Push Admin

How will PH fashion industry survive amid COVID-19? Experts weigh in

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Members of the local fashion industry should use the coronavirus-induced quarantine as an opportunity to work together and rethink strategies, three industry experts said Wednesday.Designers Rajo Laurel and Amina Aranaz-Alunan and Plains and Prints co-founder Roxanne Farillas served as panelists in the first &quot;Fashion Forward Dialogue,&quot; which aims to look at the industry amid the COVID-19 crisis.Farillas said designers should not only support their own brands and companies but also the industry as a whole, including other staff like assistants and photographers.&quot;We really need to reunite for us to recover... For us, I have to make sure that I would support not just our company, but of course the fashion industry, by continuing having shoots so we are able to give jobs to other people. That&#x27;s our commitment,&quot; she said. Laurel agreed, noting that all designers, big or small, &quot;are now on the same level&quot; because of the pandemic.&quot;We should use this opportunity to band together and share expertise and knowledge,&quot; said Laurel, who is also the vice president of the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines (FDCP). &quot;This is going to be a defining moment for the Philippine fashion industry.&quot;Aranaz-Alunan, president of FDCP and co-founder of School of Fashion and the Arts, for her part expressed optimism that this &quot;dark time&quot; will result in something better.&quot;I think this time is... a moment and an opportunity for rebirth for every one of us,&quot; she said, adding, &quot;It&#x27;s important that we really see things with a lot of trust and hope and positivity.&quot;<div>GIVING WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT</div>During the webinar, Aranaz-Alunan stressed the importance of producing fashion items that have &quot;real meaning,&quot; noting that clothes and bags are not as in demand today because of the COVID-19 crisis.This, she said, will encourage people to shop as they will &quot;understand that their money is not going to waste.&quot;&quot;We have to make sure that what we&#x27;re producing has real meaning to us as a brand, to the people who make it, and use that and communicate that to the market,&quot; she said. &quot;That this is not just another bag, this is not just another dress -- this is something that is thoughtfully made and provided livelihood to this family or this community.&quot;Aranaz-Alunan also brought up the idea of sustainable fashion, saying: &quot;We really need to start creating things that hopefully last a lifetime.&quot;Laurel, on the other hand, said members of the fashion industry should &quot;think beyond the glamour&quot; if they want to survive the economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus.&quot;What&#x27;s gonna be happening is people who are... just in it for the Instagram are going to die,&quot; he said. &quot;That&#x27;s the truth. You need to sort of think just beyond the glamour and really buckle up, fasten your seatbelts, and get working, because that&#x27;s how we&#x27;re going to survive. You have to sort of bite the bullet and really come up with pieces that people want.&quot;Laurel spoke of protective wear and easy-to-maintain clothes that are ideal for the country&#x27;s hot weather as he encouraged designers to create garments that &quot;can protect ourselves&quot; and &quot;make us feel comfortable.&quot;Farillas supported Laurel&#x27;s idea, saying Plains and Prints will soon release an &quot;essential&quot; collection consisting of face masks and multipurpose outerwear, to name a few.&quot;I agree with Rajo that we need to be sensitive to what consumers really want,&quot; she said, adding that they are also coming up with ways to innovate and push their other collections.

Members of the local fashion industry should use the coronavirus-induced quarantine as an opportunity to work together and rethink strategies, three industry experts said Wednesday.

Members of the local fashion industry should use the coronavirus-induced quarantine as an opportunity to work together and rethink strategies, three industry experts said Wednesday.