? Seasonality is not about adapting to a certain weather anymore, but about business and profit. According to Mara Hoffman, “it’s really a production and finance situation. Once you get into the drug of taking money from retailers [like Shopbop or Net-a-Porter] who are buying seasonally, it also helps you build your production number, and thus, makes it less expensive to actually make the clothing.”[1] It is precisely this modern meaning of seasonality that has made the fashion industry so polluting and exploitative of its workers.
In a nutshell: the more clothing that gets designed and ordered, the cheaper it is for everyone, including us, the consumers.[2] The issue is that most brands don’t have the resources to track all their production, so they are likely still overproducing in unregulated factories. In turn, this cheapens the brand and perpetuates the idea that its clothing is disposable. To avoid this, some luxury brands have gone to outrageous extremes such as burning their excess inventory so it doesn’t flood the market at a discount (Burberry was a clear example back in 2018 when it came to light that it was burning excess inventory to “protect” their brand).[3]
What has been the industry’s response so far?
The ruthless fashion industry needs fundamental reform, yet, without equally ruthless changes it seems impossible. Fortunately, some renowned brands like Michael Kors and Saint Laurent have seen the light and have begun to distance themselves from the modern seasonal calendar. Others like Gucci, have opted to say their farewells for good to seasonality. Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s recently departed creative director, announced in 2020 that the brand was abandoning “the worn-out rituals of seasonalities and shows,” and that the brand was only going to present two shows a year. Another example is Prada, who in 2020 gave the nod to non-seasonality by presenting boots in its S/S collection, and Chloe by including transitional dresses in its F/W 2020 collection.
Yet, as much as this progress fills us with joy, they are not nearly enough to achieve the paradigm shift we are looking for. Fast fashion companies should be the ones leading the change, the main characters of the “seasonless” movie. Unfortunately, we are not seeing Zara or H&M in the ring, let alone ultra-fast-fashion giants like SHEIN or Fashion Nova. And the truth is, why would they be? Their entire business model is based on seasonality, they created it and it’s working just fine for them (economically speaking, of course). It seems that every time we take one step forward, we end up taking two steps back.
How to go back to two?
Is it even possible to picture a seasonless future when we get an email about last season’s sales every single day? As much as it may seem like an odyssey, it is not impossible.
Buying less is a good start, yet it doesn’t address the deeper problem. To make a meaningful change, the fashion industry and the consumers need to make a 180° turn. By focusing on providing core pieces that transcend the traditional seasonal collections, seasonless fashion aims to slow down the consumption cycle and thus, its environmental and labor impact. Here are some questions brands should be doing themselves before launching a new collection:
- Are we building this collection around real people?
- What are those real people’s needs?
- Would this design and material fit those real people’s everyday life?
- Is the quality of the fabric strong enough to last longer than one wear? Is it well-made?
- Could this piece of clothing be worn all year round? Is it versatile enough?
Four brands that are embracing seasonless fashion
Mosaert
Mosaert is a gender-neutral Belgian brand that, on average, only releases one collection per year. According to the brand itself, it is part of the slow fashion movement. Each collection has between 10-15 garments which are pre-produced in limited quantities to avoid overproduction. When it comes to materials, Mosaert only uses organic and/or recycled materials in its collections.
Mosaert is also committed to price transparency. Since it makes its products in Europe (which naturally leads to higher production costs), the brand wants its customers to know the real production costs. Next to each garment, consumers will find a diagram explaining the different costs involved in producing it. The final sale price covers the operational costs, communication and profits.
ISTO.
ISTO. is a Portuguese brand that doesn’t rely on seasonal collections and cares for everyday clothes that fit daily needs. The brand has one single collection with fashion staples and tries to make it permanently available. Each new launch is carefully planned to address the real needs of its consumers through the use of organic and natural materials that fit well and last longer. As Mosaert, ISTO. is also committed to price transparency.
Cuyana
Cuyana is a women-built company offering fewer and better collections that embody timeless design and luxury quality designed to maximize wear. Because it only produces what it thinks it can sell, the brand sells through 90% of its products (a much higher percentage than the industry’s average of just 60-70%). It produces in small batches, buying as close to demand as possible to prevent overproduction.
When it comes to suppliers, each one has either been independently audited for social compliance or has agreed to the Cuyana vendor terms, which include compliance with local labor laws. Regarding materials, 99% of its assortment is made from sustainably-certified materials and 100% of its apparel items are made from sustainably-made materials.
Ouisa
Ouisa is a woman and LGBTQ-owned New York clothing brand which combines the ease of French uniform dressing with the quiet coolness of New York City style. Its mission is to promote a less-is-more philosophy through its signature six-piece capsule: “Les Six” (which contains timeless staples that can be worn year-round).
The brand uses high-quality fabrics made with low-impact dyes and materials such as bamboo, TENCEL™ Modal, certified eco-friendly cotton, and STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified textiles.
Do you think seasonless fashion will be the future? Do you know any other brands committed that might be embracing this “new” seasonality? Let us know in the comments below!
